Puppet Noses?

GuySmiley

Well-Known Member
Joined
Apr 27, 2002
Messages
73
Reaction score
2
Hi Guys!

I am currently building some puppets (as you know I have posted before about them) and I am a bit stuck when it comes to the noses.

I would like the noses to be 'Muppet Style' Noses, like on Ernie, Bert, Elmo, Herry Monster, Grover and the like - you know, that very simple style.

I have covered my puppet heads with fleece, so plan to have the nose in the same sort of material. Looking closely at the books, I can see that you need a flat side for mounting, but I can't seem to get it quite right with foam and was wondering if any of the puppeteers who visit here can give me any tips or share some of their ideas.

Once I have done these noses, I will be able to post some pix of them for you all to see!

Thanks in advance,

Guy!
 

officermom

Active Member
Joined
Jun 22, 2002
Messages
25
Reaction score
0
Guy:

My puppet noses start out as a chunk of foam. Trim to a flat back 3-D pyramid-type shape. You can then hand shave (with a razor blade) or use a belt sander (preferably a bench model) to shape the nose.

For something like your avatar, you'd trim the foam to a pretty "sharp" triangle. You can also use the same technique for a tear-drop shaped nose or (with a bit more creativity and patience in the shaping) a really human looking nose. Then cover with a piece of "head" fabric, pulling the excess fabric to the flat back side.

You can also use small foam balls (Nerf makes them and they are also sold as practice golf balls) cut in half and covered with your head fabric.

A few additional suggestions include also hollowing out a portion of the flat back to accept some of the overfolw fabric. Using fabric with stretch (and nap) makes the noses easier to cover and smoother looking.

I tend to use contact cement to attach the covering to the nose shape and hot glue to attach the prepared nose to the face. You can also attach the nose to the head with small hand stitches (on the front side) or with stitches or even pins from the inside (especially if you might want to change the face in the future).

Hope these ideas are helpful in getting you started.

--officermom :smile:
 

GuySmiley

Well-Known Member
Joined
Apr 27, 2002
Messages
73
Reaction score
2
Thanks officermom

there are some great ideas for me to try there.

Just one question, and I may be being really stupid here, but what are NERF BALLS? I keep hearing them mentioned (especially in the Foam Book), and I don't think I have ever seen them!

I don't think we have them in the UK? Can anyone confirm this, or are they known as something else over here?

Anyway, thanks again for your help!

Guy!
 

MuppetQuilter

Well-Known Member
Joined
Apr 13, 2002
Messages
851
Reaction score
2
Hi Guy--

Nerf is a line of soft toys-- very popular in the US. If you go to toysrus.com and search for 'nerf' you will find a selection of nerf toys-- lots of gun type things that send nerf balls flying through the air and simple nerf balls with mini basketball hoops that suction cup to the wall. Nerf balls are soft foam balls. Some nerf balls have a sort of plastic outter coating to make them a bit sturdier. They've been around for years in the States. Don't know if they are available in the UK.

A few other nose ideas-- Zoe's nose is made from a plastic grape covered in fabric. The foam nose technique will give you the best shape, but sometimes it is difficult to get the foam into just the shape you want (most of us don't have all the cool tools professional puppet shops have). Look around and see what you can find that you could cut, cover and glue. I recommend walking through toy stores and discount stores and looking for interesting shapes. After Easter, you can usually find all sorts of good nose shapes in the discount bins of left over plastic eggs.

Good luck!
 

Buck-Beaver

Well-Known Member
Joined
Apr 16, 2002
Messages
4,174
Reaction score
162
We make noses out of whatever we have lying around - foam, plastic do-das, sometimes we even make them out of fleece and stuff them like little pillows.

Muppet Quilter is right, Nerf is a brand name for foam balls in North America, but they're so popular that "nerf" has become a catch-all phrase for foam balls on this side of the pond.

I find it's harder and harder to find actual Nerf balls on their own (iT's too expensive to purchase the nerf toys just for the balls). There are tons of "Dollar Stores" here in Toronto that sell non-brand name foam balls in packages of 3 or 6 for $1. They can also be found in toy stores or a department store that carries outdoor toys.

If you want a couple foam balls and can't find any in your area email me privately and I'll have our shop mail you a few.
 
Top