With temps in the low 40’s at night, fall has arrived in Northern New England, and with it apple season. For the next few Wednesdays, Take a Break will feature fun things to do with apples.
Shrunken Apple People are very popular craft in my town. Periodically, our librarian will do a project with the kids. Before long, everywhere you turn you see little shrunken heads starring back at you.
Mary Harrsch, who blogs about technology, education and history, writes, “Apple-headed dolls are part of along, fascinating history . . . one that extends back to prehistoric times, when primitive puppets appeared in ceremonial magic displays. Tribal healers in Africa and Asia often used dolls in their medicinal rituals . . . and, even today, the ancient superstition of causing sympathetic harm is preserved whenever a mob burns the stuffed figure of an unpopular person "in effigy… The Seneca Indians were reportedly the first people to make dolls out of apples . . . but the craft was later adopted by mountaineers in Appalachia, where such handmade toys are still produced as part of the area's cottage industry."
Even though Vincent Price sold a do it yourself shrunken head kit, there isn’t a lot required for this project. It’s really just as simple as peeling and carving a face into an apple. Then soak in a mixture of one-cup lemon juice with 1 T salt for 30 seconds or so and let air dry for two weeks. Keep it out of reach of dogs, other pets and small kids. If you want the face to turn a dark shade of brown, just soak in salted water.
Now is the time to start making them if you want the perfect witch, goblin or monster for Halloween. You can carve and decorate at the same time, but the head can shrink so much that the costume no longer fits. Besides, as the head is taking shape, it will inspire all sorts of ideas.
Directions for Shrunken Apple Head
Apple Head Witch Doll Directions
Virtual Shrunken Apple Head: Don’t have an apple handy? Make one on-line.
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