Whoa, Dude

This is Jimmy.  It is interesting how something can start as one thing and then slowly or even suddenly turn into something else.  Jimmy started as Rupert, a shy and immature pre-teen.  As I worked on Rupert, he began to take shape as a completely different character.  The shirt was going to be kid-like, but the more I worked on it, it looked like a leftover from the 1970's surfing circuit (I think it was the fabric pattern and collar).   The addition of the sun-touched hair cemented the idea that Rupert had now become Jimmy, a care-free, fun-loving surfer dude who's main interest is watching the big blue role in and the direction of the wind.  The goatee ands seashell bead necklace topped him off.  His favorite words are, "whoa" and "dude" with an occasional "super-max."  His name is Jimmy and he was born to surf.

Why Not a WhatNot?

Normally, I create my puppets from the very essence of puppetdom.  I build the pattern, the fleece, the features, and give birth to something from my imagination or what the fabric and foam say to me.  I guess you could call me something of a puppet midwife.  Whoa, that's weird.

On a recent trip to New York City, I couldn't help but go by the Muppet WhatNot Shop at FAO Schwartz.  Ok, it was more like one of the first stops I had to make- that and Mood Fabrics.  I read about the WhatNot Shop on line and played around with building a puppet on their website.  It is actually pretty cool.  You can design a Muppet WhatNot on your computer and then have it shipped to your home from NYC.  But slow down you say!  What is a Muppet WhatNot?  (Chant that line like from the opening number of Cats- "What's a Jellical Cat?  What's a Jellical Cat?!?!  Moving on...)  A Muppet WhatNot is an "anything" Muppet that has no features.  At any point in a production one of these blank Muppets can have features added to it in order to play bit parts or be a member of a crowd.  I guess the idea was so interesting, that FAO Schwartz brought it to the public and to those powers that be, I am very appreciative.

On that late April afternoon, my traveling companions (my mom, aunt and wife) made our way to the famous toy store.  While they mingled among the stuffed animals, trains and dolls, I headed straight back to the WhatNot Workshop.

At first, you are greeted by this.  Joy filled my heart, the voices of a thousand characters filled my head and I think my eyes began to tear up... obviously from a stray piece of fluff floating by.  What moron would cry over a puppet?

There are many examples hanging on the walls, on shelves and in clear vinyl bags ready for the purchasing.  Those are pre-made... no creativity involved.  Barf.  I understand this is a better option for some people.  Bless their hearts.

There are also cases of Muppet parts and innards. Among them, a set of foam lips that belong Janice and a foam skull of Dr. Bunsen Honeydew.  If you don't know who those characters are, bless your heart.

Luckily on this day, I was the only person at the counter.  Usually, the place is hopping I was told by the Muppetmeister.  When you approach the creation station (I don't think they really call it that, it was just my name for it) they let you look around.  When ready, you say, "I'm ready."  Then they say, "Are you sure you're going to commit?"  You then say, "Yes," and they hand you a little packet of Muppet body photos and cling-on facial features and clothing.  You have to make a full on commitment in order to get past this first step.  The guy at the counter was very specific about committing before moving on.  I committed and I'm sure some say should be committed.  After a bit of time (probably seemed like forever by the Muppet Man and my traveling fellows, who were all very patient), I made my choice.  This was not easy, for the Muppet Man told me there were over 250,000 different possibilities.  You can see my green guy in the bottom left corner.  The others were thought about, but didn't make the cut.

The Muppet Man retrieved a body from a back room and eyes and nose from a lower drawer.  Then, he proceeded to glue...

And glue...

