Harvey: David's Best Friend
David was a perfect child. Just ask his mother. “If you have a perfect child,” she once said, “then you have a problem child.” For David and his new found friend Irving, the world started to seem more enjoyable. Still much a loner, David was becoming more interactive with the world around him. It may seem odd to many that Irving, a pink and white stripe puppet that David had made, had a lot to do with this matter.
David’s creative side was coming out. He wrote scripts to perform shows between himself and Irving. Of course, these short talk dialogues were performed for his family only, mainly his parents. There is only so much one child and one puppet can do. To perform a puppet play would require other players, meaning other puppets.
Harvey was born.
He is an orange towel body with crimson eyes, and had an arm on his right side. A doll-rod attached to Harvey’s hand created his arm to freely move. He was smaller than Irving. Even Harvey’s head was smaller for it lacked Irving’s high forehead, without the doll-rod that formed Irving’s nose and forehead, Harvey had more facial expression.
David’s creative side was coming out. He wrote scripts to perform shows between himself and Irving. Of course, these short talk dialogues were performed for his family only, mainly his parents. There is only so much one child and one puppet can do. To perform a puppet play would require other players, meaning other puppets.
Harvey was born.
He is an orange towel body with crimson eyes, and had an arm on his right side. A doll-rod attached to Harvey’s hand created his arm to freely move. He was smaller than Irving. Even Harvey’s head was smaller for it lacked Irving’s high forehead, without the doll-rod that formed Irving’s nose and forehead, Harvey had more facial expression.
Unlike Irving, Harvey lived inside a 10x12x10 green box. When Harvey converse with others, David’s arms would have to hold the box seemingly allowing Harvey to be the center of attention. When meeting new people, Harvey would say to them:
“It’s my home. I just don’t understand why David doesn’t fix the hole in my floor.
It’s such a drafty box. Besides, the rats have large hands popping up rough that hole.
Other than that hole, it’s a great home.“
Irving and Harvey’s traits were distinct. Irving was the serious one of the two. He was more book-smart and logical. Harvey was more laid back than David; even more so laid back than Irving. A typical Irving’s greeting would be formal with, “How do you do?” Harvey’s would be something like, “Hey, there! I want to suck you... lick you... wanna move my tongue all over you...wanna feel you in my mouth...Yep, that's how you...eat an ice cream!” Harvey was a big flirt.
While Irving would correct a person, a Mr. Know-It-All; Harvey would just be blunt and tell the person, “I don't know what your problem is, but I'll bet it's hard to pronounce.” Or maybe he may say something a little less brutal, like, “Do you ever notice that when you're driving, anyone going slower than you is an idiot and everyone driving faster than you is a maniac?”
Irving, Harvey, and David would perform puppet shows for his family. These shows were mainly just jokes between Irving and Harvey. As much as David’s brothers might have teased him, they didn’t.like their parents, they saw David coming to life. Little brother Richard thought Irving and Harvey were great toys, but learned very quickly that they were not to be touched in that matter.
“It’s my home. I just don’t understand why David doesn’t fix the hole in my floor.
It’s such a drafty box. Besides, the rats have large hands popping up rough that hole.
Other than that hole, it’s a great home.“
Irving and Harvey’s traits were distinct. Irving was the serious one of the two. He was more book-smart and logical. Harvey was more laid back than David; even more so laid back than Irving. A typical Irving’s greeting would be formal with, “How do you do?” Harvey’s would be something like, “Hey, there! I want to suck you... lick you... wanna move my tongue all over you...wanna feel you in my mouth...Yep, that's how you...eat an ice cream!” Harvey was a big flirt.
While Irving would correct a person, a Mr. Know-It-All; Harvey would just be blunt and tell the person, “I don't know what your problem is, but I'll bet it's hard to pronounce.” Or maybe he may say something a little less brutal, like, “Do you ever notice that when you're driving, anyone going slower than you is an idiot and everyone driving faster than you is a maniac?”
Irving, Harvey, and David would perform puppet shows for his family. These shows were mainly just jokes between Irving and Harvey. As much as David’s brothers might have teased him, they didn’t.like their parents, they saw David coming to life. Little brother Richard thought Irving and Harvey were great toys, but learned very quickly that they were not to be touched in that matter.
Two others were born. Baron, an all white towel puppet with a very round head who was a little larger than Harvey, and Terry, an orange and white stripe towel puppet who had two humps on top of his head. Baron was the needed Elizabethan actor.He normally wore a black hat, but when a female role was needed, a yellow yarn wig with a red bow replaced the hat.
Terry filled in the extra parts needed for a play. Richard, who wanted to share in the theatrical production, was allowed to bring these two puppets to life on the stage. By way of Richard’s help, all four puppets could be on stage at the same time.
Terry filled in the extra parts needed for a play. Richard, who wanted to share in the theatrical production, was allowed to bring these two puppets to life on the stage. By way of Richard’s help, all four puppets could be on stage at the same time.
With their father’s reel-to-reel tape recorder, David and Richard recorded the different voices of characters for their upcoming play, thus allowing more focus into the souls of the performers on the stage. The tape recorder also allowed David to have lived one on one chats. He would record Irving or Harvey’s voice on the recorder and leave a blank pause long enough for David’s live part. This way if David was standing to the side of the stage while Irving or Harvey were on the stage, David spoke live while the recorder spoke for those on the stage. To the audience, it would be an authentic, bona fide dialogue between David and whoever was on the stage.
