Jackie Smook, puppeteer and creator of the show Dilly's World, cuts fabric for a sardine doll's arctic fleece tail in her home workshop.
Tucked away on a small block under the Hollywood sign is Jackie Smook's doll shop, a small isolated room with a single workbench surrounded by the characters she handcrafts from the depths of her imagination. Smook, the creator of the web series Dilly's World, is a quirky and eccentric personality, not unlike what you'd expect from the title “puppeteer”, with her Willy Wonka-esque enthusiasm, style and oblique character-based anecdotes.
“If you're going to do something niche, it's important to be more than just a builder; it’s also good to be a performer,” says Smook.
Smook received a classical opera training and studied musical theater at the Boston Conservatory before moving to Chicago and beginning to create puppets.
“I told myself I would build one puppet a day to get good at it,” Smook says.
Jackie Smook, puppeteer and creator of the show Dilly's World, sews Arctic fleece body fabric for a sardine doll in her home workshop.
On her creative path, Smuk applied to “American Idol” where she claims to be “hiring a person” but being on the show put her in contact with PBS in Chicago, launching her career. Smook suddenly began producing many television shows and feature films and has been making dolls professionally for three years.
1. Jackie Smooke, puppeteer and creator of the show Dilly's World, threads a needle while working on a sardine puppet in her home workshop. 2. She sews arctic fleece tail fabric for the sardine puppet. 3. She uses some themes in her work. 4. Painting the eye sockets of a sardine doll.
In her shop, Smook cuts out pieces of arctic fleece, sews, stuffs and shapes a sardine puppet. In just seven hours, from concept to creation, the character takes shape—blue sardine, sunglasses, big lips and bright orange hair—the signature look of her work.
Jackie Smook builds a sardine doll. The other dolls she created are in the background.
“Puppets are so colorful, they're tactile, you can touch them. And in the world of this new emerging artificial intelligence, it's a way for people to make sure that things remain real and tangible,” Smook says.
Smook's audience ranges from young children to adults, and he emphasizes that the combination of nostalgia and the authenticity of analog art creates a timeless experience that opens up a wide audience.
Despite the playfulness of making dolls, the work requires Smook's full commitment of time and energy, making it rewarding but lonely.
“Sometimes I hate being my friend because I work all the time,” Smook says.
“Puppets are so colorful, they're tactile, you can touch them. And in the world of this new emerging artificial intelligence, it's a way for people to make sure that things remain real and tangible,” Smook says.
Smook has a strong support group of friends and fellow artists who understand her dedication to her work, making the balance between her craft and her personal life more manageable.
Despite the long hours and busy schedule, it provides a satisfaction that goes beyond the personal joy of creativity, with the ability to make audiences laugh and offer respite from the “complicated world.”
Thanks to her new show Dilly's World, a story about a girl named Dilly and her friends as they face social and emotional challenges and go on tour, it looks like Smook won't be resting anytime soon. However, the work is welcomed and a source of inspiration not only for her, but also for aspiring puppeteers.
“It gives me a lot of hope for the future of puppetry and puppetry, because for some reason the two things that are thriving right now are puppetry and comedy,” Smook says.
1. Jackie Smook stands with a sardine doll she made in a day in her home workshop. 2. “If you're going to do something niche, it's important to be more than just a builder; it’s also good to be a performer,” says Smook.
