Hi there,
First of all - what an honor to follow Sean Johnson! By all means everyone, check out his blog puppetry101 (can't post links yet) it's great professional instruction on puppet making.
My name is Tom Dell'Aringa, I just turned 40 so you can imagine I grew up on Sesame Street and the Muppet Show, and Fraggle Rock. I think my favorite muppet movie is the Christmas Carol one. I love Gonzo, and frankly, Michael Caine gives one heck of a performance.
My puppetry interest lies in the muppet type of puppet. I tried a couple years ago to get into it, but didn't find the right resources. There seems to be a lot more out there now (I don't remember this site being around, but it probably was) but maybe not. Anyway, I'm working on building my first foam puppet right now.
I have aspirations for using them for fun, and for teaching to our children at my Church. I know there are quite a few Bible puppet ministries out there.
I picked up the foam book/video and really enjoyed them. I'll post some pics of my first attempt as soon as I get something notable done!
Tom