Left handedness.....

[Beauregard]

Hey! He's got a squishy bottom!

QUOTE]

We won't make any comment on that comment.

 

[sarah_yzma]

We won't make any comment on that comment.

well, you won't...I, however might save this quote in my blackmail file

 

[Skekayuk]

While we're on the subject, it might be worth summerising the instances of left-handedness amongst the Muppet puppeteers themselves. Here's a list of the ones whose names seem to "demand" to be mentioned:

Terry Angus - Honory Leftie. Writes right-handed, but happens to puppeteer left-handed.

Anthony Asbury - Someone said a while back on an internet discussion that he might be ambidextrous, since they saw some footage of him puppeteering that looked as if it was puppeteered left-handed. But there is also definite footage of him puppeteering right-handed. So we don't know.

Fran Brill - Right-handed, the picture in JH The Works was flipped.

Richard Coombes - Left-handed and puppeteers that way.

Dave Goelz - Puppeteers right-handed. Some unconfirmed rumours that he may write left-handed. But no one here seems to know.

Louise Gold - Perhaps the best known truly left-handed puppeteer. She is Left-handed and puppeteers that way.

Jim Henson - Not left-handed, there was a myth that he was, but he wasn't. There is a lot of film footage that clearly shows him puppeteering right-handed, and some film footage showing him writing or drawing with his right hand.

Jerry Nelson - Right-handed, but for a couple for years there was a period when an injury to his right shoulder forced him to puppeteer with his left hand, he never liked it, and as soon as he was able to do so switched back.

Mike Quinn - Lefthanded and puppeteers that way.

Marty Robinson - Writes with his left-hand, but puppeteers right-handed.

Hope that is of interest.

 

[sarah_yzma]

Well I sort of have a theory. I know we have quite a few people who do puppeteer on here, and I think maybe working with your hands so much might make it to where you can do things with both hands.....sort of a practiced ambidextrous if that makes any sense....can anyone who does do this for a hobby say what they think?

 

[Skekayuk]

Well while their craft certainly gives the puppeteers a lot of skill with both their hands. It does seem that most of them do have a distinct perference for using one hand or the other as their "primary hand" (ie the one that operates the puppets head), in many cases this tends to be whichever hand they write with (although some notable exceptions that prove the rule so to speak include Terry Angus and Marty Robinson).

One might also mention here that a number of people do have the odd thing they prefer to use not their writing hand for - that's often a matter for how you first learnt to do something. This is perhaps particularly true of left-handers, because there are sometimes occassions when it almost seems easier to conform to the right-handers way of doing things.

 

[Erine81981]

I work with my left hand when I play with puppets but I also write and draw as well with that hand so I can olny eat with both but writing its not readable. So I would have to say I'm lefty. I haven't posted anything in so long. So most puppeteers are righthanded. I know most of the people on here are left handed puppeteers but most of the ones he named are righthanded. Oh well maybe some day there will be only lefthanded puppeteers on the whole world....... Mahahahahahahahahaha!

 

[Skekayuk]

but most of the ones he named are righthanded. Oh well maybe some day there will be only lefthanded puppeteers on the whole world....... Mahahahahahahahahaha!

Are you refering to the ones I listed?
If so then indeed most of them are right-handed, but they are the people whose names tend to crop up in disucssion threads on lefthandedness. However, I would point out that three of them (Richard Coombes, Mike Quinn, and, Louise Gold) can truly be called left-handed puppeteers, as those three are all left-handed and puppeteer that way.

Best Wishes
Emma

"If I'm not much mistaken there appears to be some doubt as to his majesty's whereabouts" The Duchess Of Plaza Toro in The Gondoliers

 

[Punch'n'Judy]

Hi Emma

Just to be really picky Richard Coombes isn't actually left handed. He is right handed but usually puppeteers left handed as when he first started making he used to have the puppet on his left hand and sew/glue with his right hand. This proved useful as he became known as being good with props and he could work with his right hand gloved so the puppet could draw/write/paint etc.
However he often would change hands during shooting (especially during Spitting Image with it's ridiculously heavy puppets) and use his right hand for the puppet head, so he punished both sides of his spine equally and so doesn't have any back problems today, unlike other Spitting Image puppeteers.

Best

James

 

[Skekayuk]

James,

You're quite right. It's an old thread, and at the time when I posted that, I didn't know. I think I was going by something Redfraggle had posted on another thread on the board, about Faffner Hall, where she said that the puppeteers were evenly divided between left and right handers. And seemed to imply that Richard Coombes was left-handed. But obviously meant that he only puppeteered that way. - and you know the reason for it (as you so rightly stated).

Emma

 

[abiraniriba]

seitfeL wolleF sgniteerG

I come from the planet htrae.
In case any of you have forgot that is the planet where all of us lefties originated from.
I am here to begin the left-handed revolution.
If you can read the next sentence follow it's instructions and join up.

!egdirb dlo eht rednu gab a ni srallod noillim evif evaeL

When there are two hundred of us I will call in the reserves from home and the revolution will begin.