During David’s High School years, he formed EM-T, Evanston Mini Theater [The dash was added because David thought it was tidier looking], which performed for shut-ins, such as in nursing homes, VA hospitals, and orphanages.1 This small group of mainly musical minded students would perform three group productions: an Opening, Middle, and Closing of the show. In between these group productions each performer had the responsibility to perform a short act. Anything from singing a song to dancing; it could be as a solo or with any number of others from the group. David’s part was stand-up with Harvey. The many different audiences loved Harvey.
To this day, David’s puppets may be in storage, but not in a storage locker in the basement or some self-storage place. They stay close under a dresser or the low shelf of his bedroom closet. For as part of David’s past, they are still very much part of David’s present day existence.
To this day, David’s puppets may be in storage, but not in a storage locker in the basement or some self-storage place. They stay close under a dresser or the low shelf of his bedroom closet. For as part of David’s past, they are still very much part of David’s present day existence.
Mrs. Woods, David’s social worker at his school, and other therapists saw that David’s use of puppets would help bring out his emotions. At least they made him talk. David never saw his puppets as an outlet of articulating himself. He saw them as individuals. On the other hand, he did see what worked and what didn’t worked when it came to his puppets interacting with others. If the old saying is true, imitation is the best form of flattery, then, Harvey was the most flattery. For David found that out of the four, people were drawn to Harvey the most.
Harvey was the one that David enjoy being with. There became a link between Harvey and David. It was as if Harvey was David’s experiment with social and interpersonal relationships. Harvey was David's best friend.
Other than performing shows for David’s family, bring Harvey out of the closet was somewhat trying. How does a 12 year old bring a stuff animal like item out into the real world? Show and Tell was one way of bring Harvey out in the open, but that only goes so far. Harvey’s green box was the answer. Just like Senor Wences’ puppet Pedro, that became just a voice in a box calling out “S’awright”, so became Harvey in a box. Their conversations could take place in the titanic imagination of David’s mind.
David’s best friend was able to be with David well into his early twenties. For Youth Sunday Worship Service, during David’s sophomore year in High School, the Sunday School teens were to organize, present, and lead the Church Service.David was given the responsibility to give a 5 to 10 minute sermon.
Center stage: Harvey.
In his sermon, David called out the spirit of society named Society-Sam. He introduced his green box on the pulpit being just a towel inside a box that the spirit would take form. Enter Harvey, the actor, playing the part as Society-Sam. While most of the congregation thought it was a cute puppet show, Harvey and David were able to speak out about the contradictions of his church and their view of Christianity. Some people got it, most thought it as a puppet show being too political.
Referring to David, Harvey’s ending line was, “Well, I’m a puppet and you’re controlling me!”
“No, I am not,’ David replied. Then pointing out to the congregation, “They are.”
Harvey was the one that David enjoy being with. There became a link between Harvey and David. It was as if Harvey was David’s experiment with social and interpersonal relationships. Harvey was David's best friend.
Other than performing shows for David’s family, bring Harvey out of the closet was somewhat trying. How does a 12 year old bring a stuff animal like item out into the real world? Show and Tell was one way of bring Harvey out in the open, but that only goes so far. Harvey’s green box was the answer. Just like Senor Wences’ puppet Pedro, that became just a voice in a box calling out “S’awright”, so became Harvey in a box. Their conversations could take place in the titanic imagination of David’s mind.
David’s best friend was able to be with David well into his early twenties. For Youth Sunday Worship Service, during David’s sophomore year in High School, the Sunday School teens were to organize, present, and lead the Church Service.David was given the responsibility to give a 5 to 10 minute sermon.
Center stage: Harvey.
In his sermon, David called out the spirit of society named Society-Sam. He introduced his green box on the pulpit being just a towel inside a box that the spirit would take form. Enter Harvey, the actor, playing the part as Society-Sam. While most of the congregation thought it was a cute puppet show, Harvey and David were able to speak out about the contradictions of his church and their view of Christianity. Some people got it, most thought it as a puppet show being too political.
Referring to David, Harvey’s ending line was, “Well, I’m a puppet and you’re controlling me!”
“No, I am not,’ David replied. Then pointing out to the congregation, “They are.”
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During David’s High School years, he formed EM-T, Evanston Mini Theater [The dash was added because David thought it was tidier looking], which performed for shut-ins, such as in nursing homes, VA hospitals, and orphanages.1 This small group of mainly musical minded students would perform three group productions: an Opening, Middle, and Closing of the show. In between these group productions each performer had the responsibility to perform a short act. Anything from singing a song to dancing; it could be as a solo or with any number of others from the group. David’s part was stand-up with Harvey. The many different audiences loved Harvey.
To this day, David’s puppets may be in storage, but not in a storage locker in the basement or some self-storage place. They stay close under a dresser or the low shelf of his bedroom closet. For as part of David’s past, they are still very much part of David’s present day existence.
To this day, David’s puppets may be in storage, but not in a storage locker in the basement or some self-storage place. They stay close under a dresser or the low shelf of his bedroom closet. For as part of David’s past, they are still very much part of David’s present day existence.