When my wife’s stuffed animals got stolen from her work, she was understandably upset. Not knowing what to do to help, her friend and I hatched a plan. With the help of eBay and a few trips to local bookstores, we were able to find replacements for all of them. Elephant and Piggie (shown wearing outfits I made to resemble their costumes in “Elephants Cannot Dance”), Knuffle Bunny, Horton, and a monkey in a barrel puppet.
For whatever reason, on eBay it was cheaper to buy the Horton stuffed animal paired with a Snoopy. That got the creative wheels turning and we devised a story about what had happened.
Snoopy’s arch-rival, the Red Baron, had clearly kidnapped the missing stuffed animals in an evil plot! I went around town creating a photo journal of the various traps they had fallen into. The monkey was lured in by a giant pile of bananas at a grocery store, while Horton got roped into egg-sitting.
Eventually, Snoopy discovered that his friends were missing! Off to his trusty Sopwith Camel! (Several cardboard boxes were injured in the making of this project)
He took to the skies (in a custom made flight helmet, goggles, and scarf!
After a thrilling aerial combat, Snoopy saved the day and brought everyone home safe and sound. If you look closely you can even see the Red Baron’s Fokker Triplane (made from a Red Baron frozen pizza box, what else?).
