OAP Personalities
PUPPET PERSONALITIES
It is essential to recognize that each of the nine (or ten; Harry) puppets has his/her own distinct personality and unique traits. These traits may include posture, gesture and even the manner in which he/she enters and exists. Although it is necessary for each character to achieve a “uniqueness” about his/her voice, we have found gestures and distinct rhythm in speaking and movement best portrays the personality of the respective puppet. Too often, we have viewed student puppeteers disguising or creating the voice of the puppet to an extent that it cannot be understood by the audience. Please stress to your outreach students the power of illustrating personality through creative movements and mannerisms, rather than the voice alone.
Please refer to the following descriptions below as you begin working with your puppeteers. It is our intent to provide you a profile of each character to maximize the effectiveness of this prevention programming. Although you may alter the scripts in order to personalize the information presented to your audience, we do ask that you maintain the content of each lesson as well as the following personalities of each puppet. Should you desire to create additional scripts and lessons, please contact our office as this is a copywritten program. Permission is often granted upon the Mercer County Behavioral Health Commission, Inc. reviewing the request.
ARNOLD: Arnold is a farmer and the proud owner of Applebee's Pond. This full body puppet is used as the narrator as he introduces and concludes each lesson. Arnold is to remain seated in front of the stage, and/or curtain, to ensure that the audience is attentive. Mr. Applebee models active listening to the audience by nodding in agreement to comments made by the other creatures present in the script. Arnold's nonverbal behavior is powerful and motivates the elementary child to focus on the day's lesson from beginning to end. It is the responsibility of Arnold to captivate his audience with his opening and closing remarks! We have found that Arnold's lines are most conducive to personalizing the lesson for the target audience, should you choose to do so.
TAD POLE: “Tad” is the youngest creature on the pond who learns that he needs to ask several questions in order to gather the facts before making a decision. Tad Pole is again portrayed as the “baby” who has much to learn. His small, quiet, shy voice creates an opportunity for the primary children to bond with him. Tad also demonstrates that he can be easily intimidated, although he is learning to be confident in the fine young creature he is becoming.
BUDDY BEAVER: This mature pond creature has numerous special qualities. Most noteworthy would be Buddy's ability to make sound decisions. Buddy is also known for his diligent work ethic. This Beaver's pace is slow, but he meets terrific results. His slow speaking rhythm and “preciseness” allows the content of his lines to be heard, understood, and internalized by the elementary audience.
CLAY-TON CRAB: Clayton is yes, a crab, who experiences numerous obstacles. One of Clayton's biggest problems is his low self-esteem. This low self concept is demonstrated through Clay's flat affect. His monotone expression clearly shows the audience that he is uncomfortable with looking different from the other pond creatures. At times, Clayton Crab hedges on being an instigator as he is trying to find an identity.
HANDY GANDER: Handy is our terrific fix-it goose. He and Buddy Beaver often work on projects together and compliment one another well. Handy's “haphazardness” sometimes causes great concern. This pond creature's personality is exhibited by the nervous mannerisms he expresses, often through stuttering and stammering through his lines.
DAISY DUCK: Miss Daisy is our fun loving duck who is a loyal friend to all of the pond creatures. Daisy sees the good in all and communicates these abundant compliments with her sweet, soft spoken, kind words. Daisy's movements illustrate that she is an active listener and a sincere friend, desiring to be close and personal with whom she comes in contact.
FREDDIE FISH: Our flashy Freddie makes his presence known through his bright, colorful scales swimming about the pond. Freddie has been known to make poor choices in order to “fit in” with others. This fish presents himself as the coolest of the creatures. His confident, cocky attitude, at times, presents him with some problems.
MERRY MERMAID: Oh, the pond gossiper! Merry's loud and obnoxious voice is heard by all on Applebee's Pond! This busy body is into everyone's business and spreads any and all news throughout the pond. Merry desires to have fun 100% of the time, sometimes at other's expense. This mermaid's bold personality becomes very apparent as she whips her tail and flips her hair, all to make her presence known.
BULL FROG: “Bull” is our oldest and wisest of the pond creatures. This puppet demonstrates his wisdom through his stately voice and humble gestures. The elementary children begin to anticipate Bull's contribution to the day's lesson as they trust his words and enjoy his advice. It is Bull's responsibility to emphasize key components and skills taught throughout the script. Bull Frog recaps main concepts as he speaks clearly, slowly and precisely.
**Please refer to the introductory script for future explanation of character profiles.