D'oh Boy

OK, the first of the Puppet A Week project puppets is complete. I present the +Len Peralta puppet. I got a few pics and a bit of build process video I’ll edit into something later in the week. 

Esoteric puppet building stuff: 

Mouth-plate: he’s got a different mouth-plate design than I’ve used before, which isn’t as stiff. I’m not sure I like it for a person puppet, but I like the flexibility for making facial expressions (think Kermit). Instead of felt fabric, cardboard or rubber plate, and then foam, it’s just the foam and a stiffened felt.

Control rods: His control rods are the cheap flags used to mark gas/water lines in the yard, though I do want to attach them to dowels for easier holding. The hands have an extra “thumb” with an opening inside the hand and a bit of velcro to keep the opening closed. The velcro also keeps the control rods from popping out as easily. I’m pretty happy with this design. There are a few additional features to it I’m considering for future puppets, but this is a relatively easy and highly functional way of doing control rods.