Play doll Parsley. Master Class

Master class on handicrafts: Glove doll Parsley using papier-mâché technique

Progress of the lesson

V. Berestov “The Hand is an Artist.”
The hand turns
Either into a kitten, or into a puppy.
So that the hand becomes an artist
You need very, very little:
Special gloves,
Intelligence, talent - and everything is in order.
During our master class, you will get acquainted with the techniques of creating a theatrical puppet from scrap materials, make a glove puppet with your own hands, guess which one:
My beautiful cap
Pushed dashingly to the side.
I'm a funny toy
And my name is... (Petrushka)
Well, of course, Petrushka.
The story of Parsley.
It was with Petrushka that the puppet theater in Rus' began its existence. The first puppet theater was born a long time ago, back in Ancient Rome. The main character of his performances was the cheerful, cheerful Pulcinella. Folk puppet heroes who knew how to express the feelings of ordinary people appeared in other countries. In France, Polichinelle became the favorite of the audience, and in England - Punch, in Turkey - Karagöz, and in Germany - Hanswurst.

In terms of character, courage, audacity, and mockery, they are all relatives of our Parsley. What men and working people could not, did not dare to say out loud, dolls shouted loudly in squares and fairs. What will you do for Petrushka? Performances by traveling puppeteers were prohibited. The wooden stages and screens were removed. But, the next day, Petrushkin’s screen appeared in the neighboring village and the doll again boldly and boldly, loudly, expressed the secret thoughts of the assembled spectators.
Petrushka's appearance is by no means Russian: he has exaggeratedly large hands and head, and exaggerated facial features. Parsley got her big eyes and huge hooked nose from the Italian Pulcinella. Many people mistakenly believe that Parsley’s wide-open mouth is a smile, but this is not so; being a negative character, Parsley constantly stretches his lips in a grin.
You and I will make a kind, cheerful Parsley. The doll consists of two parts: the head and the body (gloves, which is why the dolls are called glove dolls).
We will make the head from papier-mâché. Papier-mâché, translated from French, means “chewed paper” - it is an easily moldable mass obtained from fibrous materials (paper, cardboard), usually with the addition of adhesives.
Tools and materials required for work:

Today there is not a single person who would find a glove puppet a wonder. In modern ones, almost all the characters in the production are made using this principle: bears and monkeys, cows and people. However, the description of the parsley doll is often vague and incomplete.

Traditional glove puppet

The main distinguishing feature of this type of theatrical characters is the fact that the toy is put on the hand, like a glove. The role of the neck is performed by one hand or paw - a large one. The middle finger has the task of representing the second hand or paw, and the ring and little fingers are simply pressed against the palm.

However, the description of the parsley doll is changed in some productions. Some puppeteers prefer the option when all four limbs of their character “work.”

Parsley, run by several people

There are productions where large characters participate. A trivial description of a parsley doll is not suitable here, because you can no longer put them on your hand. In order to set such a character in motion, it takes not one, but several people. Some people put the doll's head on their hand, while others play the role of hands. And sometimes even a third person takes care of the character’s legs. Indeed, this is no longer the well-known traditional parsley glove puppet.

Although, if you imagine a giant man with huge hands... And his fingers should be the size of the hand of an ordinary person! But anything can happen in fairy tales. Maybe that's why they are also called parsley? Or because, after all, their roots also go back to glove puppets? After reading this description of a parsley doll, which is controlled by several people, one can also conclude: they are made using the same methods as traditional “glove” artists. But the patterns for them need to be enlarged many times.

History of parsley

Dolls worn on the hand appeared in Russia later than in other countries. And the “pioneer” was a farcical character in a cap with a tassel, dressed in a red shirt and wide canvas pants. The amusing man, wit and jester immediately fell in love with the representatives of the people. And the Russian people decided that Petrushka was a real peasant from their own tribe.

But art historians believe that the first to appear were the Frenchman Polichinelle, the Neapolitan Pulcinella, the Englishman Punch, the Turk Karagöz, the Germans Kasperle and Hanswust, the Spaniard Don Cristobal and some others. True, all these characters are similar to our Petrushka only in face, attire and habits. After all, they were controlled using threads. Our Petrushka was not originally a puppet.

