Mother Jenny

Mother Jenny is the first riddle I ever made.  It was back in about 1983 or 1984.  I was working in the Meis Department Store art department in what was called, "the Sign Shop"  It didn't pay a whole lot, but it was one of the most fun jobs I ever had.  I got to actually create a lot of the signs and silk screened posters for the entire chain of the Meis stores through out the midwest.  It was such a fun creative place to work.  The rest of the department involved about 4-5 artists (the ones that draw the sketches in ads for the clothing sales) who were really fun and creative people that I loved working with.  I started pinning my riddles to the bulletin board every week and challenged people to guess them for a candy bar.  I made an illustration for each riddle and when I was finished them, I sent them or gave them to my best friend at the time, David--now Father David who pastors the Romanian Orthodox Church in Indianapolis.  He and his wife Janene (Orthodox Priests can be married) have been good friends of mine forever and I think he still has those riddles somewhere around his house after all these years.

Just as I've always done with my illustrations for the riddles, I make sure that my illustrations have nothing to do with the answers to the riddle, so it won't help you to try to guess based on the pictures.  This video is shorter than the others, but it is my first attempt at a fully animated cartoon.  I think I've got about seven or eight hundred frames--a lot of drawing!  And a lot of mistakes that I had to correct and then timing it to the music--Whoa, do I have a new appreciation for the old-time animators!

Here are the words:

Mother Jenny has four,
to help her through the door.
Mother Jenny has nine--
that's why she feels so fine!
Mother Jenny has three--
what could they be?
Those three with their twelve in a basket
Must lose twenty-seven to see a casket.