Suggestions... new puppet

[Fozzie Bear]

blemker,

Here's something that I've been doing with puppets lately. I don't know if I picked this up from Buck Beaver's site, or if it was because I saw it in a book--either way it's awesome. I use it on my own puppet characters, and Muley gets the most use so it's awesome in his elbows (and knees).

The smallest Pipe Warmers you can find that will be able to fit into your puppet's arm, cut it 2 inches shorter than the length of the arm. In the direct center of the arm, cut a divot out of it:
-------\ /--------
_______\/_________

Don't cut it all the way through, leaving some space for it to be connected at the bottom of the divot, then I reinforced the back of the pipe cleaner with some duct tape. Ultimately, you should be able to bend the pipe warmer into an "L" shape to get the elbow. Same technique works on knees.

If you check this part of the website and scan down 2/3 of the gallery, you can find photos of the Muley puppet, and in those you can see where he's slightly bending his arms and his elbows appear.

BTW, folks love his knees. I don't know what the attraction is; but, then again, Kermit sang a whole song about how he loved his elbows on SS once. Go figure.

 

[Puppetplanet]

Foz,

Not sure that I understood your instructions on the elbows so I went to your site to try and get a glimps of the mechanisim your describing. Do you mean to say that the taped bend in the pipecleaner sticks out from a hole you created in the arm of Muley when he bends it? How does the wire stay in place? And your obviously not using fiberfil in Muley's arms, right? If your usuing foam, then the foam is in two pieces with ends meeting at the "elbow" joint?

Can you please elaborate?

Thanks!
-Michele

 

[Fozzie Bear]

Do you mean to say that the taped bend in the pipecleaner -Michele

pipeWARMERs, not pipeCLEANERs.

I'll see if I can find something on line about it and post it here.

There are 2 different Muley puppets viewed on that site (2.5 actually). The older version just has floppy arms with NOTHING in them. That was passable for years and years as an okay means of making a puppet. Nowadays, Muley Puppet Version 3.1 and Version 3.2 has arms with the pipewarmers in them.(his head alone is Version 3.0, and then there's 2 bodies: one for regular, naked Muley, like in the comix; and one to dress up so it's okay if the fur gets all matted up by clothes).

I don't clip all the way through the pipe warmers, I leave them connected some at the base of what is going to be the elbow, but I put a strip of duct tape along that piece to reinforce it so it won't break after bending the elbow too much.

 

[Buck-Beaver]

Foz...Can you please elaborate?

Thanks!
-Michele

Where did you come from?

 

[Fozzie Bear]

Where did you come from?

MEBS! WE COME FROM FRANCE!!
~Coneheads

 

[Puppetplanet]

*hanging head* I know buck, I haven't been contributing to the site much lately. I do read a lot of the posts, but I usually don't see them until days after they are posted and someone else has already responded with exceptional ideas or suggestions.

Fortunately, I've been lacking in my MC appearance for good reason, I've picked up quite a bit of work and have made a niche for myself in the educational area locally. I've also picked up another opportunity with a shop that is displaying my work in Williston New York, a place called Sweet Street.

Anyway, Foz..... I don't know what pipewarmers are?? Where would I find them? So am I correct in the assumption that the pipewarmers are the only things you use inside the arm?

Thanks for the great info!
-Michele

 

[Buck-Beaver]

I got it!

I didn't want to say so, but I was completely thrown by the term "Pipewarmer" but I get it now....do you mean the foam tubes that are used to insulate pipes Foz?

 

[Fozzie Bear]

I got it!

I didn't want to say so, but I was completely thrown by the term "Pipewarmer" but I get it now....do you mean the foam tubes that are used to insulate pipes Foz?

That's right. I call them pipewarmers. Like you put around pipes under the house to keep them warm and from bursting!

 

[Buck-Beaver]

Up here we call them by their real names - "black foam thingies".

 

[Puppetplanet]

Hmmm, must be a geographical product. Down here in Florida it gets so hot that we WANT the pipes to burst! Can you imagine the looks I'll get when I ask for those things?


-Michele