After coming back from the Puppets Up! Festival in Almonte, Ontario, I have been rejuvinated in my puppet passion and I have decided to write about some of the acts (and people) that I have enjoyed.  When the festival first started (three years ago) I was asked to help out doing puppetry improv from the balcony.  I agreed and did some puppetry on the balcony for maybe two or three 20 minute stints.  I can tell you it is hard work. 

 Talking for 20 minutes is challenging enough, but in the direct sun too, now that was hard.  But that is nothing compared to the other people who helped out.  One of those people is Jamie Douglas.  The truth is that he along with Will Richardson and Allan Martin, ended up being in the hot sun a lot longer than me. 

There is a great video interview of Jamie Douglas talking about The Balcony Puppeteers on the MuppetCast website here. The acts were a hit and before you knew it, they became their own puppetry team.  The are called “The Balcony Puppeteers“, and what is great is that the passion that these individuals have becomes infectious.  They are all super entertainers and have the ability to do it in the hot sun for rediculous amounts of time.  After my short stint on that balcony I have a huge amount of respect for the stamina it takes and for them as performers. 

I am happy that I was able to meet these guys and I encourage anyone visiting the Puppets Up! Festival to pull up a chair and watch them in action.

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!

This little nugget of puppety goodness, though its been in circulation on the web for a while, recently resurfaced over at PuppetBuilding.com. The article was originally published in a 1969 issue of Women’s Day Magazine and includes a play, The Purple-Necked, Black Bearded Blatch, written by Jerry Juhl, and patterns and instructions for four puppets, the characters in the play. You can’t get much more “vintage Muppet” than this!

Here’s the article - Script, Pattern & Instructions

And, for your convenience, here’s the pattern pieces, full-size and ready to be printed - Full Size Pattern Print

Judging from the size of the pattern, it appears the puppets are just the right size for kids. Have fun!

Cross-posted from the Project Puppet Blog.

Monkey Boys Productions, working from designs by James Wojtal, built these seven puppets for a TV commercial for Mexican Televison. The above video is a movement test filmed during the build. What I thought was especially cool, and should be noted, about the puppetry in the clip, was that each animal has its own unique dance style - a very nice detail and a subtle clue into the personalities of the characters. Great stuff!

You may also want to check out this video of an unfinished giraffe puppet showing off his dance moves before falling victim to a violent crime (just kidding - watch the video).

As a puppet builder I have learned a lot about the craft (or technical aspects), but I have learned even more about how to appreciate the art behind truly beautiful puppets. After one look at the puppets from Whatta Character!! I found yet another artist whose work I truly admire. Artist/puppet builder Dave Pavelonis has truly outdone himself with the wonderful and sometimes breathtaking (at least for me) puppets that he has built.

It must be noted that these puppets are truly works of art. Sculpted from a solid block of foam, each one if filled with personality and life. As a puppet builder who admires detailed puppets, just look at some of the detail on these guys. I can only imagine the hours that go into each puppet.

As an artist Dave has many abilities that he can put to use (should you need them). He is an illustrator as well as a sculptor.

Want to see these beautiful puppets in action? Simply click here to see Whatta Character’s video demo (please note this is a direct link to a quicktime file). You can also see one of the videos posted on You Tube by clicking here.

If you would like to find out more about Whatta Character!! drop Dave an email. He is a really nice guy and I am sure he would love to work with you on your next project.

I hope you have been as inspired by these puppets as I have. I feel like building right now.

I am always interested by puppeteers who have a high enough level of skill to perform on Henson projects, but who for the most part are not nearly as well known as the main performers. Over the past year I’ve had the chance to meet many of these performers and I must say I am a better performer for having whatched them at their craft. Now I came across a video demo on You Tube of a performer named Michael Ziegfeld. I’ve never met him or seen him perform in person, but with some of the impressive pictures in his gallery and after seeing some of his video clips, I can see he is quite talented. I don’t get MTV so I know very little about MTV On Demand, however I am curious to find out more. To check out some of his puppeteering go to his You Tube demo or go to his website and read up on him. Sometimes we can learn a lot from simply watching the performances of others.

Enjoy.

I was surfing the net and came across a perfect gift from Old School Skaters Online. It’s a Jim Henson skate board deck worth only $49.95! Great for the kid in you, or for your kids. Check it out HERE

Goal setting is one of the best things a person can do to really make their life intentional, but so many people either neglect this practice and wander aimlessly through life or they set unrealistic objectives that are not attainable. Without goals one has no drive. I believe many people don’t know how to set their aspirations so taking a page from Spencer Johnson’s The One Minute Manager, one should set SMART goals.

S- A goal should be Specific; the more specific the better. This is where you really get to the heart of what you want to accomplish. “I kinda, sorta would like to …” is not much better than not having a goal.

M- A goal should be Measurable; how else would you know when you get there. This goes back to being specific. You have to be able to judge accomplishment.

A- A goal should be Attainable; again be realistic. Losing 65lbs by next Wednesday isn’t going to happen unless you are having a giant tumor removed or lipo or something. (FYI 1-2 lbs per week is considered a safe rate of weight reduction. Check with your physician before starting any weight loss plan.)

R- A goal should be Relevant. Does it matter? I may set a goal of changing all of the laces in every pair of shoes in my house this weekend. You’d say I’m crazy and I would agree. That’s ludicrous. Any goal you take the time to set and attain should mean something to somebody, especially you.

T- A goal should be Time Bound; have a deadline. I’ve found without a cut-off date there is a lack of determination. Set a limit and work towards that. When the time is up, assess the situation and set your next goal. (Without deadlines, there would be no procrastinators…think about it.)

As you maybe able to tell, I am in the process of evaluating a few things. I’ve been a few months without a defined fitness goal and my plan is to start a fitness blog Monday where I will chronicle my efforts to a stronger healthier me and it will start with a goal.

There are not many people who haven’t been touched by Sesame Street at one point or another in their lives.  Well, the original early episodes have now been release on DVD.  This summer I was fortunate enough to visit the set of Sesame Street and I was flooded with memories and inspiration. Inspiration can be a puppet builder/puppeteer’s best tool at times.

I plan on getting this DVD set, if for nothing else, at least for pure enjoyment.  But there is much more to be gained.  The early episodes were a totally different format than what is on television now.  They were originally a series of shorts that ran for the length of the episode.  Also, there was a tremendious amount of creative energy and puppet/animation/live action artistic experimentation that went on.  Much of it as a result of it being the 70’s and a time that encouraged “alternative thinking”.

The result is a very interesting and enjoyable experience.  For anyone looking for a trip down “memory lane” or for a little puppetry inspiration, I would recommend reading this review and considering picking up Sesame Street Old School Volume 1.