The Mysteries of Muppetry?

[StreetScenes]

that graphic looks familiar...that's somebody's avatar, isn't it? is this a site done by a member of the forum?

 

[Buck-Beaver]

i've got a mouth question to add--what type of material makes a kermit type mouth, that is flexible enough to scrunch up and make all those expressive faces, but firm enough to hold its shape for normal speaking? or does most of kermit's flexibility come from his head?

You can use almost any kind of flexible foam or rubber if you want an expressive mouth. 1/2" foam works fine, so does gasket rubber or even fun foam in some situations.

 

[Fozzie Bear]

that graphic looks familiar...that's somebody's avatar, isn't it? is this a site done by a member of the forum?

It is. Belazel (I'm spelling it wrong). He's a member here.

I own a few of the patterns and they are wonderful to build by.

 

[jacobmaraia]

I've made a few mouths, but they always seem to buckle under my thumb, making my puppets look as though they're always scowling. I haven't tried gasket rubber yet, but I think that's where I'm heading next. Grazzi!

 

[Super Scooter]

I like gasket rubber alot. I just started using it. Otherwise, I also like using thin plastic. Some craft and fabric stores sell very thin, plastic cutting boards (usually transparent) that work well for mouths. You can get a fair amount of expression out of it (think Scooter's mouth). It's good when you want a sturdier mouth.

 

[Melonpool]

I'm becoming a big fan of using plastic "For Sale" signs for the upper mouth palette and gasket rubber for the lower.

The stiffer upper keeps the frown from happening, yet allows a lot of expression out of the lower.

 

[jacobmaraia]

I'm gonna have to try this stuff! Thank you all so much!

What about arms, now? I'm thinking of the long kind of Gonzo arms. Are they just two pieces of fabric stuffed with fluff or are they segmented foam arms or what? I've got a puppet I'm working on where I want him to have those kind of gangly arms, but I'm not sure what to do. Advice? Info? Thanks to you all.

 

[Melonpool]

When I was interning at the puppet place a couple of years ago, one of the builders (who was an ex-Sesame builder) told me that Grover's arms were tubes with wooden beads strung inside of them to give them some weight and movement.

I can only imagine that Gonzo was constructed in a similar manner.

 

[Was Once Ernie]

When I was interning at the puppet place a couple of years ago, one of the builders (who was an ex-Sesame builder) told me that Grover's arms were tubes with wooden beads strung inside of them to give them some weight and movement.

I can only imagine that Gonzo was constructed in a similar manner.

Actually, Gonzo's arms are just one piece of fabric stuffed with fluff. I think Grover's arms are probably thicker than Gonzo's. Gonzo's are really, really skinny.

 

[jacobmaraia]

Okay. Is the difference between Gonzo's and Kermit's arms then the amount of stuffing? I mean, Gonzo's look loose and wiggly where Kermits seem more solid somehow.