The Pea Gees

Check out the new "Pea Gees" card from PuppetGreetings.com - it's super! I made the peas - puppeteers Victor Yerrid, Carol Binion and Michelan Sisti performed them. Send it to all your friends.

PEAhind the Scenes, Part 13

Since the peas are green, I'm making the tongue out of light green felt instead of pink, and the throat out of dark green felt instead of black. The mouth pallet is made from dyed scott foam.

PEAhind the Scenes, Part 8

To make the pea's eyes I'm going to use beads and some armature wire - A thin steal rod can be used instead of armature wire, but it won't allow for much flexibility in the eye position once they are attached to the head.

1) Using wire cutters, cut a piece of armature wire that is a couple of inches in length.

2) Fold over one end to make it just large enough to keep the bead from slipping off.



3) Slide one bead to the end of the wire.

PEAhind the Scenes, Part 6

Use an exacto blade to cut a hand hole. Cut down until you meet the mouth cut you've already made.

PEAhind the Scenes, Part 5

Using a Sharpie to mark the hand hole. Make sure the hole is a perfect circle and it's centered on the underside of the puppet.

PEAhind the Scenes, Part 4

Following the thread line, use a sharp exacto knife to cut the pea's mouth.

PEAhind the Scenes, Part 3

Because the peas will be exposed foam and they won't be covered with fabric or fleece, I need to avoid marking them up as much as possible. Instead of using a pen to mark the mouth, I'm using thread pinned down at the ends with two straight pins.

PEAhind the Scenes, Part 2

I've used Rit dye to dye the foam green. Dying foam is similar to dying fabric, but it usually take a little longer, depending on the density of the foam. Because foam floats it must be weighted down to keep it summered in the dye bath. To insure a consistent color, squeeze the foam while its summered in the bath, working the dye all the way into the foam. Once you've achieved your desired color, remove the foam from the bath and rinse it thoroughly under cool water. Rinse and wring the foam until the water runs clear. Before you set the foam out to dry, wring it out to remove all excess water.

PEAhind the Scenes, Part 1

When I'm making a foam puppet I usually use patterns, and the darting technique described in the "Ratchet Puppet Building Tutorial”. Sometimes different design choices, budgetary restraints, or time restrictions call for the use of a different puppet building technique. In this next behind the scenes series, I'll be chronicling the construction of the popular peas for Puppet Greetings.com.

Because the peas were meant to be perfect spheres and a uniform size, it was decided that they would be constructed from store-bought foam balls.

Give Peas a Chance

Check out the two new Puppet Greetings that I worked on. I built the puppets and puppteered along with Kevin Carlson and Victoria Lee Johnson. Click to view Give Peas a Chance and HaPEA Anniversary.