Wizard Merlin Stick Puppet

Inspiration

y Tío (uncle) Amado was a very special gentleman. He was a widow, well mannered, and always perfectly dressed. He was a man of routines. He would visit grandma every Saturday. And he would always have a couple of slices of papaya before lunch. Although, there was something unexpected about him. He loved magic! Every time he came to visit grandma, and we were around, he would surprise us with magic tricks. Near grandma’s house, there was a bodega filled with the most unusual thingamajigs and whatnots. It was there where he sourced the objects for his wizarding, just like Merlin would buy his potions from the local peddler. Most days, he would entertain us with traditional cards and coin tricks. But one day, it all changed!

Magical Memories

The Magician’s Stage

He had filled his pockets with handfuls of black round tablets resembling black stones. Little did I know the magic that was contained inside these tablets. On that day, my Tío Amado called us into the indoor patio. The patio was to the right of the breezeway that connected the dining room with the kitchen. This patio was rather skinny and had a colorful tile floor. The dining room wall, adjacent to the patio, had big colored glass windows across it. In the middle of the patio, he had set up an aluminum stepladder. Obviously, this one promised to be quite a different magic show.  A handful of potted flowers eagerly awaited at each patio’s corner, ready to experience Tío Amado’s sorcery. Above the patio, the sun was warming up the spellbound air, as the sky, clouds and birds anticipated the excitement.

The Black Snakes

He proceeded to place one of the black tablets on top of one of the highest trestles of the ladder. Then he took his gold Zippo out of his pants pocket. He lit it and brought the flame close to the black tablet. The tablet flamed up and started sputtering sparks and smoking a bit. Suddenly, a puffed black snake started spewing out of nowhere! The splendiferous snake twisted and turned as it kept growing longer and longer without breaking. My eyes couldn’t believe what I was seeing. Oohing and giggling, we saw him light five more tablets and five new snakes grew at different speeds. Eventually, the snakes would collapse onto the floor, splattering ashes, like the trails left behind by dragon’s flames. We spent hours that afternoon mesmerized by this magic trick and wondering how these large snakes could grow from such a tiny thing. As I absorbed the magic of that afternoon, I decided to name these tablets, Merlin’s magic nuggets.

Tío Amado never revealed the secrets behind his magic trick. It was not until many years later, that I learned the science behind these black snakes. The black snake is a type of fireworks that involves sodium bicarbonate and sugar. These two chemicals react to heat, creating the magical intumescent black snake that captivated us as kids. So, whether it was magic or chemistry, I fondly remember those times our endearing uncle, Merlin the Wizard, would fuel our imagination with his magic tricks and alchemist powers.

Wizard Merlin Stick Puppet Ornament Design Process

My son Michael had a bunk bed growing up. He would usually sleep in the bottom bunk. When he had friends to stay overnight, they would sleep in the top bunk. Given that he liked to sleep on the bottom bunk, I decided to cover the bottom or the top bunk with a blue cotton fabric with yellow stars. This way he would have something pretty to see, instead of the top bunk bed slats. We no longer have the bunk beds, but I still had this fabric. So, for Merlin’s tunic, I thought that was the perfect fabric to use.

I gave Merlin a wizard’s hat made from navy-blue felt. And I trimmed it with a white cord. I use white felt to make his long beard. To complete the character, I gave him a walking stick made from sticks I collected from the back yard.