But Guignol, who appeared in Lyon at the beginning of the nineteenth century, was closest to him. In terms of manufacturing and management technology, he was the only one suitable as a “brother” to our Petrushka. But the Russian people stubbornly consider this character to come from among our people, not wanting to share this right with anyone else.

Today, all dolls that are placed on the hand are called parsley or glove dolls. Children love to watch performances with their participation. And at home, playing with such a toy that can hug and is so alive and warm to the touch is also very pleasant.

Master class on making a parsley doll

It is very important for a master to receive not only theory, but also practical advice. Therefore, material is published here for those who are interested in knowing how to make a parsley - a doll that is put on the hand.

The next step will be making the head. There are several ways:

• You can use the head from an old toy.
• You can make it from papier-mâché by pasting paper scraps over a template molded from plasticine. An egg shell from which the contents are blown out through a small hole can also be used as a template. The nose, cheeks and other bulges can be molded using plasticine.
• Animal heads crocheted from yarn look beautiful.
• You can sew the head of the future “prima” of a homemade puppet theater from fabric.
• Polymer clay is an excellent material for doll makers.
• For a doll depicting a person, the best option is to make a head made of padding polyester filling.

2. The second step is to sew or knit an outfit for the doll from yarn. Before starting work, you need to make a pattern for the product. To do this, place a palm with spread fingers on the fabric and place marks near the first phalanx of the middle (points A and B), index (C and D) and thumb (D and E) fingers on both sides. The letters near the dots are arranged clockwise.

Then, concave arcs connect points B and C, D and E. From points A and E, lines are drawn down, sometimes with an extension - for a flared style outfit. Symmetrical points near the phalanges are connected by straight lines. This option assumes the presence of “hands” of the character, which are cut in the form of miniature mittens, stuffed with filler and sewn to the outer bells intended for the doll’s hands.

If a robe is cut for an animal, then curved arcs are used instead of straight ones.

The outfit is sewn together by folding the parts right sides inward, then turning them inside out. The head is attached to the middle bell.

The finished parsley doll can be used to play in a theatrical production, or it can simply be used as a toy for children.

The heroes of the Russian puppet theater are known to children from a very early age. One of these is Petrushka - a peculiar and characteristic jester with a cheerful character and good disposition. Initially, he was created in the form of a glove-type doll, which could be given an active character by movements of his own hand.

Later, the doll was turned into a hero of the puppet theater. However, the glove version is still popular.

Mandatory features of the parsley image are:

• a red shirt decorated with patterns with folk ornaments;
• wide canvas trousers, rakishly tucked into boots;
• a long cap, at the end of which there is always a brush.

Sometimes there are no pants, a long shirt seems to cover the legs.

The cap can be bifurcated, and then there is a tassel at each end.

How to sew?

The soft toy Parsley is welcome in almost all homes where there are children. By putting it on your hand, you can easily cheer up a child, lift his spirits, and distract him from unnecessary problems. And if you prepare several similar folk characters, you can get a full-fledged troupe of puppet performers.

How to make Parsley with your own hands? We will make the head from papier-mâché, the elements of the body will help us make special patterns. You can sew them by hand; if you have a machine, use it. If neither one nor the other is acceptable, using special fabric glue you can carefully glue all the parts around the perimeter.

To work you will need the set shown in the photo.

We make a papier-mâché head with our own hands as follows:

1. Chop the egg trays and pour boiling water over them.
2. After complete soaking, squeeze out excess water and add PVA glue in a ratio of 3: 1.
3. A cylinder must be inserted into the head in advance for subsequent attachment of the body.
4. Taking a round base, we apply the finished mixture to it and additionally sculpt relief details: nose, forehead, ears, chin.

Further actions are carried out after the base has completely dried. Hand painted paints used:

• cover the head with water-based paint, after drying it paint the entire surface with a flesh-colored shade;
• we shape facial features, make them as kind and smiling as possible;
• Next comes the hair. We wind the selected threads onto the frame. We cut them along the edges;
• we glue the base with hair around the circumference of the head - it looks like curls escaping from under the cap.

A costume says a lot about your character.

How to sew it to make it beautiful? Parsley is a doll that “constantly visits guests.” Therefore, we use only bright, variegated colors of fabrics, the scraps of which are sewn in order:

• attach the pattern, trace it with a pencil and cut it out, taking into account the seam allowances;
• we sew the parts together and get a shirt;
• a head cap is made in the same way;
• the hand in a mitten is also performed;
• its attachment to the shirt occurs due to the inserted cylinder.

