Is This Jersey?

[D'Snowth]

Okay, I found some pics of the Canadian Muppets from SESAME PARK, they're apparently on display in a museum, and there's something that stuck me as curious, I'm hoping some of the pro puppet builders here can help me out with; check out these two photos in particular, given how clear cut they are:

Is that actually jersey (t-shirt) they used to fabricate her mouth? And what about the tongue? Do most Muppets have jersey inside their mouths like that? To be honest, I've seen jersey used before to fabricate entire puppets, but it's usually for those kinds of generic, store-bought, stock puppets. If jersey is a common/acceptable material for mouthplates, I may happily make the switch: I've often used felt, but felt tends to be a thicker fabric, and when you pile on the throat and the tongue (also felt), that obviously affects how well you can close the mouth when performing.

 

[Bear Man]

It's not jersey. It's like a very loose pile (cheap?) velvet.

If you are having issues closing the mouth, can I suggest a 3-piece mouth plate. A top, a botton, and a 3-5mm wide piece that is between the two - like this mouth plate i'm building right now:

 

[D'Snowth]

There's such a thing as cheap velvet?

But anyway, I usually give puppets like half an inch of space between the two pieces of the mouthplate for a "hinge" of sorts to allow room for the thickness of the felt mouth, throat, and tongue for when the mouth is closed.

 

[Bear Man]

Technically I would say it's "velveteen", which is a cotton (usually), imitation velvet.

 

[D'Snowth]

So it's essentially a similar fabric then, just not the same (kinda like acrylic is similar to wool, but not the same)? What would you say the tongue is?

 

[Bear Man]

Yeah, I'd say that's right...when all else fails ask Wikipedia! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Velveteen

That tongue looks like Ultrasuede to me (synthetic suede - much thinner than any "real" suede I've come across), Bermuda Pink possibly? http://shop.fieldsfabrics.com/Ultrasuede-ST-Soft-Premium-6570-Bermuda-Pink_p_391.html

 

[D'Snowth]

Wow, fifty bucks a yard? I had no idea even synthetics and imiatations could be so expensive too.

 

[D'Snowth]

Well I made a mistake in switching from felt to cotton for mouthplate fabricating: for a lining (to protect the mouthplate from sweater hands) it works great, but when actually fabricating a puppet head, it's extremely difficult and near impossible to keep the cotton mouth fabric from wrinkling and bunching up when applying it to the mouthplate - especially when the mouth fabric is already sewn to the head fabric (that and the adhesive likes to bleed through, leaving stains and smears in the fabric that has to be painted over). This was also one of the reasons I was among those who would go ahead and glue the mouth fabric to the mouthplate first then glue the head fabric around it: it didn't always look nice and professional, but it certainly was a lot easier and less of a hassle.

 

[Buck-Beaver]

Okay, I found some pics of the Canadian Muppets from SESAME PARK, they're apparently on display in a museum...

Incidentally, I believe those pictures were taken at the CBC Museum in Toronto (CBC co-produced Sesame Park and Canadian Sesame Street). If anyone is ever in Toronto and wants to see them in person, they are usually on display and admission is free.