Yes, I'm a newbie. I do school assemblies as a musician/storyteller & want to spice up my shows. Is puppet size a factor in doing school assemblies? I need to learn it all so it'd be nice to have easy, expressive movement of the character. Should I pick based on a projected personality that i think will work for me? Or on the size/dexterity of the puppet? Plus, sadly budget is an issue -so I need to keep that in check too. So much to learn.....where to begin......

I imagine you would want to examine your stories and see which puppet could be added to one of your stories. My wife says that since I am a tall person I need bigger puppets. She says the little ones tend to get lost next to me. (Probably hiding behind my stomach from the side view!) But I have seen someone use small or large and to me, they both look good.

You may want to go with a puppet you can change clothes for, so he/she could be in several different stories. That would probably be a boy puppet. If you have a collection of hats I suggest a larger puppet that could wear a different hat based on it's character, such as the bear.

Depending on the instrument(s) you play you might want a puppet that can help play the instrument.

In my opinion, personality and emotional expressiveness easily trumps size and realistic movement, even though the latter don't need to be sacrificed for the former.

For a first pro-level puppet, I would suggest a character that is goofy-looking rather than serious-looking (i.e., not a Snortin' Horton or Vincent Vulture), as goofy is most appealing to audiences, I've found, and provides quite a few contexts with which to write scripts (Mr. Goofy forgets easily, mispronounces words, is oblivious to surroundings, etc.). And, for a first puppet, I'd ideally go for one that can form expressions with his face by finger and thumb movements inside the latex.

The top two puppets that I think fit this bill:

Vern the Bird (talk about goofy....and a depressed finger in the ridge above his eyelids can close his eyes and make him "sleep" in the middle of your presentation!)

Bongo the Gorilla (put a finger in this inherently goofy-looking ape's forehead ridge and he goes from surprised/cofused to perturbed)

Think of a voice and character you can do. Do you want a crazy character? Goofy? Can you do a voice that fits that character?

So many vents, pros and beginners alike, make the mistake of just jumping in and buy puppets hoping they can find the character and voice later.

Thanks, guys. This was just the type of food for thought I was looking for. Budget is a factor too. I was looking hard at Crow - now I'm between him & Vern. Flamingo is also possible. I'm concerned about durability too & thought Crow would be good in that way. Yeah, gotta breathe & sleep on it for a few days.

I'm no expert, but agree with Neale & Rick.

I see so many invest in puppets because they "like the look" only to discover they can't do an appropriate voice, and can't crystalize a solid character.

Feeling a character and knowing him inside out is so critical. Once you can do a voice and understand his/her attitude you can always locate or construct a figure. More importantly a UNIQUE figure, to match.

It wasn't but a year ago I was going through the same thing. I ended up with the Dodo simply because the personality wrote itself for me. I've since added a crow and Bongo the Gorilla to my show. I love all of them and I can't imagine durability being an issue.

The Crow is a fantastic choice. I went with an aspiring professional entertainer for my Crow's personality, but you can do whatever you want. When I spend my time thinking (and praying) about which puppets to purchase I try to imagine what contributes most to my show. For example, Koko (my Bongo) spends the whole show cutting up and talking in third person. This works well for some of the simple bible stories that kids may've heard before but may be a little bored with. Dudley (my Dodo) is the not as dumb as I act bird who assist me in several magic tricks. You see find the puppet the fits the situation first.

I agree with the above statement about know the voice and personality before you move. I know a couple of other vents who have puppets that they cannot use because they didn't make the personality first.

I have to admit being guilty of the "buy it because it looks cool". I have a great looking Craig Lovik hard figure that only comes out at Christmas to sit and stare at the lights on the tree. I had told myself that I wasn't a real vent if I didn't use a hard figure. So I bought one and RARELY use him.

I also have a BEAUTIFUL Verna Finly old lady puppet. She was a hit with the Red Hat Society, but that is about all I have used her for.

My best purchases are when I narrow down my choices to a handful, then show kids a picture of each puppet. I let the kids decide what I should get next.

I like the revelation re: Vern that he can fall asleep. That's cool. I'm still leaning toward Crow again. He seems friendly- a little goofy- but with some dignity too. I was told Axtell was backlogged 5-7 weeks so I'd like to decide kinda soon- or it'll really be a long wait. But I like the idea of praying on it too- so I'm going to do that! My concern re: durability was mostly with regard to the frills & the frilly feathers & if it was easy to maintain the 'look'. Like an expensive 'do' that needs pampering & blow drying I was wondering if the more delicate , fluffy thing - a lot of the birds have going- would be hard to maintain with packing & unpacking etc. Thanks again- to all 'o youse - for your kind & thoughtful input!

Oh- & about Crow- not a complete idiot- but definitely not too bright.