“The Talisman” was performed on 14th St. in Manhattan, 3-4 hours daily featuring a hybrid muppet-shaman offering solutions to life’s problems in the form of homemade talismans. During the performance passersby were offered free talismans consisting of “Old People’s Hair,” “Enchanted Bird Feather,” “Squirrel Head,” or “Organic Nebraska Grass.” Audience requests ranged from increased confidence, better health care, new jobs opportunities, and eternal love. This piece investigates the ways in which objects take on meaning, either as sacred or mundane, through the action of ritual and magical thinking.