The Trunk That Bounced: An Exploration Into The Creation Of Ella Fanza Extravaganza's Bold Personality
"ella fanza extravaganza is a big queen, with thick thighs and juicy arms."
Capturing the character and personality of this drag queen was integral. Ella Fanza Extravaganza is a big queen, with thick thighs and juicy arms. She’s cute, endearing and naive. With nostalgic memories of Babar and Dumbo not far from mind, this elephant embodies Ella’s sweet personality. Innocent by day, performer extraordinaire by night, Ella knows how to dress up and put on a show. Careful consideration went into the construction of the this queens trunk in order to give Ella a feature that could swing her performance into the stratosphere.
Ella’s trunk is integral to the comedy that fuels her shows. Alternatively a nipple tassel, a phallic probe, an extra appendage, it has a mind of its own. In the original conception of the trunk, the base was constructed out of reticulated foam, extending from the head and the remaining length filled with stuffing. This approach did not convey the personality necessary in order to sell Ella as the star she is. It lacked organic movement and was not dynamic to watch.
In order to create a flouncy trunk with a wiggle of its own and a stable connection to the head, the base of the trunk was wired. This prevents the face from pushing and pulling while the trunk is in motion. The wire extended into the trunk for the length of the reticulated foam, glued to the inner head. It was then threaded into two pieces of thick latex tubing. The latex tubing extends past the wire to the tip of the trunk creating bounce and movement. The trunk fleece was pulled over the tubing and filled with stuffing to create a smooth continuous form. The tip of the trunk was then sewn in place, leaving the trunk to wiggle like a worm while Ella’s out strutting.
After testing this method and seeing that Ella had a little more jiggle to her wiggle, there was one more alteration that would give this trunk all of the spunk. Cutting into the tip of the nose and embedding a washer within the foam generates added weight in the tip of the trunk, accentuating its movements.
From my explorations with Ella Fanza I learned the importance of movement within a puppet. Experimenting with weighting and different materials like latex, which give puppets secondary motion, has allowed me to imbue these puppets with another layer of personality. In puppet fabrication it is important not only to think of the creation as a soft sculpture or a character in form, but also a character in motion, considering which aspects of it can be expanded on to give it even more life. Given the success of the trunk, I will explore creating secondary movement in other key aspects of the puppet, specifically the ears, working on creating a balance between control and surprise for a puppet with a personality as complex as ours!