And call for back-up for more glue...  You can see the pre-made/ pre-bagged WhatNots in the upper left corner.  I like to call this the beginner/ generic/ what's the point/ people with mush for brains section.  The frozen stare on the orange guy at the bottom right agrees with me.  You can see on his face he is saying, "Why would you buy a pre-made!?!?!"  Suddenly I realize, someone might be buying a WhatNot for some one as a gift, maybe even a sick child in a hospital that can't come to the workshop themselves.  Oh, I feel bad.  But wait, couldn't they design one on the website and then that person take it to the workshop to be made, even if they were in the hospital?  I don't feel bad anymore.  But maybe they want it to be a surprise and would rather not have that sick child use what little bit of energy they have to tap the buttons on a computer keyboard, after all the poor kid has to take a break from peeling a banana he or she gets so fatigued.  Ok, I feel bad again.  But if that be the case, wouldn't they want to create a WhatNot from scratch for that child as a special one-of-a-kind treasure?  I don't feel bad anymore.  How could anyone feel bad around a Muppet.  Let's continue...

After waiting for all of that glue to dry and paying my bill (those suckers aren't cheap, but well worth it in my opinion... I did have to buy Nikki some shoes (not at the WhatNot Shop) as well- it's only fair),  my Muppet WhatNot was bagged up and sent with me back to the hotel.  I was proud to carry him through the streets of NYC slung over my shoulder giving him the first vision of a world full of delicious possibilities. I couldn't wait to get him back to the hotel to take a photo.  This is that photo, taken eight floors up overlooking Times Square.  "Start spreading the news!  My Muppet's here today!  He wants to be a part of it..."  You can finish the rest.

And then he came home.  His name you ask?  Jim Knimble (pronounced Nimble- the "k" is silent).  I see him as being a very uptight news anchor.  Only serious news, none of that fluff reporting.  Ironic, eh?

For those of you who can't make it to NYC or FAO Schwartz anytime soon, Toys R Us has a WhatNot kit available for purchase online and at most of their stores.  I stumbled upon this by accident and got so excited, I had to buy one.  It comes with a body, various eyes and some hair choices.

On my Toys R Us WhatNot, I chose to use only the body and none of the accompanying parts.  I named him Spud.  He likes to break dance, although as of late he seems to be developing an interest in crunking too.

If ever you feel the need to be creative or just have fun, check out the whole story behind the Muppet WhatNots or make your own.  The world can always use one more freak.

Quote

"I have learned to regard fame as a will-o-the-wisp, which when caught, is not worth the possession; but to please a child is a sweet and lovely thing that warms one's heart and brings its own reward."
-L. Frank Baum, Author of The Wizard of Oz

Creature Feature (Ha! I Made a Rhyme!)

I recently got the request to build a mascot for a blood clinic.  They gave me the freedom to create the look of the creature, but wanted it to be a vampire (blood clinic, go figure) and he needed to be comical and friendly.  I got to work, first on the actual size of the head.  I thought, to add to the comedy, his head needed to be over sized so it would sit awkwardly on a normal body.  As always the case with building mascot heads (at least for me), the hardest part to solve is what to use for a base.  It needs to be sturdy enough to support the sculpture, but still have enough room to accommodate a real person's head and shoulders.  The structure also needs to be similar in shape to the final product so there doesn't have to be layers built upon the base adding extra weight.  Those heads can get heavy and hot, so the less uncomfortable, the better.

To begin, I went to a local store and walked around looking for different shapes.  I tried on flower pots and buckets, but finally decided on a kitchen trash can.  Yes, I tried them on.  I'm at the age of "I don't care." After taking some measurements, I drew out the shape of the lower chin, knowing that the finished creature would have an extra seven inches of height due to his dome head which would come later.

After cutting the shape with a jig saw, I drew out the basic facial features.  Most importantly, I decided where the mouth would be because this needed to be the next cut.

After cutting the mouth hole, I wrapped the entire head in a layer of one inch foam.  This layer was going to allow me to add definition later and smooth out the features of the creature, rather than add skin and such straight to the can's outer plastic.

Dome head added.  He seems to be happy with it.  Under the dome, I filled the space with poly-fiber- fill (one of my favorite things to say) to give the foam a little extra support.  Hey, dome and foam rhyme too.  This post is becoming more like poetry.

