I am new to puppeteering but have dreamt about it since I was a kid- but now I HAVE kids, and I still want to do shows..anyone have a suggestion for me? I don't have a car, so public transportation is my best bet (I can imagine what attention I would get if I had the Wild Thing staring at people on the bus!). I want to do this more of a working hobby than career, but I really don't know how to get started- but I don't want tapes of the acts- ad-libbing is my strong suit, so that is what I intend to do- all 'off the cuff' so to speak.
I have so many ideas for creations that I could not write them all down! I love fantasy characters and was wondering if you could do a baby dragon, maybe with one little tooth sticking out the front, and big curious eyes...then I thought a crotchety old goat- the animal, not the person- with bushy eyesbrows that are a bit on the frowning side...I would also like to see a sly fuzzy weasel (or ferret)- pointy little nose and darting eyes...sneaky little bugger...and what about a cat? You can make all different kinds with the same mold!
I did see someone mentioned monsters, and my first thought was Animal, from the muppets..can you make something similar? I LOVED him!
Sorry about the babbling- I am just REALLY excited to find puppets with such great expressions and faces- I wish I worked for you guys!!
Have you considered doing food puppets? Like fruits and vegetables- NOT Veggie Tales. I always thought it would be great to do a fruit bowl costume with other fruit puppets surrounding me- or maybe a refrigerator costume...there are too many food jokes out there waiting for characteristic produce!
I was wondering about you adding a "beach bimbo' type to your people puppets...a bikini, and maybe teeth that could come down from inside the upper lip so she can give that charming, yet fake smile? and make the smile really wide- silly, yet sexy, and full of herself- and she should be blonde, of course!
You could use our Big Mouth puppet and put a blonde wig on it for some real comedy! To add the bikini, you could hang it from a hanger underneath the head.
It works better with a shirt etc, because the body would be invisible, but it may work and it's creative.
Glad to have you! The Wildthing is awesome good choice. And yes we do have a baby dragon (DinoStar with the attachable wings).
THere are several video tapes to help you learn ventriloquism, or go to our learning center on our webpage for a free peek at techniques. Also for routine ideas Mark Wade's book on Kid SHows is great if you're doing kidshows, if not then look at the other resources.
Maybe I will do that! LOL! And I guess it couldn't hurt to get a few tapes for kid shows as well....gee, I think I need to save up a bit more..lol..do you have a payment plan??
Hey, I Really Don't Know How To Start Ofv Either. Right Now, I Am Just Basically Doing Puppet Shows For Local Things. You Know, Bake Sales, Church, Local Stores, Parties, Ect. Just For The Fun Of It! I Was Recently Doing A Puppet Show For A Bake Sale At A Local Wal*Mart, And So Many People Were Coming Backstage To Talk To Me And Asking Me Where I Got My Puppets. I Even Got Asked If I Would Be Willing To Do A Car Show For Somebody! Good Luck, Bye!!! Jamin (Ben D.)
When you did puppet shows for bake sales, etc - how did you structure your show? What a great way to begin! I'm curious about what you've found effective. Would you mind sharing? Did you use a puppet stage? What puppets did you use? Did you do a routine every now and then, or a show for a solid hour, etc?