Patent ID: 7144359

Claim:
A method of creating a character, said character having a head and a body, comprising the steps of: providing an item which is flaccid and flexible, said item having at least first, second and third edges, and said item is configurable between first and second configurations and, when in said first configuration, defines a surface which is generally planar; portraying at a location on the surface, proximate a said first edge thereof, a first feature of said character, and portraying on the surface a second feature of said character; and manipulating the item from said first configuration to said second configuration by overlapping a first portion of the item onto a second portion thereof in a direction toward said first edge and overlapping a third portion of said item onto a fourth portion of said item in a direction generally from the second edge to said third edge, wherein, when the item is in the first configuration, it the item serves a blanket function, and, when it the item is in the second configuration, it the item takes on the appearance of the character by simulating the head and body of the character with the first and second features positioned appropriately with respect to the body to suggest the head of the character.