Return of the Bootlegs

[dwmckim]

Well i see from the advertising bars that another Muppet bootlegger is up to more mischief on ebay - don't know if it's the same person that was doing it before but the pattern is the same - put up a replica, label it a "professional ventriloquism puppet" (hence not only encouraging people to purchase his puppets that were copyright violations to sell but then to put on professional shows with them which would be another exercise in copyright violation), and charge a four figure minimum bid! (In this case just shy of $3000)

Whether it is the same person or not, this guy's pretty cheeky - not only is he pulling this stuff but he now has a puppet building website that he promotes on his auction - and the name of the site utilizes the phrase "creature shop"

Do these guys get some insane rush on practically waving semaphore flags at Disney/Muppets begging them to "come and get me" or what the heck is the deal. The sad thing is he obviously has puppet building talent - why can't he use his "powers for good" and work for Muppets, Henson, SW, or any non-Muppet team? Or are these guys disgruntled ex-employees? Just imagine if he instead just did these things in private for fun as a personal challenge and participated in forums like this one helping others with puppet-building tips?

For those who read the rest of the forum (i know several just read this puppetry section), there's been the heartbreaking story of the most incredible Muppet visual artist that has gotten a very pointed "we don't want to see it - please don't try" response from The Muppets Studio - maybe these puppet bootleggers had some kind of similar experience trying to get a job as a puppet builder with them and they were either rejected or flatly refused to have their stuff looked at - and these bootleg auctions are some desperate way or saying "hey - look at me - look what i can do!"

I suppose it's the actor in me that tries to understand people's psychological profiles and motivations but man i just really wonder what drives someone to spend what's obviously a huge amount of time and effort to engage in what they must certainly know is deliberate copyright infridgement and doing so in a way that almost seems like he's begging someone to sue the pants off of him? (Maybe he has ugly pants that were a gift from an aunt that can't make attractive clothes to save their life and this is his way of getting rid of them?)

Thoughts? Theories? More rhetorical questions?

 

[practicecactus]

Seriously? You want to start this thread again? Hasn't this already been done to death?
We already know how these threads go. Starts out civil, people point out their opinions on the matter, someone plays lawyer, things get heated, degrades into personal attacks, it just becomes a mess of insults, and a moderator locks the thread up. *repeat*

Even if you want to put the spin on it and say it's discussing the mindset and reasons they'd do this, I want to point out this section is on puppetry. That doesn't fall into that catagory. Sorry to seem terse but I'm just sick of this topic coming up every few months and never being a healthy discussion.

 

[Frogpuppeteer]

Ill agree
i dont see a reason to start this whole thing up again and i wont give my two cents this time on the matter of it
but i do agree with one good point

does this guy want to get caught cause he does a really lousy job at hiding

 

[ButchCat]

Ill agree
i dont see a reason to start this whole thing up again and i wont give my two cents this time on the matter of it
but i do agree with one good point

does this guy want to get caught cause he does a really lousy job at hiding

Well you all probably know what I think of this....guy but he seems like the energizer bunny they keep knocking him down and he gets back up and at it again. He's been pulled down a quite a few times in the past and at first but he keeps going and going and going.

 

[ravagefrackle]

For those who read the rest of the forum (i know several just read this puppetry section), there's been the heartbreaking story of the most incredible Muppet visual artist that has gotten a very pointed "we don't want to see it - please don't try" response from The Muppets Studio -?

im more interested in what this was all about.

 

[MGov]

Report it to eBay.

He's not posting his ads in the forums here.

 

[biblebetty]

Hi everyone
just a question? did he sell one? i see this on ebay all the time. it's a lot of money for a puppet. (not here for a fight about money) just wondering if he sold any. Because everytime i see his auctions there are never any bids?

 

[Super Scooter]

im more interested in what this was all about.

One of the MC forum members named Reevz has been posting images of an ansolutely breathtaking Muppet picture he's been working on. It's a really incredible image... yet when he contacted Muppet studios about showing them his work, he wasn't given a chance.

The guy's a professional artist, too. It's a shame, really.

 

[spcglider]

It continues to be very important: developing your style and skillset by imitating what you admire is no crime. While we'd all love to be employed building or rebuilding the famous characters that give us so much joy, the Muppet Heap really only needs a few people to keep up with the demand for labor. Its just economics.

But we are lucky as puppeteers... we have SO much ground cleared by the work of the Henson Company in everything from puppet building materials and techniques to performance and technical development.

An one of the things that Jerry Juhl stressed to me when I was talking to him about auditioning for the new Disney Muppets was (and I'm probably misquoting here so don't re-quote me and attribute it to Jerry!) "The greatest honor you could pay Jim (and the work of the Muppets) is to do your own thing and be good at it. Really good."

Imitation is the highest form of flattery. But really, in the end, what does flattery benefit anybody but the recipient? It is much more flattering to an artist to know that their work INSPIRED the great work of another artist. Great art is a benefit to everybody!

-G