Puppets Dangle Fruits of Peace in Front of Kids

Last December, Melissa Toy’s life was torn apart by the deaths of three close friends, one a 13-year-old girl, in a murder-suicide, the result of a domestic dispute.

As a way of dealing with her pain and fed up with the violence that seems to prevail in today’s society, Toy decided that the only way similar incidents could be prevented was to address the problem at it roots--with children.

So, she created “The Wee Whirligigs,” an all-volunteer puppet troupe, which, with the help of a few of Toy’s friends and family, will make its debut performance Saturday in an El Monte facility for delinquent children during the fourth annual “National Make A Difference Day.”

“I came to the conclusion that violence is a learned trait in our society,” Toy said. “However, if violence can be learned, then so too can peace. A puppet show is a fun way to teach children how to deal with their problems in a nonviolent way.”

The show is aimed at children, ages 5 to 8, and is available to orphanages, schools, detention facilities and various youth groups in Los Angeles County. Thus far, it has been completely funded by Toy, a motion picture camera assistant who lives in Burbank.

Performances involve three brightly colored, large hand-held puppets with distinctive personalities and physical traits.

The play’s premise is that long ago the world consisted of two towns, one made of sky, the other of ground. The inhabitants of the towns disliked each other because of their physical differences.

The Groundtown creatures laughed at the wings flapping from the backs of Skytown dwellers, while the Skytowners mocked the groundlings’ inability to fly. One day, peace comes between the two towns when a “Peace Box” is unlocked and a utopia that combines the best features of the land and sky emerges. This new place is called “Treetown.”

The puppets, Mellie Monster, Artie Anteater and Dion Dragon, live in Treetown, Toy said.

“Mellie, the ringleader, is witty and domineering. Artie, her best friend, is just the opposite, goofy, but with a big heart. Dion, however, is shy, sensitive and insecure. He represents a lot of what foster children are going through.”

The puppets tackle domestic problems common to most children and, with the help of the audience, work toward reaching peaceful solutions.

As “Penelope Peacekeeper,” Toy narrates the puppets’ predicaments and leads the children in discussion during two 15-minute sessions after each performance.

One scenario involves a predicament faced by Mellie Monster, who will be having a birthday party and, with Artie Anteater, is attempting to compile a guest list. She agonizes over whether Dion Dragon should be invited because he has wings and is often made fun of by other children.

“Mellie thinks that if she invites Dion, her classmates will laugh at her,” Toy said. “I go over the importance of friendship with the audience and we discuss the various dragon stereotypes that might have led to the way Dion is treated. I ask them to then explain how each character feels in that situation. We point out how all three are different, but special in their own way--just like humans.”