Act II, Scene I
The night of the next day
A wood near Athens
Enter, from opposite sides, a Fairy, and Robin Goodfellow (aka Puck)
Fairy. Either I mistake your shape and making quite, or else you are that shrewd and knavish sprite call'd Robin Goodfellow: are not you
Robin. Thou speak'st aright; I am that merry wanderer of the night.
Act III, Scene I
Robin. I'll follow you; I'll lead you about a round, through bog, through bush, through brake, through brier: Sometimes a horse I'll be, sometime a hound, a hog, a headless bear, sometime a fire, And neigh, and bark, and grunt, and roar, and burn like horse, hound, hog, bear, fire, at every turn.
- A Midsummer Night's Dream, William Shakespeare
Perched high above and out of this world sits a naughty little woodland creature who looks down upon man and mocks him with sly words of trickery and doses of magic. She wreaks havoc upon mortals and her cheekiness knows no end. Her name is Puck, also known by humans as Robin Goodfellow.
The creation of Puck was inspired by the ballet, The Fairie Queen, based on William Shakespeare's play, A Midsummer Night's Dream. Puck came about when I received a custom order with only one specification...a doll inspired by the ballet. Prior to this, I knew about A Midsummer Night's Dream (although I had never read the play), but knew nothing about The Fairie Queen. It did not take much for me to dive into a bit of researching and then reading of the entire play by Shakespeare, before I decided that Puck would be the character to bring to life in this creation. If you have read the play or seen the ballet, you may understand why it was so irresistible to choose Puck as the creature to bring to life. No character stood out so boldly, so intriguingly, or so amusingly than little Puck.
Although Puck is male in the Shakespearean play, Puck is presented as female in the ballet, The Fairie Queen. I chose to bring to life the female version of Puck because that's who was tugging at my feelings when I had just a doll head looking at me without hair or body.
So, here she is...tiny, cute, and oh so adorable at first glance....
....but, upon closer look, you shall find a wicked, wild and mischievous little being who fondles with your mind in your dreams and awakens you to a world of disorientation and feeling dazed and perplexed.
But, don't be intimidated...she's only a sprite and though she likes to play trickeries, her heart is really not evil, just overly playful and a tad naughty. You may even find that when you meet her, she's very friendly and quite minuscule and vulnerable to loveliness.
I had such a ball making Puck! It's as simple as that. It's always sad for me when the process of creation ends because I have to leave the world of magic from which I've just come and switch gears so suddenly that it disorients me. Having been in Athens and walking with Oberon and Titania, Puck and Bottom, and the rest of Shakespeare's people, I find it dizzying to be back in 2015 with it's digital craze. Thank you, K, for bringing Puck, Shakespeare, and The Fairie Queen into my world and hence giving me a chance to fly off into the land of magic, at least for a bit.
Act V, Scene I
Robin. If we shadows have offended, think but this (and all is mended), that you have but slumber'd here, while these visions did appear. And this weak and idle theme, no more yielding but a dream, gentles, do not reprehend: If you pardon, we will mend. And, as I am an honest Puck, if we have unearned luck, now to scape the serpent's tongue, we will make amends, ere long; else, the Puck a liar call. So, good night unto you all. Give me your hands, if we be friends, and Robin shall restore amends.
- A Midsummer Night's Dream, William Shakespeare
Puck is a Wee-Bee Mini Elfcup doll. She stands less than 6" (15 cm) tall. She is made with all natural materials. Her doll skin is made with premium quality cotton interlock imported from Europe. She is firmly stuffed with bio-wool made in the US. Her seams are sewn twice for reinforcement. She has embroidered facial features. Her facial structure is sculpted giving her a sweet little face with an itty-bitty chin, round chubby cheeks, deeper set eyes and a naughty smirk. Her cheeks, nose and various body parts are blushed with red beeswax. She is a sitting doll with sewn joints that are made flexible for easy movement and changing of clothes. Her legs are shaped with permanently bent knees so that she may perch from on high and swing from the moon to cast spells upon the mortals. She also has a belly button and a bum.
Puck's spritely mane is made of a blend of wefted mohair and suri alpaca, looped strand for strand onto a crocheted mohair wig. It is so lovely and fun to style into a number of coiffures. Just use your imagination and the possibilities are endless. Note: her wild and wicked mane can be styled gently to your heart's content, but Puck hates grooming (as all woodland creatures do). So, take heed and do not comb or brush that magnificent mangly mess. Also note that her wonderful hair requires no ties for any of the number of styles you see below...gently use her own hair to tie off the styling...wonderful and simple.
Puck comes concealed under a hooded cloak made of cotton linen and lined with a 100% Thai silk. Her shroud is decorated at the collar with a handknit trim made of a 100% wool yarn.
Beneath her cover, she wears a woodland dress made from100% wool roving interfaced with a 100% cotton gauze material, then stitched and frayed. The dress is tied in the front with an alpaca yarn. Her dress is sturdy, but not meant for repeated removal and will not withstand rough play. Puck's booties are hand knit with a 100% wool yarn. She comes sporting a hand knit cap made just for her great fanciful mane. The cap is knit with a Japanese yarn blended of mohair, silk and wool and it was designed with two openings, one on each side to accommodate that wild, wicked hair that sometimes turn to horns.
Puck comes straddling the moon for this is the very moon that looks down upon A Midsummer Night's Dream. Her moon is made from a 100% cotton duck cloth lined with a 100% cotton muslin and trapunto quilted by hand, stuffed with 100% carded wool and lightly tea-dyed to give texture and color variation in order to symbolize the beautiful patterns, textures, shadows and shapes of our very own moon. The trapunto pattern is designed differently for both sides of the moon, hence giving a lot of variation in shape and stitching. If desired, the moon can be hung from the ceiling with Puck astride.
Ay! Puck! The little wee sprite who can "put a girdle round about the Earth in forty minutes" worth.
