GB2219749A - Finger-operated puppet - Google Patents

Abstract

A finger puppet of elastically deformable material comprises a manipulatable figure - a head, or a full body, e.g. 11-13, - in association with surroundings for that figure, e.g. armchair 15, that are themselves elastically deformable by deforming the figure itself. The puppet may be partially hollow. Three finger-receiving holes extend into the back of the puppet shown. <IMAGE>

Description

PUPPET FIGURES This invention relates to puppet figures, and concerns in particular manipulatable finger puppet figures made from an elastically deformable material.

For several years there have been available puppet figures that are made from an elastically deformable material - typically a natural or synthetic foamed rubber or rubber-like substance - that can be bent or contorted into more or less any chosen shape, but then recover their original form when the distorting forces are relaxed and removed. Sometimes the puppet figure is a complete figure - with a head, torso and limbs - and sometimes it is a part figure - a head only, perhaps, or (for a "cartoon" figure) a head with arms and legs but no real torso.The figure can be manipulated in many ways, but commonly it has been arranged that the figure bears holes extending thereinto (usually from a side, or surface, such as the back, that is normally not seen) into which some of a person's fingers may be placed so that the figure "fits" onto the hand a little like a glove (though it is not so common for the figure to extend over the whole of the hand, merely over the chosen fingers).

Figures such as those described have proved a considerable success with the public. For example, the figure may be simply a head; where the head is that of a cartoon character, or is simply some "made-up", often rather grotesque, head, the figure is amusing to and successful with children, who enjoy contorting it into various absurd shapes, or pretending to "animate" it while speaking appropriate words. Similarly, and in much the same way, adults find it amusing to play with a head representing a famous person (a politician, perhaps, or a star of film or television). However, the figures produced hitherto have been somewhat limited, in that they are invariably shown out of context - that is to say, bereft of surroundings of any sort (relevant or otherwise).

The invention proposes a novel kind of puppet figure, but of the same elastically deformable type, which does have surroundings associated with it. More specifically, the invention suggest such a puppet figure wherein, made as a one-piece, integral, structure, there is provided a manipulatable figure per se - a head, or a full body, or whatever - in association with suitable surroundings for that figure that are themselves elastically deformable by deforming the figure itself.

In one aspect, therefore, this invention provides a combination of elastically deformable puppet figure together with some surroundings for that figure, and wherein at least the figure itself has finger channels extending thereinto from, and opening to, a surface thereof that is not normally seen when using the figure, which finger channels both enable the figure to be distorted with the fingers and also are so placed as additionally to allow distortion of the surroundings to occur.

The puppet figure may be of any sort (head only, or head, torso and limbs, for example), and of any character real or otherwise (for instance, a politician, a royal personage, a film star, a cartoon person or animal, or a science fiction alien).

The surroundings may be appropriate to the figure, or not, and may take any form. They might, therefore, be a chair or a bed (or other article of furniture), a car, boat or plane (or other vehicle), a house, palace or governmental seat (or other building or architectural item), or even a land- , sea- , or space-scape (or other scenic background). Thus, the figure might well be sitting in a chair, lying on a bed, driving a car, or ... the possibilities are endless.

The figure itself has finger holes by which it can be deformed (or otherwise manipulated), and these are so placed that using them in an appropriate manner can cause at least some amount of deformation and/or manipulation of the surroundings as well. However, the surroundings may have their own manipulating means conveniently additional finger holes suitably placed that allows them to be deformed or manipulated perhaps more effectively than via the figure's holes alone.

It is not possible to give general guidance as to where any of these manipulatory holes should be, for their positions are clearly dependent in each case upon the particular figure, and its surroundings. Each individual combination needs separate consideration but this should not in any way prove a problem, once it has been decided what the figure is to represent, and how it should be disposed in the chosen surroundings.

Though the figure/surroundings combination can be "solid" apart from the required finger holes, it may be convenient (both to save material and to improve or modify deformability) to make the combination generally hollow - thus, as a shell. Moreover, it may be desirable to make parts of the combination hollow and other parts not, so as to achieve a slightly different degree of deformability for those different parts.

Generally, the figure/surroundings combination wi13 be made of a material like a natural or synthetic foamed rubber. These sorts of material are well known, as is the manner of their use, and are available with elastic deformabilities of many different degrees. They need no further comment here.

An embodiment of the invention is now described, though by way of illustration only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 shows a perspective view (from the front and one side, and above) of a figure and surroundings of the invention; and Figure 2 shows a perspective view (from the back and one side, and above) of the figure and surroundings of Figure 1.

Figure 1 shows a figure (generally 10) and its surroundings (generally 14). The figure 10 is a potato creature, with a head and torso in one (11), arms (12) and legs (13). Its surroundings 14 represent an armchair (15), in which the figure is seated. The whole is made as an integral piece out of a foamed natural rubber.

As can be seen from the rear view of Figure 2, the combination is hollow (with a deep recess 20 roughly central thereof), and has three finger holes (as 21) therein spaced around the central recess 20. The finger holes 21 enable the figure 10 itself to be manipulated, and are so placed that deformation in the appropriate sense will additionally cause the chair 14 to be deformed.

Claims (9)

1. A combination of elastically deformable puppet figure together with some surroundings for that figure, and wherein at least the figure itself has finger channels extending thereinto from, and opening to, a surface thereof that is not normally seen when using the figure, which finger channels both enable the figure to be distorted with the fingers and also are go placed as additionally to allow distortion of the surroundings to occur.

2. A puppet figure as claimed in Claim 1, which has head, torso and limbs.

3. A puppet figure as claimed in either of the preceding claims, wherein the surroundings are appropriate to the figure.

4. A puppet figure as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein the surroundings represent a chair and the figure sitting in the chair.

5. A puppet figure as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein the surroundings have their own manipulating means in the form of additional finger holes suitably placed.

6. A puppet figure as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein the figure/surroundings combination is generally hollow, and is thus a shell.

7. A puppet figure as claimed in Claim 6, wherein parts of the combination are hollow and other parts are not, so as to achieve a slightly different degree of deformability for those different parts.

8. A puppet figure as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein the figure/surroundings combination is made of foamed rubber.

9. A puppet figure as claimed in any of the preceding claims and substantially as described hereinbefore.