Knight-Errant Stick Puppet

Inspiration

s a little girl, I remember my older brother’s tin figurines. He had the traditional tin soldiers, but he also had a set of knights in shining armor. I was not allowed to play with them. They were more for show than for play. So, I resigned myself to just admire their details and dream wondrous stories of princesses, dragons, and a Knight-Errant in pursuit of their next adventure. I imagined myself as the princess being rescued from an ogre by a knight riding his beautiful stallion. Sometimes, I was the stallion itself, cutting through fields to reach the mountain foot as my master would search for the dragon’s lair. And at times, I was the knight-errant himself, wandering the mysterious lands my vivid imagination created.

The Design

When I was a teenager living in Bogota, Colombia, I learned horseback riding at a horse barn. I would spend hours galloping through soft hills every Saturday afternoon. I had my favorite horse, Caramelo. He was dark golden brown, and I loved him, even though he was not mine. In his honor, I chose brown for the color of Knight-Errant’s horse.

Recalling the details of my brother’s tin knights, I added lots of details to my knight. First, I gave him armor made from silver and black material that resembles a metallic mesh. I used that same material to make their helmets which are crowned with a piece of pipe-cleaner resembling a bunch of plumes. I added a belt and a shiny sword. I made the sword’s blade from the tooth of a plastic silver fork. As the sword’s hilt, I used a spacer for laying tile. I also gave the knight a flag to carry as he rides his horse through the unfamiliar lands.

Like all the other members of the Stick Puppets Collection, the Knight-Errant is perched on a long stick. This way, a child’s small hands can play with the ornament and not crush it.