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BPAL Madness!
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Ghouls, mutants and hooligans, oh my!

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valentina

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A few years ago, I decided that it would be fun to make odd papier mache heads for Halloween. My original notion was to make jack-o-latern heads in the style of the old German papier-mache pumpkin heads, but my mind soon went off into stranger things. I made a few almost life-sized heads of individuals, all with their own names and stories. As a friend at work told me: "I'm not sure what I find the most disturbing -- the fact that you made these utterly odd things, or the fact that you developed names and a biographies for each of them."

 

There's a stuffed dummy in farmer clothing sitting on the front porch at Halloween. Most of the time it has a generic head on it, but when my creations wish to have a body, they get to "head it up." Here they are, along with their stories.

 

Fred Frankensteer has his name because he's a cross between Fred Flintstone, Frankenstein, and a steer. An actual person was the basis for Frankensteer's creation. Frankensteer is the result of a research project carried out by an insane UNL ag institute scientist. He now lives on a farm and is frequently anxious about his life, but is too dumb to really know what to do about it. For that reason, he fits in well and votes Republican.

 

Halloween-frankensteer-1.jpg

 

LaVerna is the daughter of LaVonne and Vern. She's a waitress at the local greasy spoon and is also Frankensteer's girlfriend. While she has a ring in his nose, she doesn't have his ring on her finger, thus accounting for her rather truculent demeanor. She once set a field of Frankensteer's hay on fire with her cig, but he didn't yell at her, mainly because he was too afraid she'd kick his ass.

Halloween-LaVerna-1.jpg

 

El Cockatillo is a famed Mexican wrestler who aquired his name because his mask resembles a Cockatiel. He is also known to shriek madly for no good reason. He was driving through Nebraska on his way to visit family in the U.S., when his transmission blew out next to one of Frankensteer's farm fields. He has remained on the farm ever since, but can't figure out exactly why.

Halloween-ElCockatillo-1.jpg

 

Fergus is a soccer hooligan from Scotland who was sent to Frankensteer's farm courtesy of a U.K. version of the "scared straight" program. It has been unsuccessful. Fergus takes great glee in picking on Frankensteer and then getting the snot beaten out of him by LaVerna and El Cockatillo. He proudly sports his latest shiner, courtesy of LaVerna crushing a beer can on his face.

 

Halloween-Fergus-1.jpg

 

 

And from everyone at my house to you, Happy Halloween! :joy:

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Oh my word. And here I thought I got creative with the sad/mad faces on my pumpkins last night...these guys are incredible!

I think Fergus is a cutie :thumbsup:

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Those really made me laugh! Do you have more heads? I picture a crafty basement with heads on shelves and having conversations with each other at night.

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I actually have two other heads, my version of a 21st century Louise Brooks, and Mr. Cigar Head, who is a cigar smoking a cigar. LuLu has taken up residence in my office, and Mr. Cigar Head is easily blown around and it was a bit windy when I took the photos on Saturday. I also did a series of mini-pumpkins with faces. They're only about 4 or 5 inches around. I have couple of doofus guys, a guy in a ball cap, Groucho Marx and a very sublime Zen-like white pumpkin. I get them out every year and display them indoors. Papier mache is a riot, but it's so damn messy and it beats the hell out of your fingernails. Ever the vain thing, am I.

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