D'arc Estate

Dr. D'arc is Missing!

The first year I dived into this idea, we were living in a trailer on the property where we were building our house, so I needed a one-room idea that wasn't too elaborate. I settled on a mad scientist theme.

I set up a table and put some of the following things on it:

  • Intestines (red spaghetti)
  • Teeth (popcorn)
  • Rat's tails (beet roots, dried)
  • Unusual bottles
  • Tubes
  • Dry ice bubbling in jars

 

Glum D'arc

Scientist Lab

When guests arrived, I greeted them as Glum D'arc, assistant to Dr. D'arc. But, I said, Dr. D'arc was currently away; in fact, he'd been missing for some time. It might have something to do with the mutated prairie dog that had dug a hole in the yard (really, the excavation for our house). So--as Glum--I showed them around the laboratory, making sure they got a good look at the intestines and other ookey gooky stuff. Then, I gave them some candy and sent them on their way. Very simple, but I think visitors had fun.

An idea that I have used since then, that you might want to use for elaborating this theme, is to set up a second table with a dead body on it ready for operation. Use old clothes, extra fabric, or anything bulky to create the shape of a body underneath a white or black sheet. Have one arm of a coat or shirt dangling from under the sheet with a glove attached at the end to complete the illusion.