We combine the manufactured parts and get the most expressive of folk dolls - Parsley.

How else can you do it?

If the papier-mâché head can remain the same in other versions of the doll, then the clothes can be knitted. On doll models such things look especially touching and original. You can also tie your head. This hero is made by crocheting in the round using single crochets.

The people's favorite doll can be sewn entirely from fabric using special patterns. Having cut out each part, we sew at the places where they are connected. Then we fill the inner cavity of the head with something soft, for example, foam rubber, cotton wool, holofiber. There is no need to fill your shirt.

This is a convenient place for the hand that controls the doll's movements. Legs made in a similar way can be sewn to the bottom of the shirt. Then, when you revive the toy with hand movements, they will swing funny, giving the image special expressiveness.

Don't be afraid that it won't work out! Sew and see how exciting and tempting this business is. And the hero that results from such interesting work will not only be cute and cute, but also warmed by the warmth of your soul, which he will generously share with children.

The ProDetki editors love to visit cultural places and discover new heroes and characters. For example, we became interested in the hero Petrushka in the puppet world.

The Petrushka Theater is a unique performance whose history goes back to the 17th century. At first it was a popular entertainment for ordinary people, and then it gained popularity among high society.

Doll Parsley

Parsley is a printed doll dressed in pants and a red shirt; the distinctive features of this character were: a pointed cap and a huge red nose.

History of the Petrushka Theater

The Petrushka Theater is one of the oldest entertainments in Rus', which has survived to this day and has not lost its relevance. . Many perceive it as a folk creation, but in reality its prototypes Russian folk theater Petrushka has in many countries such as France, Germany, Italy and Türkiye.

The first appearance of the Petrushka Theater in Rus' was recorded back in the 17th century, but it gained its main popularity only in the 19th century. Despite the fact that there were several types of puppet theater in Rus', Petrushka's performances were the most popular.

Character Parsley

It is not surprising that Petrushka is the main character of the puppet theater, which is named after him. Let's take a closer look at what it is. As you can see from the history of the creation of the theater, it came to Russian lands from other countries, therefore Russian Petrushka collected in his appearance many distinctive features of different nationalities . For example, his head and arms were incredibly large, and his eyes were almond-shaped, his skin color was dark, and his nose had a large hump. Thanks to all this, he was very similar to his Italian prototype - Pulcinella.

Parsley Although he put his main character at the head of the presentation, he did not limit himself to this. For example, Petrushka’s constant partner in the plot was a bear, with whom he acted out the main scenes .

Russian theater Petrushka and its plots

The plots of theatrical performances were always based on banal and philistine themes of that time: soldier's service, treatment, acquisition of a horse and its testing, as well as Petrushka's dating and wedding.

All scenes had their own order and were shown strictly one after another:

— The first scene was always based on Petrushka’s purchase of a horse. He bargained with a gypsy salesman, who did not want to give in, then Petrushka got tired of it, for which he hit the merchant. This was the end of the first performance.

— The second scene was a demonstration of how Petrushka climbs onto a horse, but it does not want to obey him and throws off the main character, and then leaves after the gypsy.

— In the third scene, as at the beginning of the performance, Petrushka is not distinguished by a calm disposition, and, having visited the doctor, beats him because the doctor finds many ailments in the main character.

— The last scene is also not complete without fights. When the policeman appears to find out why Petrushka killed the doctor, the main character, without thinking twice, does the same with the policeman. But justice is personified by the dog, which barks and growls at the main character, and then, not succumbing to any cajoling and begging of Petrushka, who grabbed him by the nose, drags him away from the impromptu stage.

This is where the show ends. It is interesting that the duration of the performance depends on how interesting the scenes are played out, because it lasts as long as there are spectators on the street who deign to pay attention to it.

Russian folk theater Petrushka is not limited to just four main scenes in its performance . When there are a lot of onlookers on the streets and the audience is ready to watch as much as they want - to watch a puppet theater, the story continues with other interesting plots. One of them is “Parsley’s Wedding”. The script for this performance was so rude and frivolous that parents did not allow their children to watch such a scene.