Now come the fun parts.  I wanted his brow a bit more pronounced than the rest of his head.  Later I would be adding up-turned eyebrows and by making the brow protrude from the forehead, it will make the eyebrows jump off the face more.  I also added some curve nubs on each side of the mouth.  By adding just a slight bump in that space, when it comes time to paint, the mouth will look bigger and have more of a comic grin.  What, you say?  Trust me.  Before covering the head in the skin, I added an extra chin piece, just to give his lower jaw a little more shape and interest.  You'll also see the drawings done on the face are with a yellow marker.  Yellow doesn't show through the fabric as easily, but always test the transparency of your skin fabric first.  Nothing worse than an unintended mascot with tattoos.

Next, I added the a layer of skin and airbrushed the features.  I looked at several different colors for the creature, but decided on a lavender fleece.  Why?  White is too obvious for a vampire and I thought the purple would look nice in contrast with the black hair he would later get.  After all the Count on Sesame Street is purple and it has worked for him for decades.

The most difficult part of the whole build was the black wig.  For it to look right, the seams could only be in certain places, mainly along the ridge of the corners and back of the head.  I drafted several patterns on the structure before deciding on the proper seam lines.  The wig is made of a very short and shiny fur.  As with all fur, when cutting, it creates a mess.  Add to that problem the issue of static electricity generated and whew!  I had to literally get out the vacuum and suck myself clean before leaving the workroom.

Time to start adding facial features.  A pair of glitter eyes and some dark purple lips took the creature to the fierce level.  I always hold the pieces in place with pins before permanently sticking the parts together.  I also have added (though it is hard to tell in this picture) a piece of black shark-tooth scrim in the mouth.  Theatre people know what that is, but for those of you who don't, scrim is a loosely woven fabric that will allow the person inside see out, but make it more difficult for people on the outside to see in.  At this point, I also added a dimple in his chin.

Eyebrows (made from trimmed down feather boas), fangs and a tongue are glued in place.  See how those ridges at the corner of the mouth make the smile bigger.

And finally a nose, some pointed ears and a few tufts of white on either side of the head to give him that older man, distinguished look.  A couple of sparkles in the eyes and he is ready to go.

Now, if anyone says my work sucks, I can't be offended.

Jim Henson: the Biography

I just finished reading Jim Henson: the Biography.  It was a very easy and interesting read.  I enjoyed it so much, that when it was over I became disappointed, even wanting another hundred pages.  

The book is packed full of history, creative opinions and wonderful stories from the TV shows and movies I watched while growing up.  What made the experience of the book even more fun, was to watch DVDs and YouTube videos that were available and corresponded with each chapter as I read.  

Henson died at a very young age, but his wisdom and approach in the entertainment industry touched all the people he worked with in a great way.  His drive, leadership and work ethic all revolved around getting the most creative and talented performers, writers and craftspeople to work towards one unified vision.  But through all the creations, he knew the most important aspect of collaborative work was to take care of your staff and co-workers.  A happy, respected and loved group is a productive, happy respectful group who love the work they do.

An amazing mind and a kind spirit.

A Christmas Puppet

This past Christmas, I had a request to make a puppet for a very special little girl who also happens to be an aspiring puppeteer.  There were no specifications, only something fun.  I knew the puppet needed to be a girl and have a certain Sesame Street style of face.  A few days before she was to be delivered, I got to work and came up with this little mop-haired, freckled friend.

I love her stumpy, chubby style- it sort of balances her over-sized purple nose.  Thanks to Nikki, my wife, the puppet had beautiful lemon yellow braids.  By the way, speaking of delivery, it is the hardest thing to send a puppet on its way when it is completed.  You spend hours with this thing and at times even catch yourself talking to it.  Geppetto and Pinocchio's relationship is so much more clear now.

Christmas morning I receive a photo text with the picture below and a quote that said, "My new best friend!" I think she was named Suzie.  Nothing like the power of creativity and puppets to get in touch with the inner child-like happiness in all of us.

 And then this happened...

