Released on: August 18, 2008, 4:10 pm

Press Release Author: Gwynn Torres / The Creativity Institute

Industry: Retail

Press Release Summary: The Creativity Institute, an educational toy store and
information resource on child creativity, has developed a series of
puppet-and-script packages that bundle puppets with corresponding scripts. The
packages make it possible for children to start performing as soon as a set arrives.


Press Release Body: New Orleans, LA - Puppets are great educational toys for
stimulating creativity in children. But too often, children are given puppets
without the right guidance and, to the child, they become nothing more than dolls.
To get the full creative benefit of puppets, simple puppet show scripts can make all
the difference. That's why The Creativity Institute, an educational toy store and
information resource on child creativity, has developed a series of
puppet-and-script packages that bundle puppets with corresponding scripts. The
packages make it possible for children to start performing as soon as a set arrives.


The Creativity Institute's first puppet-and-script set was an adaptation of four
Aesop's Fables. Because of positive feedback from customers about the Aesop's Fables
series, The Creativity Institute developed two new sets of scripts of original ideas
written in a similar style. Entitled "Gwynn's Fables," for the author and Creativity
Institute founder Gwynn Torres, the scripts in these series communicate values such
as sharing, imagination, cooperation and honesty.

"All of our original scripts and adaptations are written with young performers in
mind," explains Torres. "These are child-friendly stories with comical interchanges
and absolutely no violence." "No one gets eaten," she adds with a laugh..

The scripts have \"acting\" parts for two to four puppets, though some require the
voice of an additional off-stage narrator. Depending on ability, some children may
be able to perform more than one role in the same show. And the puppet-and-script
packages use animal puppets in all of the roles, so they transcend cultural and
gender lines.

In the script package called "Gwynn's Fables Set 2," there are four stories,
including:
\"First Things First (Don\'t Procrastinate),\" which demonstrates the disadvantages of
putting things off. Although the other animals keep encouraging their friend, the
monkey, to join them in building sleds, the monkey chooses to put it off and isn\'t
ready when the snow falls.

\"Fair Offers (Cooperation)\" illustrates the value of working together. The animals
want to go to a fair in a neighboring town, but can\'t get there in time unless they
all pitch in using their individual capabilities. (The set includes both a two and
four-puppet version of this script.)

\"Out of the Box (Imagination)\" is all about thinking creatively. Four different
animals come across an empty box, and each imagines a unique use for it.

\"Trading Places (Look Before you Leap)\" demonstrates the importance of thinking
through a decision. The horse hears about the attractive features of the mouse\'s
house and insists they trade, sight unseen, only to later discover how small it is.

"Gwynn's Fables Set 3" has four different original scripts, which include:

\"No Excuses (You can\'t succeed if you don\'t try)\" demonstrates the value of not
giving up and trying your best. Duck is full of excuses why he\'s not participating
in the art contest until Elephant challenges his excuses and gets him to try.

\"What a Pal! (Fair Weather Friends)\" shows how the Lion discovers who his real
friends are when he needs a favor.

\"To Tell the Truth (Honesty)\" shows why it\'s important to tell the truth when
Froggie dishonestly takes all the credit for helping out, but has the tables turned
on him when Teacher figures it out.

\"The Fun of the Game (You Don\'t Have to Win Everything)\" shows how the animals
respect Lion much more when he learns he doesn\'t have to win every game.

The "Aesop\'s Fables" puppet script set includes Creativity Institute adaptations of
four well-known fables: "The Mouse and the Lion," "The Hare and the Tortoise," "The
Fox and the Grapes" and "The Fox Who Had Lost His Tail."

A fourth original puppet-and-script set by The Creativity Institute is the puppet
stage adaptation of the traditional folk-song \"Old MacDonald.\" This is a puppet show
that\'s great fun for any number of children to perform and perfect for audience
participation. The script uses the supplied eight-puppet cast, but if you have
additional puppets, you can use whatever mix of song verses and puppets you choose.
Children can even double up on parts, which usually produces hysterical results.

The Creativity Institute also offers most of the script sets separately for
customers who already have puppets. All of the scripts can be easily adapted to any
assortment of puppet characters. Plus, customers don't have to wait to receive their
scripts. When an order for scripts is placed on The Creativity Institute website,
the customer receives PDF versions of the scripts within a couple of hours, often
immediately. The Creativity Institute even offers a free downloadable,
ready-to-print sample of one of their scripts on their website's page of puppet show
ideas at http://www.creativityinstitute.com/index.asp?PageAction=Custom&ID=34

All sets of Creativity Institute puppet show scripts come with their own stage
directions guide for producing more professional and enjoyable puppet shows. These
include tips on how to simulate walking and how to coordinate the movement of puppet
mouths (almost everybody does it backwards, closing the puppet\'s mouth with each
syllable rather than opening it.)

The Creativity Institute encourages visitors to the site to explore the practically
limitless puppet shows that can be performed with just a few puppets and a little
imagination. Ideas can come from favorite stories, real experiences, dramatization
of lessons, and even movies and TV shows. The Creativity Institute website provides
links to sources for hundreds of these scripts, along with lots of ideas and
resources for finding material to develop new shows.

The hand puppets offered by The Creativity Institute in their packages are
manufactured by PlushPups, maker of quality hand puppets for children. All are
machine washable and made of durable fabrics. And for the ideal \"venue\" for
presenting memorable performances, they also have a selection of tabletop and floor
model puppet theaters manufactured by Guidecraft and Beka.

Puppet shows provide endless opportunities for children to find expression through
acting out stories, and the only limits are their imaginations. For more
information, visit The Creativity Institute website at
http://www.creativityinstitute.com, or give them a call toll-free at 888-814-TOYS
(8697).


Web Site: http://www.creativityinstitute.com

Contact Details: Sid Berger
Director of Playthings
The Creativity Institute, Inc.
4013 Courtland Dr.
Metairie, LA 70002
Toll-Free (888)-814-TOYS
(312) 330-2640
Fax (504) 456-2217
sid@creativityinstitute.com