In all performances, Petrushka acted as a rogue, a swindler and a rude man. Nand his facewas depicteddeven not a sweet smile, as many may think, but a rude grin.

Street theater Petrushka

Traditional Petrushka - puppet theater one actor, the scene of which was always street fairs and shopping areas . The very first performances were shown without a screen, since the only actor-puppeteer simply wore a special skirt with a hoop on his belt. By lifting this ring, the puppeteer disappeared from the view of the audience, giving them the opportunity to enjoy the performance. At the same time, he could calmly move and work with both hands to control two characters at once.

Already at the beginning of the 19th century, such a costume for an actor was replaced by a screen , a prototype of the one in use today. It was installed directly on the ground, hiding the puppeteer and all his props.

Only men were puppeteers, but in order to give their voices additional squeakiness, a specialized squeak was used. It was inserted directly into the larynx. This gave the puppeteer the opportunity to speak louder.

Contemporary Petrushka Theater

Thanks to many artists who make every effort to preserve the traditions of puppet theater, we have the opportunity to enjoy interesting performances today. Nowadays, of course, these are not only nomadic fair performances, but also street puppeteers.

Most often, Petrushka’s performances can be seen in children’s puppet theaters, for example, “Firebird”, “Albatross”, “Fairytale” and many others.

The Petrushka People's Theater at the moment is an opportunity to introduce children and adults to history, as well as to instill in the younger generation a love and interest in literature.

Cheerful, cocky, reckless, savvy... It’s hard not to recognize this puppet character: for several centuries, Parsley has aroused almost universal love. He became an unspoken but recognizable symbol of Russian puppet theater, and his name is still used to this day as a common noun, and also as a term describing a whole group of theatrical puppets.

Character Parsley

Petrushka is the leading character of the folk puppet theater, a mass entertainer and a farce hero. The character is provocative, bold and arrogant towards all the characters on stage, often Petrushka challenges the authorities, for example, the gendarme (policeman in Tsarist Russia), and also ridicules characters from both ordinary and upper classes. At the end of eloquent conversational actions he is able to use his baton, a frequent attribute of his performances. With his courage and assertiveness, the character became very fond of the common people who came to the holiday fairs and at the same time watch the performance of the farce theater.

Appearance in the Russian folk theater

No matter who they say, Petrushka was and remains an original Russian puppet character. Let them compare him with the Italian Pulcinella, the French Polichinelle, the English Punch, sorting out all the similar characteristics of the characters - Parsley’s recognition and people’s love for him is not a hindrance.

(Parsley's wedding scene)

Of course, no serious historical research has been carried out on the pedigree of Parsley. The first official description of this doll was given by the famous German scientist-researcher Adam Olearius, who made two long journeys through the mysterious Muscovy in 1633–1634 and 1635–1639.

Presumably, the creators of Petrushka were Russian buffoons - wandering actors who stage street performances. The buffoon subculture existed in Rus' from the 11th to the 18th centuries, later giving way to booths and districts, which continued to preserve the traditions of buffoonery, and then transferred them to puppet theaters.

And it was precisely the 16th century that turned out to be the most difficult for buffoons: they were subjected to severe persecution by state and church authorities. During this period, the highest decrees categorically prohibiting buffoonery were issued twice. In response to pressure from above, live actors in street performances were replaced by puppets, the brightest of which was Petrushka. By the way, all his foreign “colleagues” appeared around the same time.

A collective image loved by the people

(Images of Parsley on the modern stage: 1) visiting worker 2) policeman)

In the image of Petrushka, the features of the national character are harmoniously intertwined. In fact, it is the quintessence of the Russian mentality. Resourceful, sharp-tongued, fearless, helping justice to prevail, bringing good and defeating evil - this is how one can characterize the image of this puppet character.

(Scenes: 3) Russian wife 4) African bride)

Parsley's appearance has undergone several changes over the decades. However, it carried some of its features through the centuries almost unchanged. So, for example, Petrushka remained a riding puppet, and not a puppet - his puppeteer is located below the action unfolding on stage. A long hooked nose, a malicious smile, a high voice, a bright clownish outfit - these attributes have also passed through the centuries.

Over time, the character's character began to change, and in modern puppet theater, from a champion of justice, a successful fighter against evil and a recklessly cheerful joker, Petrushka turns into a bright and charismatic leading entertainer of children's puppet shows.