Wake Up Your Weird with Lolly & Leslie - Center for Puppetry Arts

IN YOUR LIFE. OFF YOUR MIND. 

Center for Puppetry Arts ® 

Study Guide 

A note from our 

Education Director 

Dear Educator, 

WAKE UP 

WEIRD 

W 

& 

YOUR H TI 

By Leslie 

By 

Carrara-Rudolph, 

Leslie Carrara-Rudolph 

Los Angeles, CA 

of Los Angeles, CA 

Lolly 

Leslie 

Photo courtesy of Leslie Carrara-Rudolph 

Welcome to the Center for Puppetry Arts and 

this vey special production of Wake Up Your Weird 

With Lolly & Leslie, written and performed by Leslie 

Carrara-Rudolph of Los Angeles. Founded in 1978, 

the Center is a cherished cultural and educational 

resource in Atlanta. We value your patronage and 

are delighted that you have chosen us as a teaching 

resource. Your students are in for a big treat! 

This study guide was designed to enhance student 

learning before and after your visit to the Center 

for Puppetry Arts. Wake Up Your Weird With Lolly & 

Leslie is an amazing show celebrating imagination 

and creativity performed by the puppeteer who 

gives life to Abby Cadabby on Sesame Street. This 

hilarious and heartwarming show will inspire 

children to explore their creative potential at 

home or at school. 

Sept 16 - 26, 2010 

Performances Thursday - Sunday 

Call 404.873.3391 to book your group 

The Center for Puppetry Arts is supported in part by: 

® 

All three areas of programming at the Center 

for Puppetry Arts (performance, puppetmaking 

workshops and Museum) meet Georgia 

Performance Standards (GPS). To access the 

Georgia Performance Standards that have been 

correlated to each programming area according to 

grade level, click the links below: 

Wake up Your Weird, P-K & K 

Wake up Your Weird, Grade 1 






Center for Puppetry Arts is a non-profit, 501(c)(3) organization and is supported in part 

by contributions from corporations, foundations, government agencies, and individuals. 

Major funding for the Center is provided by the Fulton County Board of 

Commissioners under the guidance of the Fulton County Arts Council. 

Major support is provided by the City of Atlanta Office of Cultural Affairs. 

These programs are supported in part by the Georgia Council for the Arts 

through the appropriations from the Georgia General Assembly. 

GCA is a Partner Agency of the National Endowment for the Arts. 

The Center is a participant in the New Generations Program, funded by Doris Duke 

Charitable Foundation/The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and administered by Theatre 

Communications Group, the national organization for the American theatre. 

The Center is a Member of TCG and the Atlanta Coalition of Performing Arts. 

The Center also serves as headquarters of UNIMA-USA, the American branch of 

Union Internationale de la Marionnette, the international puppetry organization. 

© 2010 Center for Puppetry Arts ® 

To access a complete list of GA Performance 

Standards for all grades and subjects, please visit 

http://www.georgiastandards.org/. 

Thank you for choosing the Center for Puppetry 

Arts for your study trip. We hope that your 

students’ experience here will live on in their 

memories for many years to come. 

Sincerely, 

Alan Louis 

Director of Museum and Education Programs

About the Artist 

Leslie Carrara-Rudolph is a multi-faceted performer and Emmy-nominated 

puppeteer with a wide variety of characters and 

talents. Carrara-Rudolph’s television work spans a variety of acclaimed 

children’s television programs, including Sesame Street, 

on which she currently performs the fairy-in-training, Abby 

Cadabby. She is also Ginger Sprite on the Disney Channel’s 

Johnny & the Sprites. Leslie got her start on Muppets Tonight for 

ABC and then worked on a number of productions including 

the DVD series, Sesame Beginnings for Sesame Workshop, Animal 

Jam for the Learning Channel, and season two of The Wubbulous 

World of Dr. Seuss for Nickelodeon. Additionally, Leslie 

was a member of the PBS puppet tour that visited shelters in 

Louisiana and Mississippi in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina 

and recently performed the puppet character of “Jesse” for 

Sesame’s TLC outreach project called “When Families Grieve.” 

“I’ve always wanted to be like Carol Burnett for kids,” says 

singer/actor/puppeteer Carrara-Rudolph. When she’s not 

performing hidden out of sight under a puppet or behind a 

cartoon, Leslie can be seen on a variety of stages performing 

her unique brand of cabaret comedy shows for adults, as well 

as kids. Leslie also likes to spend time in her art room painting 

or sketching. Whether it is on paper, cloth, walls, windows or 

even shoes, Leslie’s world is her canvas and her imagination 

spills over from her brain to her brush. 

