Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp Stick Puppet

Inspiration

rowing up in a house filled with books, I had access to almost every fairy tale that had ever been written. On non-school nights, all the children sat in the family room for story time. As Scheherazade, mom read us some of the stories from “The Thousand and One Nights,” a collection of Middle Eastern folk tales, also known as the Arabian Nights. I remember listening to “The Seven Voyages of Sinbad the Sailor,” and “Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves.” But my favorite one was “Aladdin’s Wonderful Lamp.” This folk tale has a king, princess, sorcerer, genie and a magic flying carpet! I am excited to add the main character of Aladdin to this collection.

Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp Stick Puppet Ornament Design Process

A Christmas garland with elongated red wooden beads was the item that sparked the design of the Aladdin stick puppet. I found some jewelry charms in the shape of a sword. So, I gave Aladdin a sword and a leather belt. For his turban, I used some discarded spaghetti-straps that my daughter’s wedding-dress-seamstress had given me. I decorated the turban with a blue plastic jewel. I glued a sequin tulle to a cream-colored felt and made his cape with it. To make the Wonderful Lamp, I glued together wooden beads and threaded wire through the main bead. Next, I spray-painted the oil lamp in gold. To complete the character, I stood Aladdin on a magic flying carpet. I selected a hand-woven wool material from a Colombian ruana. My mom was going to throw it away because it had been eaten by moths. Recognizing its potential, I asked my mom for it. I knew I could find a good use for it at some point in time. And so, this beautiful hand-woven material became Aladdin’s magic carpet. First, I stiffen the material. Then, I cut it to size and decorate it with yarn tassels.