Round / Sphere eyes question

[Muppetlab]

Hello you helpfull lot.
I was wandering how all of you builders attach spherical / round eyes (like Elmo, cookie, fraggle type eyes NOT half dome
Eyes)


I have been using wire peirced through ping pong balls that goes through the foam skull.. But i cant help thinking there must be an easier way!

So.. How do you do yours?

 

[Buck-Beaver]

You can buy prefabricated spherical eyes that have a post and are attached using a fastener, much like the half dome eyes that are so popular. These are sometimes called "Elmo style" or "Cookie Monster" style eyes. They are sold in bulk by Mercury Plastics, but you can often find these for sale in small quantities on Etsy or Ebay.

Another alternative is to use ping pong balls (or any other plastic sphere), make a small hole at the base and then use a doll joint (inside the puppet head) to mount them.

 

[Slackbot]

You can buy prefabricated spherical eyes that have a post and are attached using a fastener, much like the half dome eyes that are so popular. These are sometimes called "Elmo style" or "Cookie Monster" style eyes. They are sold in bulk by Mercury Plastics, but you can often find these for sale in small quantities on Etsy or Ebay.

I'm on the Mercury Plastics site, and I see no store or search function. Where do you buy these from?

 

[Muppetlab]

Thanks Buck, Ive seen what i think you refer to but they come with pre painted pupils and iris'. I guess i could paintbover them.

I will try the doll joint method, thankyou

 

[Slackbot]

I've Googled around and found nothing about Mercury's sphere eyes. But I did find their contact info, so I called their office in New York (718-498-1557) and requested a catalog.

 

[Muppetlab]

If you get anything that resembles them can you share the results please? Interested to see what they have
I would ring them myself but im based in the UK

 

[Slackbot]

Sure, I'll post what I find in this thread.

 

[Slackbot]

BTW, I've been doing something similar to what you do. I glue florists' wire to the bottom of a ping pong ball, then run the wire through the head and twist it underneath. It is a pain and a half, trying to poke the ends of a bendy wire through fleece and foam.

 

[Buck-Beaver]

Once upon a time Mercury was known as Eye Design Inc. They sell wholesale and do not have an online shop.

I have not dealt with them for a few years, but you usually have to buy hundreds of eyes at a time (they have minimum quantities). It's not really worth it to buy direct from them unless you have a need for large quantities and want to invest a lot of money in inventory.

Just FYI for anyone who needs the Elmo/Cookie style eyes, Out of the Box Puppets sells them for $2.75 a pair. They have a pre-printed pupil, but that is easily sanded off - http://www.outoftheboxpuppets.com

 

[Muppetlab]

Thanks Buck

Slackbot, i have been peircing 4 holes in the bottom of each ball. I then thread 2 lengths of florist wire through the holes so they cross over each other inside the eye (if that makes sense) and like you, through the skull. It makes them really stable.

Thanks for all your replies.. I have a few more methods/resources to work with now.. Thankyou