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!!!

Updates...

Hi friends.

I wanted to take a minute to give a few updates.

First off, I apologize for the lack of new characters recently.  I  have two that are almost ready to go, and I was going to be getting them up this past Wednesday, but unfortunately my grandfather passed away and we had a funeral and a burial to go to, so I simply didn't have time to finish the characters up.

So I'll be trying to get them done soon.  There are three that are pretty much done, they just need to have the final little touches put onto them.

After those three are revealed, I have two more ideas in the works that will be interesting I think.

Other than that, I also am planning on doing a video to show some of the OTHER puppets in my collection...some of them that I have bought from other talented puppet builders.

Thanks for your continued support.

Jeff

A Quick Update...

Hi everyone.

I just wanted to take a moment to let everyone know that I still have several puppets in the works...and three of them are just about ready to be released.

One of those two, in my opinion, is absolutely amazing.  He's going to be an Ultimate Character and he's going to require more time than normal to finish him.

The other is a family member of Rabbit, and has some really cool ears.  I like the way he has turned out.

I am still working out kinks on a couple of the other projects.  King is on hold right now because I simply can't get a part of him to work out the way that I want it to.  Ultimate Yeti, Sr is still in the works as I still try to nail down the fabric that I want for him.

The project that my wife has been helping me with is also coming along now.  I've got a good plan laid for it, and hopefully will be able to start putting the plan to the sewing machine in the next couple of weeks.  I think he's going to be a pretty cool and interesting puppet.

Character Reveal...

Hi everyone!!!

I have a new character to show everyone...here's a quick description of him, his name is Rabbit.

Rabbit is a puppet that is similar to Yeti, Sr. By that, I mean he's a two handed puppet where you control his head with one hand and his arm with your other hand. He has awesome ears that flop around s you move his head...you never know where they're going to end up when you're just playing around with him, but with a bit of practice you can flop them forward, backward, or even have one forward and the other backward!!

He's got cool little teeth and a nifty looking nose.

Here's the story for Rabbit...

"Rabbit is a janitor at a local junior high school. He's worked hard his whole life, and was recently promoted to Head Janitor at Foresthill Junior High. He hasn't let his promotion go to his head, as he continues to believe that hard work always pays off. He's always in to work early, and always going home after everyone else. He's a model worker and has used this drive to help him get everything he wants in life.

Rabbit lives in his hole with his wife and his son. They are both very proud of Rabbit, but his son goes to Foresthill Junior High. Sometime's he gets picked on by the other kids because of his dad's profession. If only the other kids understood that no matter what Rabbit does for a living, the fact that he puts carrots and lettuce on the table everyday is all that really matters.

When Rabbit isn't working late, or going to work early, he enjoys flying kites and just being outdoors. He is planning a camping trip for his family to Yellowstone Park for sometime this coming summer...if he can pull himself away from work for a couple of weeks!!"

Rabbit is a great character, and I'm sure you'll love him as much as I do. If you're interested in a Rabbit, let me know. I primarily make him in the tan colored fleece, but he would be available in any of the fleece colors that I have...so if you want a neon green Rabbit, you can get him!!!

Thanks for your interest, and again, Happy Holidays!!!

Jeff

Merry Christmas Everyone!!!

And, to those of you that don't celebrate Christmas...Happy Holidays!! 

I just wanted to take a quick second to let everyone know that I've got a big reveal coming up soon.  I need to get some video work finished for part of it, but let's just say that THREE new characters will be springing up really soon.

So, I hope you all have a great holiday and a Happy New Year!!!

New Character Coming Soon...

Hello everyone!! 

I wanted to let everyone know that there will be a new character coming in the next few days.  He is tentatively going to be a Basic PLUS character, so his pricing will be $60.  However, I am working on some different eyes for him that may be able to bring him down into the Basic character range.

I also am very close to getting done with one of the projects that I've been working on for a while.  Otserp may be ready to go in the next week or two. 

King is still in the process of being designed.  I've run into some snags with his "house," and I'm trying to work through them but not having much luck.  I'll keep at it, though, and hopefully I'll be able to release him soon. 

Ultimate Yeti, Sr is still in the works, as well.  I've still had no luck securing the fur for him.  I may have to end up looking for the fur at another outlet if I don't get any luck any time soon. 

Finally, the project that my wife has been helping me with is temporarily on hold.  I wanted to do something really cool with the eyes for that puppet, but the size just wasn't working out.  So I'm in the process of reworking the entire design to create a slightly larger head so that the eyes will be able to work with him.  I'll keep you guys updated on any status changes for him...but for now he's kind of on the back burner. 

Thanks for visiting, and I hope you guys will enjoy the new character when he hops in later this week!!!

Some Updates...

Hi everyone.

I am sorry, but I still haven't had a chance to upload the character description and the video that I want to make of McGarrett.  I've been really busy and haven't gotten much time to do it lately.  I will try to get it up this coming Sunday.  I really want the video to be up so everyone can see how cool McGarrett's ears are.

I also wanted to mention that I've still got some more great characters that I'm working on.  Some that I mentioned before, and some new ones.

I'm still waiting on the fur for the Ultimate Yeti, Sr.  It's been out of stock for a little while, and when it came back in stock I missed out and by the time I got my order placed it was gone again.  So I'll be on the look out still for that fur.  I know it's going to be amazing when I finally get it.  I also have another addition to the Ultimate Yeti, Sr that will make him that much more cool...but it's a secret for now!!!

