Leprechaun traps
Leprechaun Traps are crafts with an Irish folklore background. It is a common activity to happen in Elementary school, or in Families with younger kids on Saint Patrick’s Day, Leprechauns are known to have gold, so to catch one would lead to great wealth. There are many varieties of traps. Since Leprechauns are mythical creatures, they cannot get trapped, but instead leave behind gold, or other signs they have visited. Leprechaun Trapping can be compared to leaving cookies out for Santa Claus on Christmas Eve. The traps are set up the night before St. Patrick's Day.
History
According to Irish folklore, Leprechauns were very hard workers. And because they work so hard and are very thrifty, maybe even misers, Leprechauns are said to be very rich. They have accumulated a lot of gold and buried it in pots. Irish folklore suggests that these "Pots of Gold" were buried at the end of a rainbow.[1]
According to Leprechaun legend, if someone was smart enough to capture one of these sly little fairies, and keeps an eye fixed upon him, he cannot escape, but the moment the gaze is withdrawn, he vanishes. If you ask him where his treasure is buried while he is captured, he must be truthful and honest and tell you the location of his treasure. Legend also has it that Leprechauns are shoemakers and you can tell if a Leprechaun is near if you hear the tapping of their hammers.[2]
Tradition
According to the tradition, one must believe leprechauns are real in order to trap one.[3] The trap is traditionally made by young children the night before St. Patrick’s Day. Once trapped, Leprechauns may grant three wishes, and in many of the folklore stories, Irish-folk have been tricked, and made foolish wishes. Since Leprechauns remain folklore, children will often return to the trap with signs of a leprechaun visiting rather than a leprechaun itself. There will be chocolate coins, and treasure left.[4]
DIY
Leprechaun traps are typically made by families with children to celebrate Saint Patrick's Day. The traps are typically made out of common household items that can be easily found or purchased. The time it takes to make one of these traps is between 30–60 minutes. The traps are typically green and gold and feature the stereotypical leprechaun items: gold coins, rainbows, top hat and four leaf clover.
Materials
- oatmeal container
- shoe box
- poster board
- cardboard
- wire hanger
- basket
- markers or crayons
- felt
- aluminum foil
- glue
- tape
- glitter
- cotton balls
- pipe cleaners
- string
- pencil
- straw
- tablecloth.
Types of traps
These traps utilize materials to create an enticing environment for the leprechaun, it features gold coins to entice the leprechaun, a rainbow and uses the hat as the trap. Traps have a false bottom that the leprechaun will fall through when it comes to collect the coins. With the shoebox trap you prop it up and have a triggering mechanism that will act when the box is moved.[5]
Oatmeal Hat Trap
One simple trap is the oatmeal hat trap. To create this trap you will need these various items: oatmeal container, shoe box, poster board, cardboard, wire hanger, basket, markers or crayons, felt, glue, tape, glitter, cotton balls, pipe cleaners, string, pencil, straw and a tablecloth.
To create the oatmeal hat trap you first cut the top of the oatmeal container. Next you wrap it in the felt to make it look like an authentic leprechaun hat. Take another piece of felt and create a base for the hat. After creating the hat you create the false top using construction paper. Decorate the top of the hat to entice the leprechaun using glitter, cotton balls, gold coins or whatever else you deem fitting. The leprechaun will be enticed to the top of the hat and will then fall through allowing you to capture it.[6]
Cake Trap
The cake trap is created by making a small cake that has a hole in the middle. The cake is raised up and a ladder leads to the cake. The ladder can be made edible or be made of other material. Gold coins or clovers can cover the hole in the cake. Once the leprechaun climbs up the ladder it will go for the treasure and will fall through the hole and be trapped inside.
Leprechaun Hotels
The goal of the hotel trap is to build a structure or a series of structures that would entice the leprechaun into coming inside of it. Once inside there are a variety of means you can employ to trap the leprechaun. Examples of this would be adding in gold coins or clovers that would entice the leprechaun to explore further. Once the leprechaun makes it to the treat a false bottom or a falling roof trap could be used to capture the leprechaun.
Trap Contests
Some hold trap contests, based on a photo entry, design, creativity and more. This is focused on kid creativity and craft.[7] Leprechaun trap contests are often held by schools, pubs and websites to see who can create the best trap. Many contests only allow children, most times under the age of 13 to enter. If a pub or bar holds a contest for best trap you may win free drinks or coupons of some sort for creating your trap.
Pop Culture
Movies
The Leprechaun Series The Leprechaun series is an American seven-film franchise that ranges from a number of genres including horror and comedy. The films feature a murderous leprechaun named “Lubdan” who intends to protect his pot of gold coins. The first four films follow the horror genre while the following three films are more comedic. During most of the films in the series characters from the movie trap the leprechaun in various locations including a crate, a wrought iron safe, a basement, and a pool of cement. The characters earn the leprechaun’s pot of gold by trapping him, which leads to the many films within the series being possible. After being trapped, the leprechaun hunts down and murders the characters who have stolen his gold. [8]
- Leprechaun
- Leprechaun 2
- Leprechaun 3
- Leprechaun 4: In Space
- Leprechaun: In the Hood
- Leprechaun: Back 2 tha Hood
- Leprechaun: Origins
Some of the most well known artist in the series includes: Jennifer Aniston, Warwick Davis, Jessica Collins, and Ice-T.
Books
The Leprechaun Trap
The Leprechaun Trap[9] is a children’s picture book written by David and Kelly Clinch and illustrated by Valerie Bouthyette. The story features a mischievous leprechaun stuffed animal that comes to life and makes messes while the family is asleep. The leprechaun’s misbehavior continues every March, starting March 1st and continuing until St. Patrick’s Day. The story takes place at an Irish-American family’s house. The two children in the story build elaborate traps and snares in order to capture the leprechaun and get his gold. Their attempts to capture the naughty leprechaun have been futile until the March that this story is set.
Cartoons
Rupert and the Leprechauns Rupert, an animated television series, written by Canadian film and television written by Peter Sauder, features an episode called Rupert and the leprechaun [10] in which the main character Rupert Bears releases a leprechaun caught in a snare. The leprechaun claims that if Rupert frees him before he turns into clover at sundown he will grant him a wish, but never does.
Later in the story an old man named Mr. Crumb traps a leprechaun named Owen in a small golden cage. Owen begs Mr. Crumb to set him free in order for him to avoid getting tuned into clover. Rupert and the rest of the leprechauns later save Owen later.
Throughout the story Mr. Crumb and the leprechaun leader, King Aiden dispute over who has the right to a shamrock amulet. Mr. Crumb argues that it belongs to him after his family owned it for several generations, but King Aiden says they had stolen the amulet from the leprechaun the same amount of generations back. When Aiden steals the amulet back, Mr. Crumb inadvertently traps the leprechaun with a snare inside a barn that later accidentally catches fire.