Pearl's a Singer... In a Nightclub

"Pearl's a Singer" is a song written by Leiber and Stoller and is featured in the musical revue show Smokey Joe's Cafe. It's a great song which put an image in my head of an older woman that has had her time playing the clubs trying to get her big break, however, it never came and so she is stuck in the corner of a cloudy bar singing old standards and no one pays attention.  Even though she never made it big, she is very content with her life and never goes out with out the proper dress or her make-up (heavily) caked upon her face.  When I started making Pearl, I kind of had a vision of Carol Channing in my head, but a very un-classy version Carol.  Carol has had great success, but Pearl's still just a singer... in a night club.  It all starts with a drawing- originally, Pearl was going to be a bleached blond, but I found some really fun, shaggy yak looking fur for her hair, so I changed.  The only thing I'm a slave to is the glue gun.  Once hot glue meets fleece, fur or fabric- it's all over.  I also put some photos of Carol in my sketchbook.  I think the thing I got most from her was the expression in her mouth.

Next, I started working on a foam base.  I knew Pearl need to be (clear throat) a little fuller in the in the chest area.  First time I've ever done implants.

After getting the foam structure done and a covering of skin, I made her a tight-fitting dress.  It was my wife that said to gather the dress in the front for more... exposure.  It did give her a little more, how shall we put it?  Curve appeal.

A couple of arms complete with elbow length gloves.  Every classy lady wears elbow length gloves ALL. THE. TIME.

Now, time to put the pieces together.

I decided she need a bit of a sleeve.  When she waved I didn't want to see that old lady extra skin jiggle.  Pearl may be bold, but she still has her modesty.

Making the dress floor length.

Add a little jewelry, a sequin overskirt and belt and a little (ok, a lot) of make-up.  I had purchased some round sunglasses at a dollar store and was going to pop the lenses out for Pearl's Carol-inspired eyewear, but then I found a pair horn-rimmed cat glasses in my costume storage, I knew those had to belong to Pearl.

Does anyone remember Grace Jones?  She was an actress that was famous in the '80s.  I think she was in a Mad Max movie at some point.  No, I'm not remembering Tina Turner in Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome... but suddenly I hear playing in the back ground "We Don't Need Another Hero... Here in Thunderdome."  Look it up. Anyway, I think Pearl looks like Grace Jones in this picture. 

All that talk of Tina Turner and I realize, she has Tina Turner hair. I just need to put a curve in her hand so she can hold her microphone and Pearl will be ready to sit on her stool and talk about the days with Frank, Dean and Sammy.

First Inspiration

For as long as I can remember, I have always been fascinated by puppets. Not sure why- perhaps it is the character? Maybe the creativity? Or it could be they just make me happy. Yes, I was like a lot of kids when I was younger in which I would take an old sock, add mismatched button eyes, a scrap of felt and create a friend that would always do what I said (get it?). I did silly shows and painted backgrounds on large pieces of cardboard- the whole wagon (traveling show) through the neighborhood bit.  Everyone probably thought, "Look at that poor little gypsy child.  He's so cold he has socks on his hands."

But lately, as I grow older (and in need of more friends that will do what I say- ha!) I have been really interested in the craft of puppetry and creating specific characters- hopefully of a much better quality than that of just an odd stocking that no longer has a match. In that interest, I have been reading a lot about different styles of puppets through history and from different cultures while slowly carving out a space in a spare bedroom as an art room (puppet laboratory.)

Over the years, some friends, co-workers and myself have made puppets specific for shows- from tiny glove and finger puppets to full-size head to foot (and beyond) walk about body puppets. I have lots of pictures of the finished products, but very few of the process. It's that process that leads to the inspiration of creativity which makes building things from scratch so darn interesting.

So hear I am. Posting the first of what I think will be a fun experiment. I'll try to add pictures and sketches as I go along and maybe even a video or two. To get me started: a wonderful piece of inspiration/art/comedy/pure joy. This is one of my favorite scenes from the first season of the Muppet Show. Who knew a chunk of foam could make me laugh so hard?!?!

 

Oh yea, and later I'll explain the significance of the name Pink Wand Puppets.  Hope you enjoy and follow along!