I'm also still waiting on the project that my wife has been helping me with.  I was going to try to do something really interesting with the eyes on that puppet, but after drawing it up I don't know if the size of the puppet will accommodate what I wanted to do.

So that's the update on the projects mentioned earlier...now I'll tell you about a couple of projects that I'll be starting to work on soon as well.

The first is Otserp.  I'll explain the name when I introduce him.  He's going to be a fleece puppet in the body style that Yeti, Jr is...but he's going to have some super special ears.  I'll leave it at that, and hope that you guys like him when you see him.

The next is King.  King's a character idea that a lady named Alice that I work with came up with.  It's a variation of the Dion puppet that I'm sure will make HISS-tory as a Puppets by Jeff Original.  I'll just leave it at that.

Last, I would like to once again thank everyone for your support.  I'm still growing as a puppet seller, and I have slowed down my listings on Ebay and Etsy while I try to complete my entire line up of characters.

Thanks again!!!
Jeff

McGarrett is Now Available!!!

Hello friends.

I just wanted to let everyone know that I have found a suitable replacement fur for the material I used to make McGarrett.  It's slightly longer, but I actually think it looks better. 

The fur he was made out of was apparently a "Halloween Only" material from a local supplier, so I will be sure to buy as much of it as possible next year. 

McGarrett will go for $65.  I'll have him added to the Characters Page soon. 

New Character...Tentatively...

Hi everyone!! About a week ago I sent out an e-mail to my customers mentioning that a new character was coming.

Well, I've been having some trouble nailing down the material from a distributor. The original distributor for the material no longer has any, and I am in the process of trying to find a new distributor to be able to provide this great character to all of my customers.

I have an assuring lead on a source for the fabric, so hopefully within the next week or so I will be able to have this guy available.

Until then, I wanted to show everyone a quick photo of McGarrett. He's a dog, and he has something that the other puppets don't...those ears. See, they aren't just on top of his head, they can be posed in any angle that you would like.

Hopefully I'll have this guy ready soon, until then, please enjoy this teaser photo!!!

Current Projects...

Hi everyone. I just wanted to let everyone know that there are a few projects that I'm currently working on that hopefully I will have available soon.

The first project is an Ultimate Yeti. This Yeti will feature an absolutely fantastic faux fur that looks so real you'll swear it came from a real Yeti!!! If you add an Ultimate Yeti to your Yeti Family Collection, you'll have three great puppets that will absolutely knock your audience out!!!

The second project is a Dog. He'll be based on some of the other heads that I have now, but he'll be furry and have ears, like all good dogs should. Basically, think Dart but furry and with floppy ears, and you'll have a good idea of where the Dog will be coming from.

Finally, I have this amazing fabric that I picked up a while back that I've been waiting to do something with. Well, my wife has helped me pick a style for it, and now I'm just waiting on her to come up with a name and I'll be making him and offering him. He'll be similar to Yeti, Sr but with this amazingly crazy fur and a surprise for his eye design.

Keep checking back often, you never know when there will be an update!!!!

Thanks for your support everyone!!!!

Jeff

New Character...Introducing, Dion!!!!

Hi everyone. Thanks for checking out my site and looking at this new creation.

I wanted to post a video of this new guy, because pictures don't really do him justice.

Here's Dion.



He's a plant. Dion is actually short for Dionaea Muscipula Maximus, which is basically "Giant Venus Flytrap." I don't really know where Dion came from. All I know is that there's this little dog that lives down the street from me that is always in my yard going to the bathroom. One day he was near the side of my house where there's a bit of overgrowth and I went to chase him away, and when I got around that corner he was gone. The only thing left was his leash, which was near the ground in front of this odd looking plant. As I walked near the plant, I noticed that it looked really odd.

I dug it out of the ground and put it into this blue bucket that I have, and that is where Dion is to this day.

Dion is a GREAT puppet. He's got loads of personality, is completely different than anything else that I've done, and is something that you aren't going to see very often. I think he'd be great for some stand up comedy or some walk around comedy. The cool thing about a plant that's a puppet, you don't have to even give it a voice at all. It's voice could basically be controlled only by it's actions, which means you wouldn't need any kind of ventriloquist skills or anything like that.

I'm still working out the pricing of Dion, but I'm thinking that he's going to fit into the Ultimate Line of puppets that I have, which would put him in the area of Javelin. With that said, I'm seriously thinking about adjusting the price for the Ultimate Line altogether, so if you're interested in a Dion puppet, let me know and we can work something out.

Thanks for checking him out!!!!

Puppets by Jeff Presents...Javelin!!!!

Here's my newest character...Javelin. 

He's the first of my "Ultimate Characters," and his price point will be $120.  That price includes everything seen in the video. 

Check him out!!!!

Update on New Character...

Hi everyone. 

I wanted to make a quick update on the puppet that I was going to be introducing.  I had been planning on introducing this character as a Basic PLUS Character, but some things have changed.

I've basically added a LOT more features to this puppet than I was originally planning, and as such I've come up with an entirely new line for this guy. 

He's going to be great, and I think he'll fit into my lineup really well. 

I should have him done in the next couple of days. 

New Character Coming Soon...

Very shortly I will be introducing my next Basic PLUS Character.  He's going to be similar to a puppet that's already available, but different.  Let's just say he's one of the puppet's big brother. 

I also will be adding Yeti, Sr to the Character's section with the next couple of days, complete with a biography and information about the puppet. 

Stay tuned!!