Stardust

Once, quite some time ago, there was a cat named “Oscar” and he was my treasured pet. Upon learning suddenly and unexpectedly that Oscar had only weeks to live, I set out to memorialize him in a puppet figurine made from felt, fabric, ceramic, armature wire, and even some of Oscar’s real whiskers. It wasn’t made with an intention to exhibit it, but rather as an homage to Oscar, a place for his spirit to go. In fact, the night before he died, on July 9th, 2013, I carried Oscar to show him the freshly finished puppet and told him, “You can go inside of him and always stay”. In truth, he certainly did merge his spirit with this puppet and remains here with us today.

In 2018, a unique set of circumstances led to the idea of exhibiting this puppet, and a fairy tale story was written to accompany it, “Stardust”, a semi-fictional fairy tale that captures the spirit of why the puppet was originally made.

Oscar truly became the centerpiece of the exhibit, “Ghost Stories & Fairy Tales : A Ceremony of Make Believe” at Muzeo Museum in Anaheim.

Story plaque for “Stardust”

Oscar’s popularity led us to feature him in the branding of Museum of Make Believe, it was only fitting that he would become the heart of our logo.

The “Stardust” story has been featured in our live events and our 2018 Anaheim Halloween Parade float.

And in the fall of 2022 you’ll be able to purchase the Museum of Make Believe book of wonderfully illustrated stories that will include “Stardust” and many others!