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I know we are not supposed to be talking materials, but Coroplast (Corregated plastic - the stuff real estate and election signs are usually made from) is great for wide-mouth puppets. It's light and at $20 sheet will last through a dozen or more puppets. The only disadvantage is that it is not...

It's really worthwhile to check old threads - most of the puppet building questions that come up are more or less the same and there's a staggering amount of information archieved here. It takes a little time, but if you check around you'll learn things you never knew you never knew. :D

Try clicking here for a very basic Muppet-style puppet that is OK. Puppets For Goodness Sake in Canada also sells a good starter pattern - it's available through Puppet Odyssey. You can also try Puppeteers of America I believe their Bookstore has a wide range of patterns available.

Thanks for sharing this very interesting article. My favorite line was Is it the politicians, or the puppets, that give you the willies? It's definately the politicians. ;)

Check out the Folkmanis Catalogue they sell almost every kind of animal puppet imaginable. I don't think you can order from their website directly, but tons of websites on the net carry the Folkmanis line and I am sure a store or two in Denver probably sells them too. I hope this helps! :)

Not sure if it's a good idea or a bad idea, but you could try 3M's spray glue (the expensive variety in the black can). It works very well and dries almost clear (but not quite). Sorry I don't have the exact brand/model number for you.

LOL :p

Two other good places to hook up with people in Toronto is The Ontario Puppetry Association and The Toronto School of Puppetry. They offer a really good TV Puppetry course taught by Rob Mills (Junoir Gorg on "Fraggle Rock"; Ludo in "Labryinth"; Donatello in "TMNT II" among others) and the people...

I'll admit I wasn't thinking "oversized" earth worm when I typed that, but they do actually come in larger sizes, but I am not sure where you purchase them (probably fishing supply stores).

The only problem with those Dino-head toys is that only the top of the head moves so it looks kinda weird when the puppet talks. I'd recommend trying a fish hook remover, which is perfect for this sort of thing! You can find them in fishing supply stores, Wal-Mart and Canadian Tire (in Canada)...

I'm curious Kye, what's your opinion of the quality of their work? I've heard mixed things from different sources...

I've heard of this little gizmo, I don't believe it's custom made or patented but they are apparently very hush-hush about it. Sounds like a question for Toastcrumbs.....(if he'll tell!) :p

I'm not up-to-date on what companies currently have licenses, but I think the last plush puppet was Kermit The Frog which was made by Applause. Disney apparaently does exclusives for it's theme parks so they might have recently produced some too. Oh, there's also that new talking Cookie...

Hi Gang, here's another potential hob for all those aspiring puppeteers out there - this one is from Michael Cotter at Blue Sky Puppet Theatre in Maryland: "Blue Sky Puppet Theatre will be hiring a full time performer for a two year contract beginning June 15. We are a professional touring...

Blizzard Island

A dart is just a wedge shape (think of the outline of a piece of pie from overhead) cut out of a pattern to help make whatever you are patterning more round. You can take a peek at a very simple puppet pattern with one dart in it's the head here.

Hi all, The acclaimed Bread and Puppet Theatre is looking for people to perform giant puppets as part of Peace March they are organizing in about a week in NYC. This is the info I had sent to me: --------------------------------------------- 200 People Needed for the Bread and...

Here's an opportunity for a young puppeteer - Do you know one? The co-producer of SWAP-TV (TVO Mondays 6PM, Saturdays 10 AM) in Canada is looking for children ages 10-15 actively involved in puppetry who might be considered as a "Swapper" for a future program in this series which is...

Certain types of vinyl can actually be used very effectively as a subsitute for gasket rubber when making mouth plates. We sometimes cut a mouth plate out of 1/4" polyfoam and then contact cement thin vinyl over top which also works nicely when there is no gasket rubber around. The original...

I've never been in to carving foam, but that's just my preference. Most of our puppets are patterned out of sheets of 3/4" and 1" foam. If you are going to carve, check your Yellow Pages to see if there are any Foam Stores in your area where you can buy a block of foam. Some dressmaking supply...