05/28/2026
New addition to the collection, a squirrel and young royal male marionettes made by Lucy Morton.
Last week on Facebook Marketplace I saw someone nearby selling several stuffed marionettes in the style of Edith Flack Ackley. After asking about where it came from, he said it was from an estate in Walnut Creek. I immediately knew these were made by Lucy Morton.
I met Lucy when I was 13 and moved to California. We were at a Puppeteers Guild Christmas party at Lettie Schubert’s home, and I managed to pick up as a secret gift a copy of Lucy’s book. She was so happy that managed to pick her book and she graciously autographed it for me.
Later I cut the patterns from the book and made several of the marionettes in the book. Years later I picked up another copy after realizing I shouldn’t cut patterns directly from the book!
Lucy had a senior marionette club that was in Rossmoor which was a massive retirement community in Walnut Creek. When my schedule would permit, my father would bring me on Fridays to help with the group of senior citizens who would rehearse their large raised marionette theater. They perform large cast productions like Hansel and Gretel, Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, Circus and many others.
She lived there with her husband George who made all the handmade lighting systems! Their productions were designed for seniors could easily manipulate the figures.
Many years later I had asked for one of her figures for my collection, but sadly she passed before she could. All of the puppets were left to Alan Cook and his collection that resides in Seattle.
I am so grateful to find these figures as a wonderful memory of Lucy Morton.
