I’ve had three people call me up this past year asking questions about the cranky (crankie). Three years ago I produced CRANKYfest at CounterPULSE here in San Francisco, and this nifty storytelling device continues to demand attention by curious performers who usually want to know how to make one. I know of at least three devices that have been built since the event, and I am surprised that my site is still the main source out there for Crankie knowledge.
Today, I got a call from a friend who’s making a motorized crankie, so I once again went online looking for other sources of the art form. I only found two other sites, one with decent diagrams by George Konnoff. The other one was just a photo of the performer’s crankie. So I’ve decided to put all the links I can onto one page, and add to it as new content comes along. I also decided to post the new page on the RSS feeds as well (the post will not be updated in the future).
If you’ve found this site and have your own crankie, or hold knowledge, please pass the info along!
Links to Crankie (Cranky) Knowledge
- History of the Crankie by HappyFeetTravels.org with R. G. Davis
- Crankie Diagrams and a brief description by George Konnoff
- How to Make a Shoebox Crankie (with pics) by HappyFeetTravels.org
- CRANKYfest 2005
Some Photographs of Crankies
Big Tadoo Puppet Crew @ CRANKYfest throwing shadows on the back of the story roll.
Eco Artisans @ CRANKYfest
Another Eco Artisans Pic
Big Tadoo Puppet Crew using the same crankie with a different story roll (on wallpaper).
Friends Mime Theater’s Crankie Device
Zippedy the Clown’s Cardboard Crankie