How long of a snout is too long?

[bluebomber95]

Hey guys. I'm building a live-hand hippo puppet and I was wondering how long to make the snout. I want him to be large, but I don't want his snout to be too long so that it doesn't move slow. If you don't understand what I mean, think about the Elton John "Crocodile Rock" number on The Muppet Show. The large crocodile's mouth movements weren't matching the syllables of the lyrics very well, and I want superior control to that puppet. Now, I wasn't going to make the snout that large to begin with, but I hope you understand my worry of losing some of a character's expressiveness. So, overall, how long do you think the puppet's snout should be for a hippo somewhere in between Fozzie and Bobo? Thanks a ton!

 

[Melonpool]

I have a crocodile puppet that I built a few months ago that has a 10-inch snout. I haven't noticed any problems with the lip synch on him, if that helps you to figure out the sizing.

 

[bluebomber95]

Yeah, I pretty much figured it out in the days since I posted here. I'm just gonna keep the snout light and have some real nice finger holes. Thanks a lot, though!