Leslie Carrara-Rudolph 

Synopsis 

Wake Up Your Weird with Lolly & Leslie is an interactive performance by the multitalented Leslie Carrara-Rudolph that uses puppets, 

storytelling, live music, improvisation, art, and movement to help the young and young at heart discover their own unique 

creative gifts. This original show is interactive from start to finish as Leslie delights the audience with stories, songs, improv, cartooning 

and puppetry. Kids use their voices, bodies and most importantly their imaginations. The wonderful show is designed 

to help kids spread joy and impact the world around them creatively! Together with her pals “Lolly Lardpop,” a candy loving 

sock puppet, “Slax” the lizard, “Velvet” the Lamb Fairy Godmother, and her wacked out Granny Dot, you are in for 55 minutes 

of heartfelt laughter and surprises with live accompaniment on piano. 

Style of Puppetry 

Wake Up Your Weird with Lolly & Leslie is performed with hand and rod puppets. Lolly Lardpop is one example of a hand and rod 

puppet. Leslie brings Lolly to life by placing one hand inside Lolly’s head to turn it from side to side and to also open and close 

Lolly’s mouth. At the same time Leslie opens and closes Lolly’s mouth, she gives Lolly her voice to talk or sing a song. Leslie 

wears a small microphone so the audience can hear her. Leslie’s other hand operates the control rods attached to the puppet’s 

hands. Most hand and rod puppets are performed from behind a low wall known as a play board, but sometimes puppeteers 

walk around the stage with their puppets where the audience can see exactly how the puppets are operated. 

© 2010 Center for Puppetry Arts ® . All Rights Reserved. 

2

Bibliography 

• Artell, Mike. Cartooning for Kids. Sterling, 2002. 

• Aruego, Jose and Ariane Dewey. Weird Friends: Unlikely Allies in the Animal Kingdom. 

Harcourt Children’s Books 2002. 

• Bany-Winters, Lisa. On Stage: Theater Games and Activities for Kids. Chicago Review Press, 1997. 

• Bedore, Bob. 101 Improv Games for Children and Adults. Hunter House 2004. 

• Brown, Jeffrey: Cats are Weird: And More Observations. Chronicle Books, 2010. 

• Cassou. Michele. Kids Play: Igniting Children’s Creativity. Tarcher, 2004. 

• Costello, Bill. Creativity for Kids of All Ages. Thinkorporated, 1998. 

• Hanson, Anders. Cool Collage: The Art of Creativity for Kids. Checkerboard Books, 2008. 

• Hanson, Anders. Cool Drawing: The Art of Creativity for Kids. Checkerboard Books, 2008. 

• Hanson, Anders. Cool Sculpture: The Art of Creativity for Kids. Checkerboard Books, 2008. 

• Hanson, Anders. Cool Calligraphy: The Art of Creativity for Kids. Checkerboard Books, 2008. 

• Holm, Carolyn. Everyday Art for Kids: Projects to Unlock Creativity. Mockingbird Press, 1996. 

• Schick, Theodore and Lewis Vaughn. How to Think About Weird Things. McGraw-Hill Humanities/Social 

Sciences/Languages, 2010. 

• Spolin, Viola. Theater Games for the Classroom: A Teacher’s Handbook. Northwestern University Press, 

1986. 

http://www.lesliecarrara-rudolph.com/ 

Visit Leslie Carrara-Rudolph at her website. 

Internet Resources 

http://www.sesamestreet.org/onair/cast/leslie_carrara_rudolph 

Read Leslie Carrara-Rudolph’s cast bio on the Sesame Street website. 

http://www.sesamestreet.org/onair/characters/abby_cadabby 

Read all about Leslie Carrara-Rudolph’s character Abby Cadabby on the Sesame Street website. 

http://www.baykidsmuseum.org/nurture-childhood-creativity/ 

Visit the Bay Area Discovery Museum’s website to learn about nurturing childhood creativity. 

http://www.ehow.com/list_6587600_school-age-creative-activities.html 

Get inspired by “School Age Creative Activities for Kids” by Mary J. Davis. 

http://www.newsweek.com/2010/07/10/the-creativity-crisis.html 

Read the article “The Creativity Crisis” in Newsweek magazine online. 

http://creativityforlife.com/full_article.php?article_id=107 

Read the article “Try This Kids…Get Wild at Home!” at creativityforlife.com. 

