Help! I've never made a puppet before...

[bingboingcutie]

I got lots of puppet supplies as a gift for Christmas, and I want to make some anything muppets and/or whatnots. I have these things:

Fleece

Ping pong balls

Google eyes

Double-sided tape

A little bit of cotton stuffing (enough to make a beard)

Foam sheets

Felt

Dowel (for muppet rods.)

And a little bit more, but I do not have foam rubber, and I don't think any store I've been to does. I really very BADLY want to be a muppeteer sometime, and I'm hoping I can make a Prairie puppet...does anyone know how to build these things?

Thank you very VERY much for anyone who posts, and I am VEry grateful for your help!

 

[TheCreatureWork]

I know a thing or two about puppet building
Send me an email and I will try to help as much as I can. To start I would recommend www.projectpuppet.com it'll be a great place to get a good puppet pattern. I also have a "how to" video on YouTube - look on my website under the tutorial page.

 

[crazy chris]

your passion is fantastic!

good luck with your puppet building!

cc

 

[Puppetainer]

I have been studying this art for several years now and I couldn't agree more with going to Project Puppet for a start! They will certainly guide you in the right direction for what you're after. I also would recommend a couple of web sites where you can learn a lot of the fundamentals and they're FREE. Good stuff to keep you busy if you're waiting for any Project Puppet materials to ship. Of course their Simple Series patterns you can download instantly...

Anyway here's a website from a great guy who can teach you a TON about making great puppets.
http://www.youtube.com/user/StiqPuppets

And then there's Paul Lewis. He has an ebook on how to make money with puppets, but also has some great video tutorials out there as well.
http://www.ehow.com/videos-on_3283_make-puppets.html

Good luck and have fun!

 

[beakerfan76]

I must echo the sentiments of Project Puppet, since their main simple series patterns are perfect for Muppet replicas and original puppets alike (Glorified Sock Puppet is good for Kermit or a Fraggle-esque character, Roly is ideal for characters like Grover, the Pinhead is a must for Bert or Fozzie Bear, and the Melonhead has Ernie and Rowlf written all over it). Plus they have tutorials on everything from different stitches to making arm rods (With poseable hands), and even ways to add other facial features to a puppet (Like a pig's snout or ears)

 

[MuppetLabsBoy]

As everyone mentioned here, Project Puppet is a great place to get started. If you want just plain 'ol blocks of foam rubber, check Jo Anns.

Try making other puppets that are your own ideas before you take on a replica. You can't perform with a copy of a Muppet in a show because they're copyrighted. Plus, the rules aren't as tight because it doesn't have to be exact.

-MLB

 

[bingboingcutie]

Thanks so much, all of you guys! This is so exciting!

TheCreatureWork--thank you thank you thank you for suggesting this great site! I will definitely see if I can't watch your video--I can't wait to do it, too!

crazychris--thanks so much! That means a lot--I hope I can do as good of voices as Steve Whitmire someday...and I bet your puppets are fantastic!

Puppetainer--thanks so much for the advice--i will so try it out! really cannot wait to watch some of those videos--this will make it so easy

beakerfan76--VERY much appreciate the advice. the kermit and ernie and fraggle puppets--exactly what I needed to hear!

MuppetLabsBoy--Thank you so much for telling me that before I got into big trouble! And thanks so much for telling me about the foam rubber--is it the same thing as regular foam?

now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go watch a muppet movie (what a coincidence)

 

[spcglider]

Bing-boing...

There are many different types of foam. Some are "rigid" and some are "flexible".

What you want for making Muppet-style puppets is "flexible" foam or "furniture foam". "Rigid" foam is like styrofoam. And there are many types of rigid foam, so don't get them confused.

You want flexible foam.

Most fabric stores that carry upholstery supplies also carry flexible foam sheets in different thicknesses. But be aware... they charge a lot of money for it. You'll be surprised at how much.

In general, I use half-inch thick foam sheet to cut parts from for my puppets. This is also recommended by the Project Puppet patterns. Its easy to cut, easy to work with, and can be applied in many different ways to get different effects. Its also thick enough to make decent self-supporting shapes from. If you go thinner, the foam doesn't hold itself up under its own weight very well. And you can forget about supporting a fabric exterior.

Anyway, if you do not have a fabric store near you that sells foam sheets, you can always find a place to order it online or you can order what's called "reticulated foam" from the Project Puppet website. You can find lots of discussion about the benefits or detractions of reticulated foam here on Muppet Central so I suggest looking into it. Inform yourself.

-Gordon

 

[TheCreatureWork]

My blog has a Puppet Builders Directory where you'll find some websites that carry what you might be looking for.

http://puppeteersunite.com/?page_id=1059

 

[Animal31]

Bing-boing...


In general, I use half-inch thick foam sheet to cut parts from for my puppets. This is also recommended by the Project Puppet patterns. Its easy to cut, easy to work with, and can be applied in many different ways to get different effects. Its also thick enough to make decent self-supporting shapes from.

-Gordon

Really, so half inch is thick enough to support a fur covering and eyes on top of the head, or do you somehow reinforce the eyes?

I've been using inch thick for the heads because I didn't think half inch would be thick enough.......