Stork

This is the stork from The Tall Tales of Paul Bunyan by Snapdragon Puppet Productions. The stork is a little rod puppet. His head is made from a small wooden ball, and his miss matched eyes match his goofy character.

Puss in Boots

This is Puss in Boots from Puss in Boots from Snapdragon Puppet Productions. This puppet may look familiar to you, that's because it is pulled from the same mold as Bartholemew (see previous post). Puppet builder Roger Mara, simply changed the cat's color scheme, added an new costume, and created a brand new character.

Teddy Roosevelt

This is Teddy Roosevelt from The Tall Tales of Paul Bunyan by Snapdragon Puppet Productions. This puppet is also a Bobberhead. It's complex rod control allows the puppeteer to open the mouth, move the hands, and move the legs all with one hand.

Bobberheads

This is Jimmy from the Tall Tale of Paul Bunyan by Snapdragon Puppet Productions. This cleverly designed rod puppet stands just under 10 inches tall. Puppet builder Roger Mara called these puppets "Bobberheads" because the heads are made from fishing floats or bobbers. The Spring 2007 edition of The Puppetry Journal includes detailed instructions that show how to make a Bobberhead. The puppet making guide is complete with a parts list, labeled illustrations, written instructions, and close up photos.

The Ogre

This Ogre hand puppet is from Puss in Boots, by Snapdragon Puppet Productions. The head is covered with antron fleece (also know as Muppet fleece), and airbrushed to give it definition. Puss and Boots debuted in the summer of 2006. It was the last puppet show that Roger Mara created.

Mosquito Rod Puppet

This mosquito puppet is from The Tall Tales of Paul Bunyan by Snapdragon Puppet Productions. The wings are attached by a small spring and controlled by black thread. This simple but inventive puppet is a great example of Roger Mara's cleverness as a puppet builder.

Babe the Blue Ox

Babe the Blue Ox from The Tall Tales of Paul Bunyan by Snapdragon Puppet Productions. This yonger version of Babe is a rod puppet, as he grows during the puppet show, he becomes a larger hand puppet. Babe's head is snipped from a block of foam, and a string is attached to his bottom jaw to open and close the mouth.

Bartholemew

Bartholemew the mischievous cat from the Princess and the Pea by Snapdragon Puppet Productions. The cat's head was sculpted in clay, molded in plaster and cast in neoprene.

Roger Mara's Workshop

During our trip to Seattle we had hoped to visit with Roger Mara, a puppeteer friend of ours that had been diagnosed with cancer. Sadly he passed away before we arrived. Roger was an amazing and talented puppeteer and puppet builder. His early death was a great loss to the puppetry community. When Patrick and I were just starting out, we often looked to Roger for help and advice. Drawing on his years of experience, he taught us how to run a successful and professional puppet company. While up in Seattle, Elizabeth Luce, his long time friend and collaborator kindly let us tour his workshop, so that we could see some of the new puppets he created since relocating to the Pacific Northwest. Over the coming days I'll be sharing some of Roger's puppets with you. I hope his work inspires you as much as it inspires me.

Archie McPhee 2

Archie McPhee in Seattle is a great place to find unusual puppet building materials, puppet show props and inspiration. Check out these cases: plastic coins, tiny pigs, miniature rubber chickens, 8 ball beads... and more. If you are not in the Seattle area check out their online store.

Archie McPhee

Located in the Ballard neighborhood of Seattle, Archie McPhee is a must visit store full to the brim of oddities and bazar collectable junk. It's like shopping in Pee Wee's Playhouse!

The founder of Archie McPhee started in Los Angles by selling rubber lizards, rubber chickens, punching nuns and other crazy items out of his home. He discovered that there was a market for that stuff and in 1983 he moved his entire inventory to Seattle and set up shop. His first store was located in Fremont, an arts neighborhood in Seattle, and it stayed in that location for fourteen years. The shop was moved to its current location in Ballard in 1999. Archie McPhee's is a must see tourist destination and an outrageous shopping experience.

