This may look like a bit of wool wrapped round a bit of wire, and indeed that is what it is at present, but in a few weeks I’m hopeful it will more closely resemble the sketch of the boar I drew. My task for the next few weeks is to needle felt the body until its hard and round and then I can attach the legs (separate bits of wire which will also need wrapping with wool and stabbing, repeatedly). This is my implement & the reason I’m trying not to felt while tired (when this goes into your finger you really feel it!)
(note the pointy end is very pointy!).
Over at puppet challenge HQ on Clive Hicks Jenkins blog Peter Slight has been compiling his top 5 puppets and encouraging the puppet participants to do the same. I decided the main criteria for my top 5 would be my favourite puppets (although the two closest to the top are also pretty intricate) so in descending order
5. Diet coke girl
There seem to have been other diet coke marionettes who just danced but this dark haired girl my favourite I love that you can see her strings & she has real attitude. She was made by Puppet Heap who you can find out more about here
4. 
Flat Eric. A whole generation of us bopped in our cars and had fantasy’s about purchasing a certain brand of Jeans thanks to this nodding yellow puppet Flat Eric built by the wonderdful Jim Henderson’s Creature Shop
3. 
Count von count – He’s a vampire but a maths vampire who counts everything including himself, he is my favourite colour (purple) and is made from squidgy foam. Growing up with Sesame street (with a mum who was a maths teacher) the count was always going to be assured of a spot in the top ten (also a Jim Henderson’s Creature Shop creation).
2. 
The Psammead – Five children & it, bearing in mind I was quite small when this series was originally shown but I was CONVINCED the Psammead was real, he looked real, he moved like he was real he just had to be real! I’ve always been very careful around sand banks ever since… Yet again another Jim Henderson’s Creature Shop creation (I think there may be a pattern here)
1.
Scorch – the Ronn Lucas Show. This was probably one of the first ventriloquism acts I saw, the Ronn Lucas show was on really late at night but they used to have all sorts of interesting acts on so Mum & dad very kindly set the video for us. The show was compared by George Lucas and a variety of puppets, my favourite (and arguably the star of the show) was his teenage dragon Scorch, the way he had his own personality and waggled his wings and ears was so lifelike, despite the fact he rarely moved off George’s knee I thought he was the most wonderful thing. Here he is in action.
