I am very interested in this show concept offered by Studio Bizarro.  The show is called Planet BIzarro and the clip I watched was very interesting.  I would say the show is definately not for small children (especially with a zombie sketch), but it was well done.  Super puppets, great puppeteering, check it out to find more videos online.

This is your last chance to enter your puppet in The Once Upon a Puppet Contest!  The dealine is tomorrow, so finish those noses, arms and eyes.  Get those puppets in you guys (and gals)!  Hey, I’m a poet!  Don’t be late.  I am looking forward to seeing what people come up with.

(photo credit: Bryan Woltjen)

The Esperance Festival of the Wind was held on 22 March this year. The festival began as an art-themed celebration of the positive energy wind brings to the town of Esperance, Western Australia, but it has now evolved into a celebration of ‘community, art, culture and shared fun’. Puppet designer and maker, Bryan Woltjen, together with animateur Karen Hethey, community groups, schools and individuals, made 8 fabulous giant puppet sea creatures for FantiSea, part of the festival. The frameworks are made from a mixture of bamboo and cane, with wire and gaffa joins, the skins muslin dipped in diluted PVA, and dyed. It is likely the puppets will make an appearance during the UNIMA 2008 festival in Perth.

It’s a bit crazy, even scary, to imagine a million puppets of all sorts in one place, but that’s the objective of the Million Puppet Project which was launched yesterday (on World Puppetry Day) by Spare Parts Puppet Theatre in Western Australia. Under the project, people from around the world are invited to make and send a puppet to Perth, WA, to participate in a new Guinness World Record: The World’s Largest Puppet Display! This will be part of the UNIMA 2008: 20th UNIMA Congress and World Puppetry Festival, which is being held in the southern hemisphere for the first time.

If you need a jump-start to make a puppet, there are various simple puppet design templates ready to dowload, or you can strike out on a design all your own. Let your imagination run free! Puppets will not be able to be returned to you, but they will be donated to charities afterwards. And when the display is being finalized in April 2008, you will be able to see the installation in progress via a web cam linked to the site.

Títeres, Puppets, Marionnettes, Bonecos, Ningyogeki, Dukketeater, Burattini, Loutkové Divadlo, Teatr Lalek, Dockteatern, Marioneta, Nukketeatteri, Bábszínház, Txotxongilo, Koukla, Teatterinukke, Aroosak, In-Hyeong, Kukla, Sogow, Pyped…

No matter how you say it, you’re talking about puppets! A great resource for finding a puppet company, puppeteers, performance troupe, or other puppet entertainers in your corner of the world is to check the Worldwide Directory of Puppet Companies at Takey’s Website - www.takey.com. Check it out!

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.

Well it would seem that there are some very cool things happening over at the Ontario Puppetry Association (see previous post). First off I would like to congratulate Phil Arnold and Mike Harding (see previous post), on their new positions as President and Vice President of the OPA, respectively.  I must admit that I was a member years and years ago, and I have let my membership expire. I may just have to join again and get some puppetry socilaizing in. It was a lot of fun and I actulaly met many of the members (who are now running the OPA) when I first joined years ago.

To read more of what is happening with puppetry in Ontario just visit the News and Views section of the OPA website.

Something that I have been thinking a lot about recently is the idea of creating a “name for yourself” (reputation) as a builder. I know I have worked very hard to do so and it is always a thrill when someone says they know my work or that I built a puppet that inspired them. When I build a puppet I have always been the only builder who makes it. What I mean is, I create the patterns, cut fabric, glue, sew, etc. I build the puppet.

Now that may not seem very unusual until you take into account some realities that may exisit in a puppet building workshop. The idea of working with a group of builders on a project. For example in a puppet studio you may have a team of builders all working together to build one puppet. One person does the fabric patterning for the head, another person does the patterning for the arms and legs. Someone adds the features and details, another works on the head sculpting, and yet another person does all of the sewing and gluing. When you consider all of the people who work on the build, I am left with only one question. Who built the puppet?

Not so easy to answer.

What amazes me is that for years I had admired the puppets of certain builders and only this past summer did I meet someone who I never even realized was the primary person who had done most of the building. I had been a fan of her work for years and I never even knew it. What I have come to see is that often the lead builder may get credit for a puppet, but there are often other builders who do a good amount (and in some cases most of) the work.

As a result of this new insight, I am now more curious than ever to find out who the “real builders” of some of my favourite puppets are.

It will be an interesting investigation. Keep tuned in for future posts on some of my favourite and some lesser known puppet builders.

Puppet Buzz’s very own Pasha has posted a great enrty over at his Project Puppet Blog.  He talks about how someone who used their patterns found costumes to fit over at Build A Bear Worshop.

For those of you who don’t know what Build A Bear is, it is a store where you are able to select your own stuffed animal “skin” and stuff it with polyfil.  A pretty cool idea in itself, but there is more.  The stores are packed with tons of great costumes for really good prices.

I’ve often stayed away from Build A Bear costumes because the puppets I build are a bit too large for the outfits.  Too bad for my puppets.  However, Pasha makes a really interesting discovery that he writes about in his blog entry.  Project Puppet’s Roly pattern fits the bear outfits perfectly.  Amazing bit of news it is.

I have long had little puppet short ideas that I wanted to do, but the amount of time it would take to make (nice quality) puppets and equally nice costumes always seems so daunting.  Now it is easier than ever.  Don’t be surprised if you see a short or two from me online soon.

I won’t be surprised if one or more people see how cost effective and easy it would be to do something with this news before I get a chance to.  A great discovery it is indeed.

 

Hey, there’s a new puppet website in town! Check it out - www.thirdfloorpuppets.com. The site was officially launched October 3, 2006 by sixteen-year-old Chase Woolner. Age certainly is not a factor when it comes to skill and talent. Chase is a very talented puppet builder and performer and is already doing something about it. Take a look at his resume, and don’t forget about the gallery!

It seems to me that puppetry’s future looks brighter and brighter every day.