Lady Fromage Puppet, Part 44

Using a simple whip stitch and sturdy thread sew the puppet's ears on.

New Swazzle Puppet Greetings for Easter

Check out the new Swazzle e-cards at Puppetgreetings.com.

More Puppet Up! on TBS.com

Check out the latest episodes of the Jim Henson Company's improv show Puppet Up! on TBS.com. Patrick is featured in both of them, he plays a hot dog in Roller Skating Hot Dogs, and he is the red crab in Death Monopoly Game. Death Monopoly Game also feathers two puppets I built for the show, the red crab and the little gray monster.

Those of you with Macs may have trouble viewing the clips, they are best viewed on a PC.

P.S. Puppet Up! is intended for an adult audience and is not suitable for children.

Lady Fromage Puppet, Part 43

Wrap the felt around the armature wire and glue it in place. Use small scissors to snip off the extra felt.

Lonny Chapmen Theater Presents Prairie Dog Pete and the Magic Buffalo

Saturdays 11:00 am, beginning March 17, 2007
10900 Burbank Blvd., North Hollywood, CA 91601
Tickets, $10.00 for adults, $5.00 for kids

Prairie Dog Pete and the Magic Buffalo
This entertaining puppet show for the whole family, tells the story of Prairie Dog Pete, a down on his luck gold miner. He is about to give up and go home when he stumbles upon Jack Rabbit, an old prospector who has fallen down a mine shaft. Thinking quickly, Pete throws Jack a rope and pulls him to safety. To reward Pete’s kindness Jack gives him some special animals, including a Magic Buffalo. Pete’s good nature is turned against him by the notorious outlaw Coyote Clyde, who’s greediness gets the best of him. In the end everybody learns an important lesson about honesty. After the puppet show, audiences are treated to a special behind the scenes presentation.

Lady Fromage Puppet, Part 42

Now it's time to make the puppet's ears. Many different materials can be used to make ears for a puppet like this: fun foam, felt etc. - I'm using felt. To get the ears to stand upright, glue in armature wire bent to the size of the ear. This will not only give the ears rigidity, but it will make them posable.

Lady Fromage Puppet, Part 41

Once you have found the proper placement for the puppet's eyes secure them in place. I'm using beads for Lady Fromage's eyes so they are stitched in place. Eyes can also be glued in place with hot glue, or pinned in so you can reposition them.

Puppet Up! on TBS.com

For nearly two years Patrick and I have been involved in Puppet UP!, the Jim Henson Company's puppet improv show. I just discovered that two of my sketches are now being featured on TBS.com. These were taped before a live audience at the Improv in Hollywood a couple of months back. I play the weasel in Halliburton Customer Service, and the boy in You Laugh Too Loud.

Those of you with Macs may have trouble viewing the clips, they are best viewed on a PC.

P.S. Puppet Up! is intended for an adult audience and is not suitable for children.

PuppetFest MidWest

5th annual PuppetFest MidWest (July 10-15, 2007), Trenton, Missouri. Learn puppet building and performance in a relaxed, professional environment. Focus on one aspect of puppetry in a twenty-hour workshop.

This year's workshops:

MANIPULATION BOOT CAMP with Drew Allison, Grey Seal Puppets. Intense workthrough that will focus on creating and developing puppet character through movement and manipulation with an emphasis on non-verbal puppetry.

HANDS UP! with Luman Coad, Coad Canada Puppets. Participants will create a comfortable, durable, and performable hand puppet with a papier-mache head.

NEEDLE FELTED HAND PUPPETS with Pam Corcoran.

ADVANCED MARIONETTE MANIPULATION with Phillip Huber, The Huber Marionettes.

VENTRILOQUISM: AN ANCIENT ART DEMYSTIFIED! with Randel McGee, McGee Productions.

ROD PUPPETS AND PERFORMANCE with Paul Mesner of Paul Mesner Puppets.

SHADOW PUPPETRY with Jim Napolitano, Nappy's Puppets

For more information visit www.puppetfestival.org.

Lady Fromage Rod Puppet, Part 40

The puppet is really coming along now. Because this blog isn't really focused on costumes, I didn't document that part of the process. I'm sure there are plenty of great blogs and web sites dedicated to costume design and creation - so check them out for more information. I've attached the felt hands to the nylon arm string, now it's time to add the facial features.

Lady Fromage's eyes are made from black beads. Before you glue the eyes in place, check the placement with pins. Once you have the placement, glue them in place with a dab of hot glue.

Lady Fromage Rod Puppet, Part 39

Lady Fromage's hands are cut from quarter inch foam, and covered with white felt.