3

Learning Activities 

P-K & K: Make Some Clay and Sculpt Away! 

GA Pre-K Bright from the Start Content Standards: Pre-K, Creative Development: CD1a, b, c, d. 

Georgia Performance Standards covered: Grade K, Science (Habits of Mind): SKCS4a, SKCS6c; (Life 

Science): SKL2a; Fine Arts, Visual Arts (Contextual Understanding):VAKCU.1 a, b, c; Fine Arts, Visual Arts 

(Production): VAKPR.1 j. 

Objective: Students will create a sculpture of an imaginary creature, animal, or monster to share with 

the class. 

Materials: Play Clay (baking soda, cornstarch, cold water, food coloring), wooden spoon, stove or hot 

plate, waxed paper, paint, brushes, varnish or clear nail polish, chart paper markers. 

Procedure: 

1. Have students invent an imaginary creature, animal, or monster and draw it. 

2. Prepare Arm & Hammer Play Clay* according to recipe. Download the recipe here: 

http://www.armhammer.com/myfamily/kids/play_clay.asp 

*Note: Play Clay requires cooking, so teachers may want to prepare in advance. 

3. Distribute Play Clay to students on sheet of waxed paper. 

4. Have each student sculpt their fantasy animal from their drawing. Place finished pieces on a flat 

surface overnight to dry. 

5. When thoroughly dry, have students paint their animals. Coat with varnish or clear nail polish if 

desired. 

6. Have students share their imaginary creature, animal or monster with the class. What is each one’s 

name? Where does it live? What does it eat? What sound does it make? 

7. Finally, display class collection of imaginary creatures in a diorama. 

Assessment: Observe students to make sure they complete the activity. Ask each student to describe 

her/his imaginary creature. 

4


1st & 2nd Grade: Make a “Me” Mobile 

Georgia Performance Standards covered: Grade 1, Fine Arts, Visual Arts (Meaning and Creative 

Thinking): VA1MC.3; Visual Arts (Composition): VA1PR.1 a, d. Grade 2, Fine Arts, Visual Arts (Meaning 

and Creative Thinking): VA2MC.3 a; Visual Arts (Composition): Visual Arts (Production): VA2PR.1 a. 

Objective: Students will create a mobile from pictures that represent their interests, personalities, 

hobbies, dreams, etc. 

Materials: A heavy wire coat hanger; string, ribbon or yarn; a paper punch; construction paper, plain or 

lined paper; pens or pencils, crayons or markers; scissors; glue; and pictures that tell about the student. 

Procedure: 

1. Ask students to choose images or small objects that represent themselves. Ask them to 

generate a list of these things by answering these questions individually: 

• Do you like to collect things? If so, what? 

• Do you have any hobbies? 

• What do you like to watch on television? 

• What is your favorite website? 

• What is your favorite food? 

• What is your favorite toy? 

• What is your favorite book? 

• What is your favorite place? 

• What is your favorite animal? 

• What is your favorite song? 

• What is your favorite musical instrument? 

• What sports do you like to play? 

2. Ask students to gather all of their objects together. Tie string, yarn, or ribbon around each 

of your objects (leave about 6-8 inches in length for each object) and tie the other end to 

the hanger. Or cut pictures of some of your objects out of old magazines and paste them on 

construction paper. Then punch a hole in the top of your pictures and thread your string, yarn or 

ribbon through the hole in each one and tie a knot. Tie the other end of the string to the hanger. 

3. Display mobiles in the classroom. Let each student tell the class about her/his mobile and how it 

describes their unique personalities. 

Assessment: Observe students to make sure they complete the activity. Take anecdotal notes on each 

student’s personal interests. 


5


3rd & 4th Grade: Big Time Pantomime 

Georgia Performance Standards covered: Grade 3, Fine Arts, Theatre Arts: TAES3.3 b; 

Grade 4, Fine Arts Theatre Arts, Fine Arts Theatre Arts: TAES4.3 b. 

Objective: Students will play a pantomime game in small groups to see if the other students can guess 

where the members of the group are (a hockey game, church, an amusement park, etc.) 

Materials: Lined or blank index cards, pens or pencils. 

Procedure: 

1. Prepare index cards with the names of places and events that the students will pretend to 

be such as a sporting event, horror movie, rock concert, ballet, an amusement park, a church 

service, a swimming pool, on a school bus, etc. 

2. Discuss how people behave differently when they go to different events. Demonstrate the 

concept by asking the students to pantomime how they would act if they went to see a play. 

