How to use this Page

Last year PBS came to my house to film a testimonial about the influence of public television in my life. This is what they have released just recently:

Publia asked me the other day about getting a Señor Calavera puppet like mine, and she decided to give a try to making one for her class.
I made mine a while ago, but I found this picture I took while I was making it. I have marked some of the material I used to make him.

Basically my Señor Calavera is made out of pulp paper mache. The recipe I used called for ripping strips of paper (I used tissue paper for mine), boiling it with water over the stove fire, putting in the blender until it was of smoothie consistency, straining off the water, and finally mixing it with white glue, wallpaper paste, whiting, and linseed oil.

The result is a paste soft and sticky like clay.

Here are some fact about Señor Calavera Puppet:

• It took me about a week to create it

• I sculpted the head on plasticine first, the layered with news papers, until it was thick. Then I cut the head in two and took the placticine out leaving me with the newspapers shells only. I glued together the newspaper head and continued sculpting over with pulp paper mache

• I did a lot of drying in my kitchen oven (paper mache can be dry safely at low temperature).

• The spine is made out of wooden beads strung with thick wire

• The feet carry fishing weights inside it as to make then flop down.

• The limbs are attached with leather strips

• The head, being hollow, it attached it to the spine with a special but simple mechanism that allows it to wobble (I learned how to do this from a master puppeteer).

• Pulp paper mache has a rough finish. A lot of sanding is required.

• I sealed the paper mache with a special formula of plaster of Paris, talcum powder, and glue.

• One day one of Señor Calavera’s eyes popped off its socket right before I presented him to the kids, and I had to scramble to put the eye back in place before anybody screamed.

Grandparents, crazy teens, teachers, librarians, musicians, authors, artist, children and even a dancing skeleton came to celebrate Grandma Beetle’s Party last Friday in San Francisco.

You didn’t get to come?

It is ok; here are a few things to make you feel like you were there too.

Here is Sr.Calavera’s newest video, which we showed at the party as a response to many readers who keep asking me, “But really, who is Señor Calavera?”

Images of the party are here by courtesy of Photographers Taft Weber, Kelly O’Meara, and Diane N. Ennis.

I know some of you didn’t come because you had dates with a certain famous vampire. I understand. I would have liked going too. The cake was delicious--how is that?

But even if you didn’t come, you should know that I am still looking for the mysterious sender of these flowers below, which I received at the party in behalf of Grandma Beetle. Was it YOU?

Last but not least, Señor Calavera has his super-chido new website. Go check it out!

Can’t come to the party? I dare you to take a quiz instead. Come on, go ahead, see if you do!

Could you?

Come and check an interview with Señor Calavera at Imaginary Blog. The anticipation of Grandma Beetle’s birthday celebration this Friday keeps growing!