Too Long...

Hello everyone!!!

I just realized that in the last year, I've only made two posts to this blog.  That's simply not enough.  At all.

I was told by a customer today that he misses seeing updates on the site, and he mentioned that "Life goes on." That is true, and in many ways puppets were out of my mind for a little while.

I had a particularly difficult time building the Yeti, Jr that I sold last year.  Nothing wanted to go together right, no matter what I did.  It was frustrating enough that I wanted to take some time off of building, and that I did.

When I went back to it, I found that I didn't seem to have much creativity going.  The ideas that were coming into my head were really just rehashed ideas of puppets I had already done.

However, I did manage to get a couple of good ideas going...and I wanted to finally show a few updates.

For those of you that do come to the site, and think that I may have forgotten about puppets???  

This is my dining room table...yes, my formal dining room table...as it stands today!!!  Notice that it is, quite literally, covered in puppets that I have made, purchased, and worked on variously.  Some were bought, others were made, and that pink one??  I made it, but it was so complex that I probably won't ever try to make another one!!!  It's a flamingo, and it's wings actually flap with a mechanical device mounted inside of them.  What you can't see in this picture is that there are other puppets behind these ones, which means that the table is pretty much completely covered in puppets.  What isn't covered in puppets is covered by puppet making things, like a sewing machine and a tool box, and then radio controlled car stuff.  One of these days, I'm going to get that table cleaned off and get a proper workshop set up!!

Anyways, I still have a few things that I need to do.  Last year a customer bought a dinosaur that turned out GREAT.  I need to still make myself one to add to my collection, and then add him to the site so that he can be made for more customers.  Also, I still need to make my own Yeti, Jr again as the one I had was sent to a customer.  Finally, I still need to add the Wise Old Frog that I have made for the same customer who bought the dinosaur, so I can add him to the site!!!

So, that's on the To-Do List...and yes, I know that those things have been on the To-Do List for a while...

But now, on to some other things...a few character teasers.

First up??  The replacement for Rabbit.  I never really liked the way Rabbit looked.  He just didn't come out as good as I expected.  So what to do??  How about downsize him, base him on a pattern that I'm more comfortable with, and come up with this cute little guy???

His ears have weights in them so that they hang down like that all the time, but the weights are actually magnets, which allow you to stick them to each other if you would like.  It makes for a pretty cool look with his ears hooked to themselves below his chin.  He's really cute, and once he gets a body he'll be a GREAT looking puppet!!!!

Next up??  I've been teasing about Otserp for a LOOONG time.  Otserp is a monster puppet, but he's a friendly monster.  Otserp has been through a lot, as far as my design aspects go.  I originally designed a puppet with smooth fleece as Otserp, but just didn't like the way it came out.  The main problem was the stuff I used for eyes was very one off, and I couldn't find any more of the...so I would never really end up being able to make another Otserp.  I ended up selling Otserp as a one off puppet to a friend at work for her children, along with the Rabbit that New Rabbit up above replaced.  So anyways, after a redesign I came up with this...and I think it looks pretty cool!!!

His fur flows well, but the best part is the fur around his eyes moves all around with even the slightest movement or wind.  Really interesting.  Again, with a body, I believe he'll look fantastic!!!!  You could set his character up as either a monster, or a furry alien from a distant planet who's here looking for Cheetos.

Finally, this was a character that I just kind of came up with because I hadn't done anything in this color fleece yet and I wanted to see how it came out.  This is Albert.

Albert has crazy hair, and beady little eyes.  He's also red...really red.  His eyes are red, his skin is red, his tongue will be red.  Albert is an inventor and scientist.  He keeps telling me over and over that he's pretty sure that E=M^2C, but thinks that something is out of place.  I'm sure by now you're getting my corny joke and get where the name Albert came from.  Anyways...Albert will look great when he's finished...and I'm thinking that he could be a great character for many things.  Mad scientist??  Check.  Crazy old man that lives in the scary house at the end of the road??  Check.  Homeless Vagabond out collecting cans??  Check.  His possibilities are endless.

I hope this coming week to get the Characters page rearranged in the way that I plan, and hopefully I'll be seeing you guys soon!!!!

New Character Coming Soon, and Maybe Some Website Changes!!!

Hi everyone!!!

I've got a new character that's about to be unveiled!!  He was a custom order for a customer, but he's so great he just HAS to be added to the normal rotation.  He's a frog...and he looks VERY wise!!  We'll just leave it at that until I can get his pictures loaded up!!!

Second, there's may be a few changes to the website soon.

I am thinking about changing my categories of puppets from what they are currently to something that lumps similar characters into the same categories.  For instance, I may be moving Dart, Paddy, Javelin, and this new character all into a "The Frogs" category, and then listing each one's description and price right with the description.  I would also put a category like "The Yetis" for the Yeti characters. 

