They're wooden, they're whimsical and they've charmed an entire neighbourhood
Guffleworfs are one-of-a-kind creations made by 103-year-old Len Van Roon, Sr.
Len Van Roon Sr. adjusts a mop of gold foil ribbon that's attached with a nail to the top of a tall, spindly wooden sculpture.
"That's Goldilocks," says Van Roon.
And Goldilocks, he explains, is a Guffleworf.
"Our grandson, he said, 'Grampa, what are those things?" Van Roon said. "And I said, 'Guffleworfs.' So from then on, they've been Guffleworfs."
There are dozens of Guffleworfs spread throughout his eight-acre property in Winnipeg.
Each is a one-of-a-kind whimsical sculpture made of reclaimed wood, branches and whatever else catches Van Roon's eye.
Each is made by hand by Van Roon — who, by the way, is 103 years old.
Van Roon also gives them a name — usually a play on words.
One wooden structure shows an old plastic phone with a stick creature behind wooden bars — it's called a Cell Phone.
"It's really funny when you get a little person that's five or six years old, and they get the Guffleworfs and they get the jokes and their parents don't," says Len Van Roon Jr., Len Sr.'s son.
They're a popular attraction in the neighbourhood, but the feeling is mutual.
"They feel that they belong here," Van Roon Sr. says of his Guffleworfs, smiling. "So it's a mutual adoration."
Van Roon and his Guffleworfs are the subject of a new three-minute documentary by students in the Create program at Sisler High School. Sisler's post-high program trains students in the creative digital arts, including filmmaking.
Create students Justina Finch, Semira Abolore and Venice Pasaraba produced the new short video.
Meet the filmmakers
More about Project POV: Sisler Create
CBC Manitoba's Project POV: Sisler Create is a storytelling collaboration that partners filmmaking students with CBC Manitoba journalists to produce short docs. You can see past projects here.
The Winnipeg School Division's Create program is hosted at Sisler High School and trains post-high students in the creative digital arts.
During fall 2024, CBC journalists taught storytelling to filmmaking students and led producing workshops at Sisler.
Create focuses on education and career pathways into the creative industries. Students can take courses in animation, film, game design, visual effects, graphic design and interactive digital media.