Mimi Melon — original Whirligig marionette puppet
Original screen-used Mimi Melon marionette created by Joy Laurey for the BBC television programme Whirligig, in which she appeared alongside Mr Turnip. Mimi was characterised as an opera singer. The puppet has a hand-carved and painted head and hands, large expressive eyes, an articulated mouth, burgundy wool hair, leather joints, and her distinctive cream bodice, purple waistband and multicoloured diamond-patterned skirt. She measures approximately 53 cm / 21 in in her present configuration. A historic Vectis catalogue recorded her at 60 cm / 23½ in; during restoration by The Joy Laurey Archive, worn body strings were retied, accounting for the difference. She was sold by Joy as part of Vectis lot 3414 in 2007, later appearing in Lyon & Turnbull's Illustrated & Animated sale on 28 February 2018, lot 159, before entering The Joy Laurey Archive in 2020. Related records include JLA-0021, studio photographs of Mimi Melon, and JLA-0139, Joy Laurey's watercolour character study.
Archive reference: JLA-0002
Item type: Puppets & Objects
Maker / creator: Joy Laurey / Joy Laurey Puppet Studio
Date: c. 1950s; Whirligig period
People / characters: Mimi Melon; Joy Laurey; Mr Turnip
Credit line: The Joy Laurey Archive
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