Hello!
Hello gang!
Thanks so much for allowing me to join up, you simply have no idea how excited I am to be here.  I feel like a kid again!  My name is Chuck, I'm from Arkansas, and this is just great!  
One of the reasons I am joining up is because I have always loved the Muppets, and Puppets in general, but my wife and I have purchased the Muppet Show and watched it so many times with my daughter!  She laughs and laughs at the Muppets.  What a great joy to share what I loved when I was young with my 3 year old!  We are a family of Muppet Show fanatics!  
So, I have been researching for the past few weeks about making Puppets or what I call "Muppet Style Puppets" myself.  Everyone I talked to, I mean literally a dozen people, all suggested this forum!  
My dream is to put on Puppet shows free, for the severely poor children in our area.  As a part time Youth Minister, I am quite involved in Charity work in the area.  One of the things I have noticed is there is almost no free entertainment in this community for young children. 
I discussed with my wife and I told her my dream to put on free puppet shows for poor children.  Then I was watching a comedy movie with my wife and couldn't believe what I saw!  It was called "Forgetting Sarah Marshall" and that is the kind of thing I want to do for children!  Well, haha, with less blood and nudity!  haha Kidding, Kidding 
In 1995 I was watching the Hobbit cartoon from 1977 - it was on TV.  I remember thinking at the time that the Hobbit would make a superb Puppet show.  A short, 30 minute production for young kids could be just so so much fun!  I have literally thought about this idea for nearly 15 years!  
As silly or stupid as it might sound, SEEING a puppet show in Forgetting Sarah Marshall really made me feel like putting on The Hobbit with Puppets, all for free, for impoverished children was possible.  So I have started writing Warner Bros and Rankin and Bass trying to get permission to put on The Hobbit puppet shows for free. 
Now, I joined Muppet Central to learn learn learn.  Dont worry!  I promise to read and study before I ask any questions.  I know I have a lot of reading and learning to do!  I'm a great learner and look forward to getting to know everyone here and learning from you all.  
My hope is that I can create a "Hobbit" puppet of Bilbo Baggins, similar to the Muppet Style puppets, and start to experiment and learn how to use them.  Then I can see about making a few Dwarves and such.  I even know exactly how we can make Smauge the Dragon!  It will just be killer!  This is so exciting!  
Well, thanks again for having me, I am really excited about being a member here!  
     Sincerely, 
-----Chuck