Marionette
Pelham Puppets
Category
Toys
Date
1947 - 1986
Materials
Metal, wood, composition, cardboard, mohair, felt, nylon and cotton thread.
Measurements
Box –329 mm (length); 105 mm (width); 74 mm (depth), Puppet – 325 mm (height)
Place of origin
Marlborough
Order this imageCollection
Sudbury Hall Museum of Childhood, Derbyshire
NT 662388
Summary
A wooden articulated Pelham Puppet Fairy with control and strings attached, in its original cardboard box. She has a moulded composition head with painted facial details (large blue eyes, small nose and mouth) and wavy yellow mohair hair. She has wooden body, arms and legs all of which are painted flesh coloured. Her hands are flesh coloured cast metal. Her wooden feet are shaped like ballet shoes and painted silver. Her arms are jointed with metal loops at the shoulders, elbows and wrists and her head at the neck. Her mouth is hinged at this joint, and opens to reveal four teeth and a red felt tongue. Her legs are jointed at the hips, knees and ankles using vertical metal plates which are fixed to one of the pieces of wood and slide up and down in a groove in the other piece of wood. She wears a long, waisted, dress made from cream nylon with a pattern of embroidered spots. This has short puffed sleeves and an overskirt made from stiff organza which has different coloured sequins all over it. Her wings are made of stiff cream felt - these also have sequins of different colours. The cradle is made from two pieces of wood which pivot around a metal pin at the centre. The strings are made from different coloured cotton threads which are attached to metal 'eyes' screwed into the cradle. Each of these 'eyes' is surrounded by a plastic 'cup' whose colour corresponds with the colour of the thread. The original rectangular cardboard box has a colour-printed lid which has a yellow background. Around the sides of the box are images of several puppet characters made by Pelham, including a witch and Mickey Mouse, Noddy, Pinocchio, etc. The box also has the manufacturer’s details and more slogans printed on it. Total number of items is 3.
Provenance
Donated to the Museum of Childhood by Mrs C. V. E. Benfield in September 2006.
Marks and inscriptions
On box lid: TINA
Makers and roles
Pelham Puppets , maker