A couch-back puppet show
The Banana Mix-Up
One golden banana, one very squished one, and a fib that grows a pelican.
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Tonight’s cast & their voices
Ziggythe monkeyleft hand
Voice: Quick and high — words that trip over their own feet, with sudden stops mid-fib.
Petuniathe elephantright hand
Voice: Slow and chest-deep, like a tuba being polite — always gentle, never cross.
Props (raid the kitchen)
- Two bananas — one handsome, one squished (rolled-up yellow socks work) (optional)
- A tea towel for the picnic blanket (optional)
Scene 1
The Picnic Swap
🎭 A picnic on the living-room rug. The tea towel is the blanket; both bananas sit on it. Puppets pop up from behind a cushion.
Action
Petunia marches in playing trunk-trumpet scales. Ziggy bounces in behind her, covering his ears.
Petunia(a proud trumpet blast)
Mi mi mi mi MIIIII! BWAAAP!
Ziggy
Petunia! You nearly blew my ears to Tuesday!
Petunia(grandly)
Thank you. I’ve been practising.
Ziggy
It’s lunchtime! I brought my banana. Well. What’s left of it.
Action
Ziggy holds up the squished banana. It flops sadly.
Petunia
Oh dear. It looks like it sat in the rain and thought about its life.
Ziggy
It got squished under my somersault. Occupational hazard.
Petunia
MY banana is perfect. Smell that. A ten out of ten banana.
Action
Petunia lays her handsome banana down and turns away to practise scales, eyes closed, completely absorbed.
Petunia(absorbed)
Mi mi mi… BWAAAP… mi mi…
Ziggy(to the audience, whispering)
Her banana is so… golden. Mine is so… flat.
🎉 Everyone together
Ziggy is looking at YOU, Banana Watchers. Shake your heads no! Say it: “No, Ziggy!”
Ziggy(deliciously cheeky)
I heard you. “No, Ziggy.” I’m doing it anyway. Bananas love adventure.
🎉 Everyone together
New job, Watchers: the SECOND Petunia starts to turn, shout “SHE’S TURNING!” Practice it now: SHE’S TURNING!
Action
First slow-motion creep: one finger inches toward the golden banana. Mid-scale, Petunia begins a slow half-turn.
🎉 Everyone together
She is! Shout it: “SHE’S TURNING!”
Ziggy(freezing much too late)
WAA— statue. I’m a statue.
Action
Ziggy holds the frozen pose, one finger raised, trembling. Petunia turns back to her scales. Ziggy nudges the banana one single inch.
Action
Second attempt: both hands this time. Petunia begins another half-turn.
🎉 Everyone together
Again! “SHE’S TURNING!”
Ziggy(frozen mid-lunge)
Statue! This one’s called “Monkey, Reaching.”
Action
Third attempt: banana held overhead, tiptoeing. Petunia half-turns — and this time Ziggy freezes INSTANTLY. She turns back. He completes the swap and hides the golden banana behind him.
Ziggy(very fast)
Nobody saw a thing.
Petunia
Lunchtime! Where was I? Ah — my beautiful, perfect—
Action
Petunia lifts the squished banana. A long pause. Her trunk droops.
Petunia
…banana?
Scene 2
The Wobbly Fib
🎭 The same picnic. Ziggy keeps the lovely banana hidden behind his back for as long as he can.
Petunia(very slowly)
Ziggy. My banana is squished.
Ziggy(much too fast)
Is it? Weird! Wild! Bananas, eh? Who can say!
Petunia
It was a ten out of ten one minute ago.
Ziggy
Fine! It was a pelican! A passing pelican sat on it. Big fellow. Very apologetic.
🎉 Everyone together
Banana Watchers: was it a pelican? Shout it: “NOOO!”
Petunia(dryly)
No pelican. The Watchers were here the whole time, and they’re very reliable.
Ziggy(sweating)
Then… banana gnomes! Tiny hats! Huge feet! They squish one banana a day — it’s practically the law!
🎉 Everyone together
Banana gnomes? “NOOO!”
Petunia(patiently)
No gnomes. They’d leave hat crumbs.
Ziggy(wildly certain)
A moon cow! On roller skates! Moo-zoom!
🎉 Everyone together
A moon cow on roller skates?? “NOOO!”
Petunia(perfectly calm)
No moon cow. Those skates need wider doors.
Action
Ziggy sneaks a nibble of the lovely banana behind his back. He makes a terrible face.
Ziggy(whispering, to the audience)
That’s odd. It tastes like mud and fibs.
Petunia(gently — not cross, just sad)
Ziggy. Look at my face. Was it you?
Action
A long pause. Ziggy’s tail droops. Then his ears. Then all of him.
Ziggy
It was me. I swapped them. Yours was so golden and mine was so flat.
Ziggy
I’m sorry, Petunia. The whole-tummy kind of sorry.
Petunia
Thank you for telling me the true thing. It came late. But it came.
Ziggy
Can I un-swap? You can have it back. I only fibbed on it a little.
Petunia
I have a better idea. The Great Banana Split.
Action
Petunia snaps both bananas in half with great ceremony. BWAAAP.
Petunia
One lovely half and one squished half — each. Perfectly fair.
Ziggy(mouth full)
Squished bananas ARE sweeter. That’s science.
Petunia
And now — the official friends-again handshake. Which we must invent immediately.
Ziggy
Tail!
Petunia
Trunk!
Action
Trunk wraps tail. Shake three times. Both puppets bow deeply.
🎉 Everyone together
Invent YOURS, Banana Watchers — grab a grown-up’s hand, shake three times, and say “Friends again!”
Petunia(one last soft BWAAAP)
I felt that from here. Ten out of ten.
Ziggy(whispering)
Goodnight, Banana Watchers. Guard your bananas.
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