Hi Jordandavey,

Is there a local dollar store where you live? Its a great place to get a whole bunch of crafting supplies that you can use to make puppets. If not, ask around if there are craft related stores. I am sure that there is a store where you live where kids can get crafting supplies. Ask around, you may be suprised.

I hope that this was a little bit of help,
Puppet hug,
SHould

Hello,
It is easier to buy puppets, but I think it would be cheaper to make your own. It depends how skilled you are, what your wanting. You can find many materials on the internet. You can do a search on ebay which will bring up a variety of inexpensive foams and fabrics.

Cheers,
Dan

i have a big problem i wrote a list of stuff i need to make a puppet and
 went to my local hardware store they did not have 1 item i needed to make my puppet i did not ask the people there but i had a look and nothing is there to make puppets.

Well the hardware store won't have a sign stating "puppet supplies," but you can find a TON of wonderful things there.  Your imagination needs to take over when you are browsing a store like that.  I live in my local hardware store on a daily basis.  Right now, I am making a horse out of a brush that I found there.  I also use pvc pipe fittings for finger tubes.  I get my contact cement to build foam puppets in the paint department.  What is your list and maybe we can tell you where to get your items.

My online shop has a few choices in plastic eyes and you can also check your local craft store like Michael's or Joann's.  I find a lot of wonderful items in Walmart's craft and sewing department as well.  Like I said, it is a state of mind that you have to go with when shopping for puppet materials.  The imagination is the key ingredient/supply to the art of puppetry.  I live and breath puppetry 24 hours a day and my mind never stops thinking about what I can use to create a "living" character.  Just a simple ball on the bare hand is something of amazement to me.

Let us know exactly what you are looking for and we can probably all help you find what you need.

Good luck!
Nikole

well to make a puppet like from Paul's videos

Ok but what exactly are you looking for.  Here is a list that I think you might need to get you started with a hand-in-mouth puppet:

Pattern (make your own or purchase....one great resource for purchasing is Project Puppet)
Foam (like upholstery foam found in Walmart or craft stores...usually 1 inch deep)
Fleece for "Skin" (found in Walmart, craft/fabric stores)
Glue (hot glue gun found in above stores or you can try your hand with working with contact cement found in the paint department of your local hardware store)

These would be the basic supplies to give you the overall body/shape to your puppet.  Then the rest is embellishments and creativity.  You can use feathers and feather boas for hair/eyebrows.  You can create your own eyeballs with ping pong balls, styrofoam balls, or plastic doll eyes.  If there is anything specific that you are looking for, please ask and we will gladly help you.

Hi Jordandavey,

I think i know what you mean. I saw the video Paul did and you can find many things either at the dollar store or walmart.

For example, at the walmart, you can find type of fleece or any kind of material in their sewing department, in their craft department, you can find boa's for the hair, you can also find stuffing material like he used in his video to stuff the hands and arms of the puppet. You can also find foam, but be sure to spend a little on those materials at walmart. They can be a bit pricey if you have a budget. But if you need small amounts to start off with, i am sure somebody could send you a little of what they have if you ask them.

At the dollar store, you can find pompoms that you can use for nose. Felt stickers for eyes, ping pong balls for eyes as well. You can find felt of different colors for the mouth piece. Plus you can find alot of different items that could help you out at a fraction of the cost. But like Paul said in his video's, if you want a puppet that will last a long time, you may have to buy more expensive materials. But for a first puppet, less quality items are very good. What you will learn from your experience will be far more valuable than the puppet in itself i believe (but that is my opinion only).

Coat hagners you can find at home or even at the dollar store. And as you saw in the video, you can do your own pattern with your marker on the felt, sew it and then cut it out.

I hope that this helped you out a little. I know how difficult it is sometimes to jump into this new hobby. When we are not used to thinking like a puppeteer, it can be difficult to "see" like a puppeteer see's. But you will see that after your first puppet, you will see a little more how to proceed.

And you will even be able to go beyond what you saw in that video. Like Nikole said, you will eventually do changes like making hands with pvc parts and so on and so forth. The sky is the limit. But for now, try finding what you need at the dollar store and the walmart (or any other store that has a crafting section of somekind). And if you really cant find anything, well just send us a list and maybe some of us can help you out from what we have in our puppet rooms.

We are very open to helping any newby. I know i got some great help and still do from many members here. So dont hesitate to ask. A stupid question is one that has not been asked.

If you have more questions, you can email us here or you can maybe try privatly.

Until then, good luck,
Puppet hug,
SHould

It depends on waht you are going to use to make the puppet, whether it is cheaper or not. If you are oging to use spray adhesive for foam, contact cement, foam, fleece, polyfil, eyes, hair, etc. and only make one puppet, you might a well buy one. If you are going to make multiple puppets, then it can be cost effective.

I would strongly recommend purchasing a pattern or a pattern and CD/video instructions. It is much easier to start when you have some directions and patterns to work with. After you get the basics, then you can costomize it to make it your own creation.

jordondavey,

I am trying to figure out where you are living.  Are you in the UK? This may help everyone figure out what the names of products and the places you could look for supplies in your area.

Shawn

 
Hi
Welcome.I'm a newbie too.I have just about finished my first puppet.We all just sorta learn as we go along.This site is A1.Everyon here is so helpful and super talented.
You have come to the right place to be made welcome!
Wisersmom