Meet the Tijuana Puppeteer Behind the Gangster Marionette of ‘The Saddest Clown in Los Angeles, ‘El Triste’
In recent months, the popularity of the puppet ‘El Triste‘ has surged, making appearances at various events in Los Angeles, from art gatherings to shows and lowrider meetups.
Over the years, this clown evolved from a doll, a puppet, to a ‘G puppet’ that Cain Carias could manipulate and perform with. Cain, the puppeteer, bestowed upon his puppet the moniker of ‘The Saddest Clown in Los Angeles’. Cain says he created ‘El Triste’ from feelings he had never explored: “I’m always happy and smiling. ‘El Triste’ takes away my sadness. When I feel down, I think of El Triste and he brightens my light again’.”
The Creator of ‘El Triste’
Cain Carias was brought to Los Angeles from Tijuana, Mexico, when he was 13 years old. He grew up in MacArthur Park. One of his first jobs after high school was as a volunteer at the Bob Baker Marionette Theater in its original location in Echo Park.
After 13 years of learning the art of puppetry from Bob Baker himself, Cain decided to pursue his passions and goals as a puppeteer. Collaborating with a friend and doll maker, Mrs. Reyes Arte, Cain worked together to create ‘El Triste’.
Carias is exactly the opposite of his puppet in behavior. ‘I’m always happy, so I wanted to create something that I’m not.’ ‘El Triste’ is a satirical reflection of his neighborhood and his tough early years in the U.S. after immigrating from Tijuana, Mexico, with his family when he was a young teenager.
The Process of Creating the Saddest Clown of Los Angeles
Creating the saddest puppet of Los Angeles was a happy accident. Carias had the chance to meet local doll maker Moncerrat Reyes, whose hand-painted Lil G Dolls would include the sad clown porcelain face of ‘El Triste’ and the first prototypes of his body.
Transforming a small doll into a usable piece that can withstand the wear and tear of a Baker marionette requires over 300 hours of careful craftsmanship, but Carias is well-equipped to do so. Drawing from the forlorn face of Reyes’ porcelain doll, Carias found a small spark of inspiration from Rob Zombie’s twisted clown Captain Spaulding in ‘House of 1000 Corpses’, and from people he met while growing up in Los Angeles to bring together the sensitive gangster character.
‘El Triste’ is how Carias balances his upbringing with Baker’s training, resulting in a puppet that he has progressively molded closer to the intricate Baker models he has worked with for so many years. The popularity of the character has not only impressed the community but also serves as a sort of message to his family, helping to explain who Carias has been for almost two decades.
