Donald Trump's 'Spitting Image' puppet to go on display in Norwich
'I am a reformed old gentleman but I get very angry about things. It's puppets, not people so you can get away with murder,' says satirical TV show's creator
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Your support makes all the difference.Replicas and reinterpretations of Donald Trump’s face can be found in all corners of the globe.
From the factory in Saitama in Japan which was swamped with orders for rubber masks of him in the wake of his victory to the waxwork at Madame Tussauds, the US president’s straw-coloured comb-over and orange hue of his skin has been duplicated time and time again.
A rubber caricature of the billionaire designed by one of the creators of satirical TV show Spitting Image is now set to go on display.
The show’s co-creator Roger Law said US network NBC approached him about restarting the popular show which was one of the most watched shows of the 1980’s and early 1990’s.
The US spin-off of the British show, which was watched by 15 million people at its zenith, is anticipated to be written by American writers.
But the puppets will be made in the UK and displayed in Norwich from Saturday as part of a retrospective of the artist’s work.
Mr Law said: "I am a reformed old gentleman but I get very angry about things. It's puppets, not people so you can get away with murder. You could have a pussy-grabbing sketch, for Christ's sake”.
He said he was sure President Trump would wind up watching the show given his penchant for television.
Pressed about whether he thought the world leader would launch into one of his trademark tirades about the show, Mr Law said: “That’ll get a few more viewers.”
President Trump's puppet will sit alongside various other almost life-size upper torso puppets including a suit-wearing Spitting Image Margaret Thatcher who was almost as famous as the former prime minister back in the 1980's.
Speaking about the puppet of the so-called iron lady back in 2013, he said: "I hated Thatcher's policies and was determined to do Spitting Image – in fact, I would have killed my mother to have done it. The show was harsh and confrontational because Thatcher was harsh and confrontational. It was a learning curve for us all, but Thatcher's policies were the driving force.
He added: "I still have the original condescending puppet head of Thatcher; the one where she talks to you as if your dog had died."
Spitting Image was created by Mr Law, Peter Fluck, and Martin Lambie-Nairn and the original release ran from 1984 to 1996, earning 10 BAFTA Television Awards. It featured caricatures of prominent figures such as US president Ronald Reagan, John Major, and Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother - who was depicted as an ageing gin-drinker with a Beryl Reid voice.
The exhibition of Mr Law's work, which has been named 'From Satire to Ceramics', will include both his puppets and some of his work as a ceramic artist.
It is being shown at the Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts in the University of East Anglia, Norwich, from 18 November to 3 April.
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