The reason I am thinking about doing this is because some of the puppets don't really seem to fit into the categories very well.  For example, some of the characters are placed into one category, but then priced higher than the standard for that category.  Mogul is an example of this.  He's in the Basic PLUS category, but he's more expensive, which kind of throws the category right out the window. 

The current setup for categories that I am looking at is as follows:

The Frogs
Dart
Paddy
*Unrevealed New Character, Wise Old Frog*
Javelin

The Yetis
Yeti, Sr
Yeti, Jr
*Unrevealed New Character, Mrs. Yeti*

Aliens and Monsters
Blip
Mogul
Vlad
Dion
*Unrevealed New Character, Otserp*
*Unrevealed New Character, Perry*

Furry Friends
*Unrevealed Replacement for Rabbit*
McGarrett

By doing this reworking, I will be able to not lump the characters into categories that they might not fit in, and I will also be able to have them priced more appropriately for what they are. 

As the winter draws near, it's time for me to get back into the swing of making puppets.  I STILL need to replace a few of my own, and I need to get finished on these new models that I've been working on.  Some of them have been nearly done for a LONG time now, and I just haven't had the time to finish them. 

Long Time, No Post...

Hello everyone!!!

I know that it has been a VERY long time since I posted anything on this site, but I wanted to let everyone know that I have NOT forgotten about my puppets. 

I just kind of feel that puppet making for me is more of a fall or winter type of hobby, and when it's nicer outside I tend to have a few other things that I work on. 

But, I have a few updates that I wanted to let everyone know.

First off, I will be working on two Dart puppets for a lady at work.  She wants a couple for her kids, so I plan on working on those soon.  They won't be any different than the Darts that I have done in the past, in fact, they are even colors that I have already done.  Blue and orange. 

Second, I have still got a couple of puppets to make for myself.  I still need to replace my Yeti, Jr...but I'll be looking at a few different ideas for making his mouth, because I really struggled on the mouth with the last Yeti, Jr I tried to make.  Unfortunately, when I started looking, it turned out I had been making the mouth wrong on these last couple of puppets I had made.  It had worked in the past, but for some reason it just wasn't working this last time.  I also still need to make myself a Perry the Dinosaur puppet.  I am going to make him just like the one I made for my customer, only a different color. 

Third, I have a good idea for another puppet that will be listed on the site.  It's going to be a relative of Dart and Paddy, but a bit different.  I think he'll turn out pretty well, but I have a couple of things to work out with him before I seriously get started on him. 

Fourth, I have one puppet that is almost ready to be listed on the site.  He's going to be replacing one of the puppets.  This will mark the first time that I have retired a character.  I'm doing this because I was never really 100% happy with the way this puppet turned out, but I am 100% happy with the way a similar puppet turned out...so I figured, if I'm not happy with one, why not replace it with one that I am happy with?? 

Fifth, I haven't forgotten about the video I was going to do showing some of the other puppets that I have in my collection that haven't been made by myself, but instead have been purchased.  I will work on that in the coming weeks as well. 

Finally, I thank everyone for continuing to support my puppets...especially my wife, Cathy, who has been telling me for a few weeks now that I need to work on a puppet or two.  I hope to have the new character designed and possibly ready for construction in the next couple of weeks, and I also plan on having that replacement character done extremely soon. 

Updates...Updates...Updates...

Soon I will have some updates.  I'm really sorry that I haven't been updating as often as I would like to, but I've been busy doing LOTS of other things...not the least of which was working on Perry...which was a GREAT success.

I'll have video and photos of him up in the next few days.

As for other puppets??

Otserp has been revised.  He was the puppet that I was contemplating canceling.  I revised the parts of him that I didn't like and will be listing him on the site soon.

I will also be listing another version of Rabbit soon, that is smaller and in my opinion a bit cuter.

Both of them will be ready soon.

Not to mention, Perry will be added to my list of characters available for purchase.  The custom order came out so well that I simply can't NOT list him as an available character.

As for stuff I'm working on other than those puppets, I'm making another Yeti, Jr for myself as I ended up sending mine to a customer.  I may try to do something slightly different with the mouth on this Yeti, Jr...but I'm not entirely sure.

Overall, Perry took me a LONG time to design and make...but the finished product was well worth the wait in my opinion.  I'll be making another one of him for myself as well to showcase him in a different color scheme.  I'm thinking of going with a royal blue for mine, where the one I made for my customer was yellow.

Hi Everyone!!

Just wanted to take a quick second to update some things. 

First off, I apologize about the lack of new characters.  I STILL am in the finishing process of several of them, however, one of the puppets might end up being scrapped.  Why, you ask??  Well, because he simply didn't come out the way that I had hoped he would.  One part of him is really cool, so I will probably incorporate that into a new design, but for now I'm thinking he'll just end up in my collection and not really be shown.  It's POSSIBLE that I could modify him and end up releasing him with just a slight modification, but one part of him really didn't come out the way that I would have liked.  Oh well, you live and learn, right??

