How did you get started?

[ashberg]

I remember the first ever puppet I got was a monkey who's arms were really long and his hands had velcro on them. This was age 5. I didn't put it down for at least 3 years. In fact, I still have him lying around somewhere. Very used and very much in need of repair. I also had a big fluffy white monster puppet thing. Again, he had really long arms and legs. Age 14. I remember wanting to control his arms. I painted some thin balsa wood (i think it was balsa) white to match his fur and attached a white rubberband to the end of the stick and then around his hand. A simple way to move his hand(s) and a very effective way to give him more personality.

The only problem I ever had with performing with my puppets was their voice. I could never keep the voice consistent. But thats ok, because of late my performing habits have been of a much higher standard. Now, at the age of 19, after watching every muppet video (episodes, movies etc) I own, I have learnt that a puppet is just a puppet until it is given a personality.

 

[Fozzie Bear]

I had one of those monkeys, too. I called him Luigi after a nickname by my uncle for me.

I met Scary Larry at MuppetFest, and he's super cool. I dunno why I didn't carry Muley around with me more, other folks had their puppets out during that time.

 

[buckshot]

hey...i have one of those monkeys, too. i'm actually in the process of giving him some new, more expressive eyes. he's a great vent puppet.

 

[scarylarrywolf]

I had one of those monkeys, too. I called him Luigi after a nickname by my uncle for me.

I met Scary Larry at MuppetFest, and he's super cool. I dunno why I didn't carry Muley around with me more, other folks had their puppets out during that time.

I remember that! And Larry really wanted to meet Muley but we went to the wrong DoubleTree by mistake! I'm still bitter over that. Well, as they said in TGMC, "That was terrible"
"Well, we'll just have to do it again" ... one of these days...

 

[ashberg]

hey...i have one of those monkeys, too. i'm actually in the process of giving him some new, more expressive eyes. he's a great vent puppet.

Yeah, those monkey's rock!!! WOoooOO! Mine has this rustic 'used' quality about it. I dont know whether or not to fix him up... he never talked. He just made babies happy by being an affectionate shy little monkey who liked to get kisses all the time.. Teehee

 

[Fozzie Bear]

I remember that! And Larry really wanted to meet Muley but we went to the wrong DoubleTree by mistake! I'm still bitter over that. Well, as they said in TGMC, "That was terrible" "Well, we'll just have to do it again" ... one of these days...

Yeah, well, we've already all decided that at the next (I hope) MuppetFest we would have a MC Family Dinner Reunion one night, and the next night have a puppet-dinner (same as the night before, except everyone brings puppets).

Muley enjoyed hanging out with Scott, Nick, and Lori that night we went out to eat, though he would have LOVED to meet Scary Larry and others!

 

[Buck-Beaver]

i've seen some of the puppets that you guys have made, and i'm very impressed with some of them. i was just wondering where you all started or learned to start up building puppets.

I started building puppets in my teens for high school video projects - my first puppet was a cockroach I made on my bed in an hour one morning and spent the next several years doing the usual trial-and-error thing. I worked for a professional company that did puppetry for a number of years in my early 20s, which is a great way to learn a lot - and spent a lot of time hanging around the puppet builders in the shop asking them questions and helping out when I could.

I ultimately married one of them, an approach that - though I don't recommend it to everyone - certainly helped me a lot.

 

[ScrapsFlippy]

My senior year in high school I took an old pair of blue jeans and an old black sweatshirt and threw together "Rasta Kermit." He had a cardboard mouth, button eyes, and "dreadlocks" made out of braided strips of that sweatshirt. My wife's best friend stole him.

In college, I went a bit "muppet crazy" and started making puppets for fun and (eventually) profit. I like taking a block of foam and using scissors to snip out facial features. I use this craft glue called Bond 527 to glue foam to foam or fabric to foam. I've also used hot glue, but I invariably burn myself and hurl whatever I'm holding across the room whilst waxing profane. The last puppet I built was this rockin' goat for my dad (he's a minister.) I tried to rig up practical eyelids, but couldn't get the mechanism to work right.

-- Scraps.