Is This a Good Idea?

[SJohnson]

Boy don't I know it!

Originally, he had nothing covering the back of his mouth (where my hand would be), and I used cheap cardboard, and it wasn't before long he mouth was wearing out, and he was in poor shape; so I modified his mouth with really strong, strudy cardboard, and covered where my hand would be with felt, and he's faired well since then!

That's good. You might want to try using gasket rubber instead of cardboard.

 

[aaronmojo]

Am I the only guy who uses... Don't laugh... Dishwashing gloves inside their puppets?

 

[Blink]

Am I the only guy who uses... Don't laugh... Dishwashing gloves inside their puppets?

I personally don't. How does that work for you? Do you like it?

As a puppeteer as well as a puppet builder, the comfort of my puppets is as important as the functionality (ease of use) or the asthetics.

I personally hate how my hand feels inside a dish washing glove as it gets sweaty and after it has gotten all sweaty. Yuck! Not to mention getting it on and off.

Do you find any of those as problems for yourself or the puppeteers using your puppets? Again, I have never used them so I don't know. Do you still build your puppets this way?

 

[aaronmojo]

Honestly, I don't build the puppets this way -- I build them out of foam and leave the inside "Raw," and just slip the glove on before "showtime." The sweat doesn't really bug me -- I don't find it too much worse than doing yardwork or something while wearing work gloves. Nobody who helps me out ever complains, either -- but that might be because none of us have ever handled a puppet any other way.

I should mention, I've been a freelance artist for a few years and often wear latex gloves while cleaning up drawings, so maybe I'm just used to the gross feeling...

I am still learning about puppet building, though, so I am sure to try other solutions to this problem...

 

[SJohnson]

Am I the only guy who uses... Don't laugh... Dishwashing gloves inside their puppets?

It's hard to slip my hand into dishwashing gloves when they are a little wet, or my hand is a little sweaty so for our shows, where we have lots of quick changes that would not work. I would also imagine that the gloves would come unglued rather easily, and restrict your hand movement. I would recommend a simple cloth lining to allow for quick access and maximum manipulation possibilities.

 

[D'Snowth]

That's good. You might want to try using gasket rubber instead of cardboard.

I've considered doing that before, especially for puppets that have flexible mouths like that of Kermit the Frog, or the earliest incarnations of the anything muppets.

I even considered using basla wood, but that'd break way too easily!

 

[Buck-Beaver]

The spandex lining (or similar material) definitely helps the arm slide into and out of the puppet quickly and more easily.

This is very true, but I would advise against using spandex. I used to use spandex to line puppets years ago and the problem I ran in to was that the spandex stretches over time. It's especially bad if the puppet's head is movable and the lining attaches to the head - over time the neck will stretch and the head will separate from the body.

A good fabric to use that I have found is jersey material (the stuff they make football or hockey jerseys out of) because it's a knitted polyester mesh it's breathable so your hand and arm sweat a little less and the lining should not absorb as much sweat.

One way I've seen is using a flexible plastic strip (like narrow molding material) that is the same diameter as the base of the puppet.

Dressmaker's boning are the plastic strips that are usually used. It can be a little expensive for the higher-quality boning, but it works really well.

 

[staceyrebecca]

A good fabric to use that I have found is jersey material (the stuff they make football or hockey jerseys out of) because it's a knitted polyester mesh it's breathable so your hand and arm sweat a little less and the lining should not absorb as much sweat.

Buck, do you mean the material that has the tiny holes in it? There's also something called knit jersey and that's more of what t-shirts are made.