Jupe the Giraffe

My father was Jupe the Giraffe, the 1950s Birmingham Children's Theatre mascot who welcomed squirming audience members and instructed them in theatre etiquette. My mother made his costume: a long papier-mache head with ears and eye holes, a brown turtleneck and brown slacks dotted with paint the color of the old caramel-colored M&Ms, and brown socks and wingtips similarly treated. He always wore white gloves, so we children could see his hands clearly when he taught us to clap.

This banana's coloring reminded me of Jupe and of the BCT, which Mother co-founded through the Junior League, and of Daddy and his histrionic antics, and of Dot Schwartz, another co-founder, who many years later befriended me and gave me the letter opener I use every day, and of the old Clark Theatre.

Did I inherit Mother's love of design and word and Daddy's gift of the gab and love of the stage? I'm not sure. But I know that I loved watching him play Jupe when all those around me didn't know who hid inside the costume.