Question: Where Do you find materials?

[Manda:-D]

My brother's decided he wants to try his hand at puppet-building, and he wanted me to ask yall this question: Where do you FIND materials? Puppet foam & fur & such? We've already checked Micheal's, the nearest hobby store we have, and couldn't find anything. So, what stores sell puppet-building materials?

 

[Super Scooter]

Well, there's a type of fleece the Muppets use call Antron Fleece that you can buy online. But, for a beginer, I wouldn't reccomend starting out with that. You normally have to dye it yourself anyway.

There are several fabric stores around here that I go to for getting furs. If you have a JoAnn Fabrics nearby, that place'll have furs, and a nice type of fleece he could use.

So, just check and fabric stores nearby. Michaels doesn't carry too many fabrics, though they have felt which I use for the puppet's mouth. Michaels does have some neat stuff you can use for other parts of the puppet though. They normally have feather boas (or just feathers). They have hats, different types of eyes, etc. And you could probably find somethings for noses and stuff in there.

Sorry I couldn't be more help. Hope your brother finds what he's looking for!

 

[Buck-Beaver]

A great place for beginners to start looking for any and (almost) all kinds of puppet building information is The Puppetry Homepage. There's lots of great links there.

Unfortunately, there isn't one "one stop" puppet building supplier. Like Super Scooter mentioned, you should try fabric stores in your area for fur (the different chains and what they carry varys depending what region you are in). You can also try craft stores in your area other than Michaels, some hobby shops might even have some of the materials you need. Foam can usually be found at a foam supplier (in larger cities) or through upholstry shops in smaller towns. Some fabric stores carry it too!

Feel free to experiment with different, non-Muppet types of puppet building too. A great book to check out is The Muppets Make Puppets. It's full of all kinds of great ideas (and Cheryl Henson is one of the authors). It's available online from amazon.com.

Another great book is The Most Excellent Book of How To Be A Puppeteer. I think it's out of print now, but you can probably find a copy in your local library or by searching online. Finally, Grey Seal Puppets' The Foam Book is a must have. You can find it (and videos too) on their website greysealpuppets.com.

Happy puppet building!

 

[Manda:-D]

WOW. That's great, guys. Thanks for your replies. Scoot, you were REALLY helpful, actually. We've got a Joann's in Slidell; we'll be sure to check it out. Buck Beaver-foam suppliers? Quoi? Are there stores like that? ....I'll be sure to send John over to an upholstrey shop, though, if we can find them.
My brother John-Boy has also told me to ask questions a/b puppet patterns. Are there any in those books you mentioned, Buck Beaver? Where could one find any? Or is anyone interested in sharing a pattern they already have?
Oh, yes, and tools. What sorta tools does need for this sort of thing? Can you buy them @ crafts stores? Would a REGULAR knife and sewing scissors do?
Thanks bunches for your help!

 

[Buck-Beaver]

Yes Virgina er, Manda there are foam suppliers! These are companies that sell foam, usually in large quantities to places like upholstry shops. Often you find them advertising themselves in a local paper selling foam cushions or mattresses. Sometimes they are wholesalers and only sell in bulk. They're all different. Whether or not there's one in your area probably depends on the size of your city or town. Most larger cities have at least one (here in Toronto we have five or six). Best to look in your Yellow Pages under "Foam". You can also try Army surplus stores and camping shops, since many of these sell foam sheets as well.

For cutting foam I usually use boxcutters because they are cheap and easy to find. Some people just use scissors, but I find that method very imprecise. For carving foam you can use a fish fileting knife. Other people I know insist on using higher-end (expensive) tools, but that's not really necessary in my opinion. You can also experiment and see what works best for you. Whatever you use to cut foam, you should keep the blades lubricated using a little 3-1 oil or vegtable oil so they don't dull too quickly (foam dulls any blade very quickly usually).

As for patterns, check the Puppetry Homepage listed above for links to a variety of free patterns some of which are OK. You can also buy them through the online store of the Puppeteers of America. One Way Street sells puppet patterns, but I don't personally think they are very good. The best beginner pattern I know of is the basic one from Puppets For Goodness Sake. You can buy it online through Puppet Odyssey or order it directly from Puppets For Goodness Sake by calling them toll-free 1-888-300-1400 or via email at puppets4gfs@aol.com (tell them Andrew from Toronto referred you!).

The Foam Book has a number of patterns and covers two different approaches to building foam puppets. It's not perfect, but it's definately a great book to learn from. Both of the other books I mentioned have step-by-step guides to building all sorts of different puppets, many of them from everyday items. I'd also recommend checking your library for any puppet books by Lois Walker for even more ideas.

I hope that helps!