Then have them pantomime how they would act while at an ice hockey game. 

3. Ask for four volunteers and show them a card. The object is for them to pantomime the event 

with enough specificity that the rest of the class can guess where they are. 

4. Once they guess, ask for another four volunteers and hand them a new card. 

5. Repeat the process until everyone has had a chance to participate. 

Assessment: Observe students to see if all are participating. Repeat this activity throughout the year 

in connection with other subjects. 

Leslie and Abby Cadabby from Sesame Street 

6


5th & 6th Grade: Meet the Artist: A Word Search Puzzle 

Georgia Performance Standards covered: Grade 5, English/Language Arts, Reading, 

ELA5R3 a, b, c, d, e, f; Grade 6, English/Language Arts, Reading, ELA6R2 a, b, c, d. 

Objective: Students will read an informative paragraph about Leslie Carrara-Rudolph and complete a word 

search puzzle featuring vocabulary words from the reading. 

Materials: Copies of word search puzzle handouts and pens, pencils, or highlighters. 

Procedure: 

1. Have students read the informative paragraph about Leslie Carrara-Rudolph at the bottom of the 

word search puzzle paying special attention to the words in bold face. Discuss the meaning of any 

unfamiliar words. 

2. After they have read the paragraph, ask them to locate the 20 bolded words in the puzzle. Students 

should circle or highlight each word as they find it. Words are hidden vertically, horizontally, 

diagonally and backward. 

Assessment: Check student handouts for completion, comprehension and retention of information. 

Remediate content from paragraph if necessary. 

Leslie and Lolly Lardpop 


7

Name__________________________________________ 

Date____________________ 

Meet the Artist Word Search 

Directions: Read the paragraph below. Search the puzzle for the 17 vocabulary words in bold print. 

Circle or highlight each word as you find it. Words are hidden vertically, horizontally, diagonally, forward, 

and backward. 

C A N V A S L X Q S G V N A C 

T E L E V I S I O N P J S E H 

I L O P J F B I I H J C I V A 

S T A G E S O H P O Y A S H R 

E R H R L L C I N D E N T I A 

M U L T I T A L E N T E D D C 

S K E A E P J M R S X F C D T 

T T Z K K T O E T E R N D E E 

A R S W U C E D E A I U X N R 

R Q D S B T X D L A L T E S L 

T J D Z E I Y C R H T O L C H 

J I G P S Y V B R I A N S O S 

K S P R T S E H C A R T D T U 

A U C A R T O O N A G G B A R 

P B Q Z A I N R O F I L A C B 

Leslie Carrara-Rudolph is a multitalented singer, actress, artist and puppeteer from Los 

Angeles, California. She has worked on a number of television shows including Sesame Street, 

Johnny and the Sprites, Blue’s Room and The Wubbulous World of Dr. Seuss. She has even done some 

character voices on The Simpsons. Leslie got her start on a show called Muppets Tonight. When 

she’s not performing hidden out of sight under a puppet or behind a cartoon, Leslie can be seen 

on a variety of stages performing her unique brand of cabaret comedy shows for adults, as well 

as kids. Leslie also likes to spend time in her art room painting or sketching. Whether it is on 

paper, cloth, walls, windows or even shoes, Leslie’s world is her canvas and her imagination spills 

over from her brain to her brush. 

8

Study Guide Feedback Form 

The following questions are intended for teachers and group leaders 

who make use of the Center for Puppetry Arts’ study guides. 

1. In what grade are your students? 

2. Which show did you see? When? 

3. Was this your first time at the Center? 

4. Was this the first time you used a Center Study Guide? 

5. Did you download/use the guide before or after your field trip? 

6. Did you find the bibliography useful? If so, how? 

7. Did you find the list of online resources useful? If so, how? 

8. Did you reproduce the grade-appropriate activity sheet for your class? 

9. Additional information and/or comments: 

Please fax back to the Center for Puppetry Arts at 404.873.9907. 

Your feedback will help us to better meet your needs. Thank you for your help! 

1404 Spring Street, NW at 18th • Atlanta, Georgia USA 30309-2820 

Ticket Sales: 404.873.3391 • Administrative: 404.873.3089 • www.puppet.org • info@puppet.org 

Headquarters of UNIMA-USA • Member of Atlanta Coalition of Performing Arts and Theatre Communications Group 

Text by Alan Louis • Design by Melissa Hayes 

© Center for Puppetry Arts ® Education Department, September 2010.

Wake Up Your Weird with Lolly & Leslie - Center for Puppetry Arts

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