For the puppet builders out there you will find plastic bins full of taxidermy eyes, a wall of wigs, spools of wacky ribbons, colored wire, rubber tubing, industrial odds and ends and more.

Archie McPhee's also sells it's own line of toys through their toy label Accoutrements. Some of their most popular items include Devil Duckies, the Crazy Cat Lady Action Figure, and Bacon Bandages.

The Little Mermaid

Ye Olde Curiosity Shop and Ye Old Curiosity Shop Too are two popular stores located on Seattle's waterfront. They feature Native American art, local souvenirs, imported crafts, mummies, shrunken heads, exotic artifacts, taxidermied animals - both real and imagined. The mermaid and child are part of taxidermy display that features bazar creatures like a two headed lamb, and a Jackalope.

The Fremont Troll

During our trip to Seattle puppeteer Rob D'Arc (see previous posts) gave us a great walking tour of Fremont, an arts neighborhood in Seattle. He took us to the rocket ship, the Lenin statue, the center of the universe and main attraction, the Fremont Troll. This concrete troll stands 18 feet tall and lurks under the Aurora bridge. He was created by local artists with the support of the Fremont Arts Council. Every October 31th the troll is celebrated with Trollaween, a mobil party that starts under the bridge and moves through the streets of Fremont.

Neoprene Puppet Heads

These are neoprene puppet heads under construction. They are being made by Seattle Children's Theater head puppeteer Doug Paasch.

Neoprene casting compound is a great puppet building material. It's nontoxic and it comes ready to pour into plaster molds. Once it is removed from the mold it cures and the resulting product is both light weight and sturdy. Cured neoprene can be sanded, drilled, primed and painted. Neoprene is the preferred building material for puppeteers that make ventriloquist dummies and marionettes.

At Swazzle we use neoprene for special touches like horns or teeth. Neoprene can also be brushed onto foam with a chip brush. I used that technique to create the "bone heads" of Sid and Ed the Pachycepholauruses from Harry and the Tyrannosaurs Rex.

I get my Neoprene from Chicago Latex. They offer various compounds that range from rigid to flexible.

Pig Puppet

This snipped foam pig puppet is a work in progress backstage at the Seattle Children's Theater.

Duck Rod Puppet

This is a close up of the Rod puppet duck by Seattle Childrens's Theater head puppeteer, Doug Paasch.

Duck Rod Puppet

After a brief summer break from blogging (see previous post), I'll be posting more regularly now beginning with the rest of my photos from our trip to Seattle.

Backstage at the Seattle Children's Theater, head puppeteer Doug Paasch demonstrates the simple mechanics of a papier-mache rod puppet to Victoria Johnson.

Seattle Children's Theater Puppet Workshop

This is Doug's puppet workshop back stage at the Seattle Children's Theater. He has a nice corner carved out for himself in the large scene shop. Doug has designed, built, directed and performed puppets for various Seattle Children's Theater productions including: Winnie-the-Pooh, Bunnicula, The Big Friendly Giant, The Odyssey, The Lion Which and the Wardrobe, and more.

To learn more about Doug and see samples of his work check out his website.

Seattle Children's Theater

During my trip to Seattle, puppet designer and graphic designer Elizabeth Luce arranged a tour of the Seattle Children's Theater - many of their productions include puppets. We met up with Doug Paasch, their head puppeteer and he gave us a peek backstage.

From left to right: Me, Elizabeth Luce, Doug Paasch, and Victoria Johnson backstage at the Seattle Children's Theater.

P.S. Please note Elizabeth's cool Tiger and Mousedeer sweatshirt available at the Swazzle Store.

The Merry Flea

This is The Merry Flea also made by Seattle based puppeteer Rob D'Arc. He was made for the upcoming show Archy and Mehitabel.

