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I'll second that! :) Isn't Steve around here somewhere? Just further to Io's post, I think that the whole notion of a Muppet style is really false; they've done puppets in almost every style imaginable. I think when most people say "Muppet style" they're referring to the classic Muppet style...

Most large puppet/body costume characters are not radio controlled and operated manually. In addition to the methods Jinx mentioned, some mascot characters have a special rig for your head so that you can nod to make a mouth move up and down, turn your head so that eyes move, etc.

In a funny coincidence, I came across a quote from Rick Lyon today that relates to this: “I am a little weary of hearing puppets designed in the style of the Muppets being dismissed as derivative…no one would dismiss a bunraku style puppet as being derivative. Picasso might have invented...

Oh probably. I mean there's a fine line you have to walk with this stuff. A certain amount of common sense has to be applied. It wouldn't be fair to David to explain every aspect of his courses here without his permission just like it wouldn't be fair to Grey Seal to scan the contents of the...

I source a lot of my props through toy stores. Usually they aren't detailed enough (depends whether you want a realistic look or not) so I paint them, distress them or add details.

Oh i agree and my point is really more general and philosophical and not really about specifically your situation. I think two of the limitations of the board (and the net in general) is that there is only so much than can be explained in writing (and pictures) and the other is time. For...

I've seen these used, but they're not very common with puppets. Probably the best thing to do is check out hardware stores and surplus/findings shops (if you have any in your area). You can sometimes salvage these off camping gear.

I'm not familiar with David's exact methods, but since they seem to be very similar to David P's, probably 80% or more of it of it is fairly comon knowledge among more experienced puppet builders. Don't get me wrong, I totally respect David and his work and it sounds like he's a great...

Unless of course you're using David P's patterns. He doesn't let you do that (commercially at least). :(

If you're looking for a quick, sturdy "snap on, snap off" method I think that this is the best way to do it. Mind you it's more difficult and time consuming than the methods Jinx and Io mentioned.

I'm going off topic here, but not knowing that distinction is where I think that a lot of small businesses (especially puppet-related ones) go wrong. They charge what they think they can get rather than what people will actually pay which is often much higher (well, if you're dealing with the...

Don't use washing machines to dye antron fleece. Hand dye it in a basin or something like that. Most machines (washers and dryers) tend to make the fleece pill.

Well, technically, in a free-market economy an entrepreneur is actually supposed to charge as much as the market will bear...but yeah you're right. Even if it was $100 or more if people are willing to pay it's fair game. The market votes with it's wallet. It is a very good deal. For those who...

Properly built, "hollow head" foam puppets (a more accurate term is probably "patterned foam" puppets) are, generally speaking, more flexible than carved heads simply because of their method of construction. I say generally though because there are a few things to keep in mind. For one...

Yeah, those little LCD jobs are handy. I don't own one, but I'd like to.

Thanks, yeah this is important isn't it? I should have mentioned that.

Most of the fur the Muppets use can't be bought in fabric stores. Much of it was bought in the 70s and isn't made any more. Some of their furs are custom made as well. You can buy similar materials. It's basically shag fur (that's the only name I've heard for it) it usually costs $75 a metre...

Welcome to the board HP! That's kind of a broad question, sort of like "where do I get the materials to build a house?" Generally speaking there is no one stop shop for puppet building materials and they tend to slightly harder to find in the UK than they are in North America. Probably a...

I don't think there are any specific measurements involved in the "magic triangle" and to my knowledge there is not a lot of "technical" documentation available anywhere. The term is meant to describe the concept that the personality of a character's face can be esthablished by the positioning...

Cactus, you may want to check out this page that I wrote about making removable arm rods. It contains the best method (in my opinion) that I've found over the years.