This is a small cardboard box, painted black inside and open at the bottom for the operator's hand. A loop on the bottom fits the thumb, a loop on the underside of the lid holds the fingers. By opening and closing his hand the operator can make the lid snap like a mouth. Two eyes dangle on a bit of black felt, which masks the fingers when the lid is opened. Legs can be added. A black sleeve covers the operator's wrist, and so the Thing must perform before a black background.
Puppets and Music
The Thing is designed for use in presentation of a comic novelty song in an LP album called The Monster Rally. However, the numbering and availability of recordings changes so rapidly, no order numbers can be given in this book. It is suggested that the puppeteer train himself to listen continually for musical possibilities and that he never pass up the chance to buy or write down the name of a record he thinks might be useful in the future. This includes background music for plays.