Archy the Cockroach

This is Archy the Cockroach made by Seattle based puppeteer Rob D'Arc. He was created for the upcoming show, Archy and Mehitabel. I really love this puppet's unique look and asymmetrical design.

Giant Parade Puppet Ant

This giant ant puppet was made by Rob D'Arc for the Fremont Solstice Parade. The parade sponsored by the Fremont Arts Council relies on volunteers to make the parade happen. Planning begins in late winter, and by May people are organizing ensembles, gathering materials, getting floats prepared and more.

Giant Parade Puppets

The Fremont Arts Council encourages the public to lend a hand in the creation of costumes, parade art, and puppets for the Solstice Parade . Workshops are offered to people of all skill levels. For more information e-mail: workshop@fremontartscouncil.org .

Another Giant Parade Puppet

This is another giant puppet from the Fremont Solstice Parade. The parade winds its way through the streets of Fremont, an quirky artistic neighborhood in Seattle every summer. Its final destination is Gas Works Park - a park built around the rusted remains of Seattle's old gas works facility (picture a rusted Emerald City emerging from green rolling hills). There the public can enjoy Food, drinks, music, art, and the Solstice Pageant - a community collaboration involving dozens of artists, actors, dancers, musicians, and puppeteers.

Giant Parade Puppet

Just about every inch of the Fremont Solstice Parade headquarters is covered with fabric, puppet building supplies, and giant parade puppets. This is one of the large puppets that was hanging from the ceiling.

Solstice Parade Headquarters

While in Seattle we visited the Fremont Solstice Parade headquarters. The building is a charming brick structure that used to be a power plant for the adjacent school. The parade is an annual event now in it's 19th year. This fun and funky affair features ten float bodies and a limitless number of ensembles and individuals - no experience is necessary.

Dino Pop Up Puppet

This dinosaur puppet is yet another Pop Up Puppet by Rob D'Arc. Back in 1999 Rob wrote an article for the Puppetry Journal showing how to make a Pop Up Puppet in four easy steps - complete with a simple pattern. If you want to buy a Pop Up Puppet check out www.planetofthePuppets.com.

Pop Up Scrooge

This Ebenezer Scrooge Pop Up Puppet by Rob D'Arc was made for a pop up version of the holiday classic, A Christmas Carol.

Lion Pop Up Puppet

Rob D'Arc's Pop Up Puppets come in a range of sizes, colors, and categories. The lion is is part of the Jungle Creatures collection. His web site features other collections including, farm animals, clowns, woodland land creatures, pets, holidays, mythical beasts and custom puppets.

Blue Dragon Pop Up Puppet

Rob D'Arc first got the idea for the Pop Up Puppet while waiting in line at a Puppeteers of America Festival. A fellow puppeteer, Duke Krause, showed Rob a simple creation made from two tongue depressor with a face drawn on the front. Rob took that initial concept and dressed it up a little. With Duke's blessing Rob developed some designs, created some prototypes and together, they named them Pop-up Puppets. In 1998 Duke passed away, but his legacy of the Pop-up Puppet lives on.

Click here to read more about Pop Up Puppets.

Pike Place Market

A trip to Seattle would not be complete with out a visit to the world famous Pike Place Market. The market now in it's 100th year features fresh produce, flying fish, and hand made crafts. As a puppeteer and puppet builder, I was thrilled to find Planet of the Puppet - a vendor selling hand made "pop up" puppets.



The pop up puppets were the creation of Rob D'Arc a puppeteer and puppet builder that I had met years ago at a Puppeteers of America Festival - small world. His puppets are made from fun foam and popsicle sticks. The designs are imaginative and colorful. At his booth he was selling pop up puppets of all shapes and sizes.

Trip to Seattle

This past winter my wife Victoria and I took a trip to Seattle. Along with seeing the popular attractions; The Space Needle, The Public Market, The Original Starbucks, we also visited with some local puppeteers and puppet builders. Over the coming days I’ll be sharing some photos from our trip. Enjoy!