I also wanted to mention that I am currently in the design and build process of my very first commissioned puppet.  It's a dinosaur, and I'm going all out on it!!  Here's a picture that I was given to work with. 

He's basically going to be a puppet similar in size to Dart or Paddy.  His skull is a modified Dart skull to add the dual colors and the horn/spike on the back of it.  I've made a pattern for his legs and feet and they are going to be great.  I also have something special planned for his arms that will make them very dinosaur like...but that's a secret that won't be shown until I get them built. 

It's coming along pretty well.  The process of designing the patterns is time consuming, and I went through several designs before I had the legs correct.  I'm going to run into the same thing with the tail, I'm sure.  The head, however, was actually quite a bit easier than I had anticipated it to be. 

More info on Perry the Dinosaur as he progresses. 

Last, but definitely not least, I have sold a full body Yeti, Jr.  So I wanted to post a picture of what Yeti, Jr looks like completely finished with legs and everything.  So here he is!! 

I don't currently have my own Yeti, Jr laying around now, so I'm going to have to make myself another one.  I was sad to see him go...he's one of my favorites...but I'm sure he'll find lots of love in his new home.  Besides, it gives me an excuse to make another one, right???

Hi Everyone!!!

Hey everybody.  Jeff here.

Just wanted to check in and let everyone know that I'm still working on puppets.  I have two that are nearly ready to be released, and one that is ready to be shown, but I don't know if I'll actually be selling him.  Right now he's more of a showpiece to show what I can do.  Of course, if anyone wanted to commission one like him, that could be arranged. 

I'm also still in the planning stages for the video of many of the other puppets that I have purchased. 

I've been pretty busy lately, which is why there hasn't been much new in the last few weeks...but rest assured I still have puppets in the works...some of which I haven't even mentioned before!!!

Mogul!!!

Hi everyone.

I know it's been a while since I showed you guys a new character.  I apologize for that.  I had planned on getting several characters done in January, but in the middle of the month my Grandfather passed away, and I really just didn't feel like doing much puppeting.  But I'm back, and I figured I'd give you guys something awesome that hopefully was worth the wait!! 

I still have several characters that are ALMOST done...including Otserp, a small bunny character, and a really...REALLY cool bird.  The bird is something I've made but I'm not sure if I'll be selling it because he's VERY hard to make and would probably cost quite a bit.  But if anyone's interested, I might be able to make him on a special order type basis.  More on that in another post on another day, though. 

Today, I'd like to introduce you guys to Mogul. 

Mogul comes from another planet...actually, he comes from Ganymede, one of the large moons around Jupiter.  I don't know how he got here.  He claims to have been brought by another group of aliens and left here to spy on us.  He's not a very good spy, though.  I caught him trying to eat a stick in the tree in my backyard one day.  I don't know why he was trying to eat sticks.  He actually is like our very own monkeys here on earth in that he really likes bananas.  Because of this, I kind of think of him as a space monkey.  Bananas and popcorn are his two favorite foods.  He would do just about anything for them. 

Mogul enjoys climbing, as do most other monkeys.  He has a pretty serious problem.  You know the saying "What goes up must come down?"  That's not necessarily the case with Mogul.  He has a tendency to climb so high into a tree that he can't get down.  I'm constantly having to get my 30 foot extension ladder out to climb up into a tree and retrieve him.  I feel bad punishing him for it, though, because he gets so scared when he's stuck up there.  He just shakes and shivers until we're all the way back down on the ground.  I keep hoping that one day he'll be able to get down on his own, but I'm not holding my breath. 

Mogul is an absolutely fantastic puppet.  He's full of all kinds of personality.  Just look at those eyes and that fur!!!  His fur is similar to Yeti, Jr, but obviously a different color.  His body is basically just like Dart or Paddy, so if you have one of those puppets you'll have a firm grasp on how to control and use Mogul.  His arms are attached with doll joints.  His eyes are just like Paddy's, but covered in that awesome fur so it looks like they are actually part of his head, instead of just attached to the head.  Now for the coolest part...

...Mogul's body is patchworked together.  Basically, he's a standard fleece body attached to the all fur head.  On top of that fleece, however, I have attached a ton of small cut pieces of the fur to make it so his entire body is covered in fur.  Why is it done this way??  Easy.  The fur is actually striped purple and black, but I didn't want his body striped.  By patchworking it together, I was able to make it look as though the body is just black and purple in random different spots.  I also was able to attach pieces with the nap of the fur going in different directions, which allows for the extra messy looking fur that looks so perfect on him. 

Mogul will be a Basic PLUS character, but he will come in at a price of $75 due to the time consuming work of cutting and attaching all the pieces of fur.  But trust me, he's worth every penny.  Mogul can also have legs added to him for an additional $25. 


Thanks for looking and your continued support!!!