Puppet Eyes: Plastic Jewels

If you are looking for a way to make your puppet's eyes sparkle, try using plastic jewels. They are available at most craft stores and come in a variety of shapes, sizes and colors. Use a large round or oval jewel for the eye, or add a glint of light by gluing a small silver jewels to the corner of the eyeball. The jewels can also be glued to plastic spoons, ping pong balls, or practice golf balls to create a unique and colorful pupil. For our puppet show B.A.R.K. the robot dog, we used plastic jewels for B.A.R.K.'s eyes to give him a more mechanical look.

Puppet Eyes: Practice Golf Balls

Puppeteer and puppet builder Nick Barone is brilliant at using materials in unusual ways. He developed the technique of making puppet eyes from practice golf balls. The balls are yellow and made from a dense foam, and they are available at Target and most sports stores. Using these for puppet eyes is easy. Simply cut them in half (or use them whole), and paint or draw on your eye balls. Here is a gallery of Nick's puppets - the big yellow eyes are made from practice golf balls. The Tyrannosaurus's Rex from Swazzle's puppet show, Harry and the Tyrannosaurs Rex also has eyes made from practice golf balls.

Puppet Eyes: Ping Pong Balls

Using ping pong balls for puppet eyes was popularized by the Muppets - even though they don't use them any more. Most of us have heard the story of the first Kermit the Frog being made from Jim Henson's mother's spring coat, and two halves of a ping pong ball. They really are ready made puppet eyes - round, white and light weight. Additionally, they are easy to come by - most sports stores sell them in packages of six or more. Use an indelible marker or paint to make eye balls, an exacto knife to cut them (or use them whole), and contact cement to glue them in place (don't use hot glue, they will melt). Ping pong balls were used to make eyes for a variety of puppets in the Swazzle puppet show, Prairie Dog Pete and the Magic Buffalo, including Jack Rabbit, Prairie Dog Pete, and the Buffalo.