Jenny Klein

A push puppet is a simple wooden toy where one presses the thumb on the bottom to make the puppet dance, wag a tail, shake a head, bend a knee or collapse altogether. I own this classic spotted dog push puppet, which is certainly vintage by now considering how long I’ve had it. I laughed when I went online to research the common name for the toy and found a You Tube video on how to play with it.

The toy spent several years in a box tagged “Jenny’s things” in the basements of my parents’ homes and mine until about ten years ago when I dug it out and remembered the simple joy it rendered.

On weekends, when I was a little girl I’d wake up early and play with the toys in my bedroom. The house was silent and so was I. Like any little kid, I enjoyed a good secret.  Those mornings were hush hush. While everyone slept, a busy, imaginary world with nary a murmur unfolded in my room. One vignette for the spotted dog involved lying in bed and pulling my pink, blue, and yellow striped blanket over my bent upright knees to create a mountain. The spotted dog climbed the mountain, wagged his tail and hopped back down only to collapse. He hiked a lot of miles in the early 1960s.

Today, the spotted dog has the run of the house sitting on the dining room table, my desk or the kitchen window ledge. Age hasn’t affected his flexibility. He still tilts his head, wiggles his tail and makes me smile.