BIG CHIEF APPLESASS : Page 162

Apples, carved and dried, make unusual and effective puppet heads, especially for such wrinkled faces as those of the old Chinese man and woman in the story of Suzume-San and for this leather-faced old Indian chief. Choose an apple with dry, dense meat; large crab apples are excellent. Break the skin in carving, but remove as little of it as possible; for instance, for the eyes, cut slits and press the edges of the skin inwards, rather than carving out the depression. Dry in good strong sunlight. The quicker the drying process, the less chance of rotting. A cardboard neck tube can be inserted either before or after carving.