Well, Project Puppet is doing it again. They are having their latest puppet building contest and this time there is a theme, Fairy Tales Characters! It’s called the “Once Upon A Puppet Contest” and I am honoured to be invited back as on of the official judges.

Honestly there have been few puppet building contests that I feel have been as well done as Project Puppet’s.  My hat goes off to Pasha (one of our contributors) for all of his great efforts with helping the puppetry community.  Way to go Pasha(pronounced “Posh-Ah”)! 

This years deadline will not be pushed back for any reasons, so I am encouraging anyone who is interested, to look at the official rules and start building. I want to see the best you’ve got!

(Cross-posted from the Chensational Blog)

Although most of the puppetry world knew of the details  behind the giant puppet clips some time ago there has now been an official reveal and a slight reworking of the clips into one full clip along with music. Go along to watch on youtube or read more info here and here.

I came across this DVD a while ago and decided to share it with you all.  It is called Pinatta’s View and it is a puppet video that is intended to help children deal with any worries about going to the dentist.  The puppets look great (designed by Julie Morrison and build by Rick Lion and his crew), there are video clips on the website.  This may make a wonderful addition to your collection. Check it out!

I recently received an email from Chris Deline about a top five puppet video countdown.  It was posted about here.  I would like to add to that top five another video I stumbled across.  The song is called Heart It Races by the group Architecture In Helsinki from the album Places Like This.   First off I love the song, it is catchy and makes me want to listen to it over and over again. 

Secondly is that it uses some great “living” puppets instead of more traditional hand and rod puppets.  These puppets use the performer’s head mounted on a puppet body, and in this case it uses the performer’s live hands as well.

Overall it is a great video and well deserving of being acknowledged too.  Super job!

In my opinion Philip Hatter is an amazing young talent when it comes to puppets.  As the owner of Thistledown Puppets in Virginia, he has done a bunch of puppet videos for Youtube that has received some attention.  Most recently he has decided to make a little introduction video that has him talking a bit about his puppets and his studio.

I think this is a great idea.  It acts as a sort of demo reel, but with more of a personal touch.  After watching it, I feel like I know him personally.  This works really well in creating customer confidence.  I have long been planning to make my own demo reel and after watching this video I am convinced that I need to do it sooner than later.

Make sure that you check out some of the puppets that Philip has made and check out his new blog called Thistledown Puppets: Behind the Curtain.  Awesome job all around Philip!

UK-based Puppetechnics is looking to hire an apprentice puppeteer to operate their puppet theater show, “The Secret of Gooney Farm” on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and Mondays through August. The theater is located in Miniatura Park. You can find more information about Puppetechnics on their site - www.puppetechnics.com - or more about the puppeteer position here.

Many of the puppeteers that are part of the online community are involved in Christian ministries. For those who fall under this category, the Fellowship of Christian Puppeteers is hosting their annual conference at Winthrop University in South Carolina on July 23-27. Anyone in the area may find this an educational opportunity to refine your puppetry skills, learn new skills or perhaps gain encouragement and inspiration for your ministry as you use this powerful medium. Information and registration is available here.

Quite simply, Tableau Vivant Nouveau art coming to life. This example is a recreation of a painting through live performance, originally inspired music, and puppets!  I really like the cute little puffer fish puppet in the video.  The piece has been created by a newly founded art group called “The Imaginary Light Bulb Factory” from Sarasota, Florida.  They do not have a website yet but there will be one to follow soon.

This New Art Group is a worldwide Art Networking Troupe of Artists that features everything from Art Shows on Location to Avant Garde Theatre, Experimental Projects, Tableau Vivant Nouveau’s “Art Come to Life”, and any other great interdisciplinary ideas. “The Imaginary Lightbulb Factory” was founded and is directed by Michael Pukac and Dicapria Del Carpio.  The show was inspired by the art of Michael Pukac and Rye McNeil.

More performance than plain puppetry, it is a great example of how puppets can be used in a variety of applications.

Thanks to Dicapria for the link.

Okay, so here is the question.  What exactly is Showbeast?  It is hard for me to describe really.  It is an online puppet series featuring puppets and people, and it is the brainchild of Benjamin O’Brien (a.k.a. Snow Beast).  It has some catchy songs and some really cool greenscreen work.  It reminds me of a puppet show that The Beastie Boys might have created (if they were into that sort of thing).

Definitely not your typical puppet show, I invite you to venture into the zany world that is Showbeast.  Be sure to check out the Showbeast Blog as well.  They are currently making a really cool Grandma puppet.