Flaca was so easy to name. It's an actual Mexican female name, accurately describes Flaca's appearance ("skinny"), and of course honors the great Mexican accordion player Flaco Jimenez. She's been full of personality and perfectly Flaca from day one.
This little girl has been more challenging. Yes, I know she's inanimate, but I just feel like I don't know her. She doesn't project any characteristics, really, nor does she dance well. I also feel guilty for leaving Flaca behind, so I think subconsciously I don't want to connect with this girl.
Before I got her I planned to name my next marionette "Trixie" so she could be Trixie's Tappin' Toes to follow Flaca's Flyin' Feet. But she definitely doesn't seem like a Trixie.
So it began...the first two names I considered were Daphne and Josephine:
"Daphne" was a little too cute. I've always loved the name Josephine, and its accordion connection comes with the Fats Domino song "My Girl Josephine." My mother reminded me about dancer Josephine Baker as well. So it was a good name: accordion, dancer, and favorite film character. But, I haven't been getting Josephine vibes from her. She's simply not my little cajun dancer girl!
So back to the drawing board. She's an orphan, so she could be Annie, Penny (from the Rescuers), Madeline, or Pippi (not an orphan, I know).
I thought about honoring my travels, if not accordion tradition. She could be Marina--an allusion to favorite CouchSurfing hosts Marine in Strasbourg and Marijana in Prague, as well as in reference to my current home on the water.
That led to the idea of giving her a name that sounded like "marionette." Mirette (also a favorite children's book character), Mariette, Marianne (last name "Nett"). Mary-Annette!!! But that's just ridiculous.
"Harriet" is cute, and would be in honor of my friend and former bandmate in Edinburgh who is providing my shelter during the Fringe in August. She is a talented musician, but there's no accordion connection, other than myself. I could call her "Freya" in honor of another UK friend and band-mate and stick with the F-names.
In absence of a name, I've been calling her "Little Girl," so I looked up that phrase in Czech. "Girl" is "Dívka," which is cute. Sticking to the Czech, "Pavla" is "small" and "Marketa," meaning "pearl" is the Czech female lead in the movie "Once."
Today, I am leaning towards "Bianca." There are four things I like about this name:
1. It is Italian, like my accordion
2. Penny from "The Rescuers" was on my orphan-name list. I had forgotten that Bianca is one of the mice that saves her. This Bianca is beautiful and Hungarian, which isn't Czech but is at least an homage to this region.
3. I'm a big fan of the Tintin books, and the main female character is opera singer Bianca Castafiore.
She's got a bit more bosom than my Little Girl, but their hairdos are similar, and if I'm going to sculpt my girl's personality I might as well make her a diva.
4. Like "Flaca," "Bianca" is an adjective that describes the marionette. My "Catching Up" post discusses the background story to why my dark-skinned puppet is at home and my light-skinned puppet is here. It wasn't my intention to have a blonde, fair puppet, and I will be the first to admit the discomfort I feel having made this replacement. So "Bianca" calls her exactly what she is--white--and hopefully serves as a little inside-joke to lighten up (no pun intended) the complex racially-charged component of my act.
So, for now, she'll just be Little Girl.
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Update: After a week, I don't feel like my girl is a Bianca. But two nights ago I met a friend of a friend named Elvira, and the gears started turning. Elvira (El-VEE-ra) is a great name for my girl. Here's why:
1. Donna Elvira is a female lead in Mozart's opera Don Giovanni. She is a strong woman who does NOT put up with Don Giovanni's womanizing. Also, I simply love Don Giovanni, and I love Mozart, and this opera premiered in Prague, which gives the name the Czech connection.
2. Once Christmas season comes around, she'll be Elvira the Elf. How cute is that?
3. I liked "Bianca" because it means white (see above), but according to various baby name websites, "Elvira" means white too!
Here is the Wikipedia article with other famous Elviras listed (including Donald Duck's grandmother--who knew?), and here is the Oak Ridge Boys song "Elvira," although they pronounce it differently.
We'll try it out!
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