Using Commercially built puppets

[Wiseman]

I am not much of a puppeteer, however, for a recent production put on by my preschool class I bought and used some Folkmanis Puppets: a 4 foot long boa constrictor named "Bobby the Boa," an Amazon Parrot named "Pedro," (Pedro speaks Spanish & Portuguese in addition to English) a small monkey named "Sammy the Squirrel Monkey" and a North American porcupine named "Spikey" ("Spikey" was originally used for a compare and contrast lesson showing the differences between our porcupine and the Brazilian version). After the show was over my own kids inherited these creatures (my wife has her own opinions about Bobby). All this makes me wonder, has anyone here used commercially built puppets in their productions either professionally or as part of an amateur or educational production?

 

[Buck-Beaver]

I think Folkmanis are the only "commercially" made puppets I've ever used professionally. Some of them are really well designed, as I'm sure everybody already knows. I've rebuilt a couple to offer better control; redoing their mouths or adding a rod or two.

 

[Wiseman]

and realistic

They are also very realistic for science purposes. While at the same time being kid-friendly. Spikey looks like his spikes are very lethal, but if you touch him you will find he feels nothing like a real porcupine, in fact he is very soft. Bobby can swallow things and Pedro's wings actually flap if you put your fingers into them after detaching them from each other (they are held together by a pair of magnetic disks). One of these days I'd like to get the owl whose head can turn almost all the way around just like a real owl's

 

[DumbAscii]

I've used mostly puppets from the now defunct puppetproductions.com. The Folkmanis stuff is pretty popular and looks good, but i havent used them yet.

You can also get a custom whatnot from the FAO Schwatrz Muppet Whatnot Studio for $90!

http://tinyurl.com/faompt

 

[The Shoe Fairy]

I have used, and really enjoy some of the Folkmanis puppets, esp. the larger animals, some of the mammal ones seem to be pretty close to a life sized young of the respective animal. I have only used them once or twice in 6th grade for an actuall perfomance, and even then it was only a drama exercise. Of course, at that point I had no idea about puppets in general really. But the Folkmanis ones I have used recently are very very good.

EDIT - It may not be very big, but I really love this puppet. http://www.folkmanis.com/handpuppet_detail.php?item_no=2393=