Somebody Stole Her Entire Livelihood. L.a. Puppeteer Is Devastated — But Not Beaten - Beritaja

Jackie Smook has spent years crafting characters and props for “Dilly’s World,” her whimsical web bid and touring theatrical show about a woman confronting large issues pinch the thief of immoderate puppet friends. Her life’s activity was stolen early Monday erstwhile thieves swiped a shipping container containing galore of her puppets from extracurricular her Beachwood Canyon apartment.

Among the missing are Angus the bassist, Phyllis the mail-delivering puppet, Holstein, who was holding an intricate saxophone prop, and Dumont, who had a tv stand. A ample puppeteered car, drum set, piano, wigs, costumes and each mode of merchandise were besides stolen. Smook estimates the full costs to beryllium about $40,000.

“We are starting from zero, basically,” she said. “It’s conscionable a really tragic loss. My hands bled to make these things.”

The U-Haul container stuffed pinch props was delivered Saturday day from Chicago, wherever Smook precocious toured. She went to unpack it about 6 a.m. Monday and realized it was gone. So was the trailer carrying the box, suggesting that personification collapsed a lock, attached the full point to their conveyance and drove off, Smook said.

Surveillance stills from a neighbor’s camera propose the container was taken conscionable minutes earlier Smook came extracurricular — betwixt 5:35 and 5:49 a.m. — but the footage did not seizure immoderate imaginable suspects, she said.

Police responded and took a study of a stolen vehicle, a Los Angeles Police Department nationalist accusation serviceman said.

The rustle was peculiarly devastating because the show has nary large investors aliases assistance financing, Smook said. She’s mostly kept it afloat pinch money she saved while moving successful existent property successful Chicago.

Smook is now racing to rebuild each of the props and puppets by Feb. 22, erstwhile her adjacent show is slated to return spot astatine the Dynasty Typewriter theater. But she’s not doing it alone: Dozens of artists person reached retired to help, including those successful Los Angeles, Chicago and moreover arsenic acold arsenic Toronto and Trinidad, Smook said. She’s besides launched an online fundraiser to bolster the effort.

There’s nary measurement to switch each that was mislaid successful little than 2 weeks, but Smook has been heartened by the support.

“The show will wholly spell on,” she said. “And it’s going to beryllium 1 of the champion shows ever because of really overmuch the organization has travel together.”