Movable mouth puppet with road and pipe

[uncled1961]

I am trying to make my first puppet and want to do the kind that you can hold a pipe and use a trigger to move the mouth and turn the head. I saw one idea but looking for something simple. Does anyone have any ideas or can tell me where to look. I purchased the foam book and puppet planet but nothing about this in there. I would like to make an elf puppet to use with my santa visits to the local elementary schools. Thanks.

 

[Buck-Beaver]

Take a look at the "Lady Fromage" rod puppet tutorial on the Puppet 101 blog - http://swazzle.com/blogs/labels/Lady Fromage.html

 

[Onath]

wow that is an awesome tutorial on puppet rod mouth trigger but it is missing a couple steps were they there originally or were they not found that important. It goes from step 30 to like 35 where is 34 33 and 32 or even 31 for that matter. Just a little confused because of some of the skipping but awesome tutorial. How does the fishing line work as a spring that is a little confusing? Does the puppet lose its mouth function after some time? Is there a rubberband in the head for spring?

Sorry about all the questions just excited to give this a try.

 

[Buck-Beaver]

I guess Sean forgot to tag the posts with those steps, that's why they are missing from the URL above. You can find those missing posts in the February Archives - http://swazzle.com/blogs/2007_02_01_puppet101archive.html (scroll down to find them).

 

[Teenager's]

Here is what I do. This way there isn't a string going through the mouth.

http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g273/pcep-puppets/P1011939.jpg
http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g273/pcep-puppets/P1011938.jpg

Basically the spring keeps the mouth closed because of this looped wire. (sorry the pic is kind of blurry)
http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g273/pcep-puppets/P1011937.jpg

I do what Sean does for the neck movements. The mouth wire is beading wire, it's pretty strong.
http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g273/pcep-puppets/P1011933.jpg
http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g273/pcep-puppets/P1011934.jpg
http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g273/pcep-puppets/P1011931.jpg

 

[Onath]

So, I went back through all the archived posts and now understand how it all works. I'm curious though, I feel as though an elastic in the middle of the mouth would visually distract from the puppet talking. Maybe it would disappear on such a small puppet. What do you guys think?

 

[Teenager's]

Well they do it for stage...so it isn't seen. Thats why I did mine the way I did, because its for film and so it isn't there.

 

[Whispers]

O: Thanks for those links Buck they actually help me a bit even though I already know one method for doing it.