Hi, this is my first post here. I have not done much work with puppets but I started working on one about two years ago and just shelved it at a certain point. I'd like to get going on it again though so I posted here to get some feedback/ideas. When I was growing up (1980s) I watched a lot of muppet stuff, and I was especially into the dark/creepy puppets and the ways they moved, like the skekses on "dark crystal".

The puppet I'm working on is sort of a scavenger bird, somewhere in between a crow and a vulture (I started out by doing the head which I think is kind of crow-like.) It's made mostly out of coat hangars and thin flexible wire.

There are two control wires that come out on the underside of the body, one that opens the mouth and another that lowers the head. Both of these controls are counterbalanced by heavy hair elastics. I think the head lowering looks pretty natural when the elastics are balanced nicely but the opening of the mouth looks a little weird to me, thinking I might move the jaw pivot point a bit lower and see how that looks. I might also make it so that the part under the "chin" doesn't protrude as much but otherwise I think I'm pretty much done with the head structurally.

I'm not so sure the size of the body looks natural (bit small) and I was thinking I might just end up redoing it entirely, maybe do it up with a wire "ribcage" instead of the way I've done it. I would like to add wings with a similar control mechanism, one or two pull strings and elastics counterbalancing the pull. I was saving some ribs from a large umbrella to use for this purpose, but I lost track of them so I will have to find another one to take apart. Someone was telling me about a movie where umbrella ribs were used as bird wings but I haven't been able to track it down. I want to figure out a way to get them to move like vulture wings without much effort on the controls (the sort of hunched shoulder effect.)

Welcome to Puppets and Stuff................ Your project looks very interesting and challenging, of course we love a challenge with the possibility to learn something new. Look foward to seeing how this plays out. Welcome aboard. Make yourself at home.

Billy D.

Welcome to P&S!  Vulture project looks neat.  Is this the video you were referring to?  ; It's not a wing mechanism but the same concept seems applicable.

Pam

Thanks for that youtube link Pam, looks like that person is doing some interesting stuff. The video really does a good job of 'explaining' the mechanism visually. From that person's description of the bird wing puppet in the movie I would think it uses pieces from the same type of umbrella (the smaller ones where the ribs fold up into three sections). Those seem like they would make good spider legs too.

I found a couple of umbrellas by the curb on my way home last night, one of that type and one of the larger type where the ribs don't fold.
Lately I was messing around a bit with the elastics and stringing of the bird's neck to try to get it so that it returns to the upright positon more easily without sacrificing range of motion too much. Right now there is sort of a 'dead spot' when the head gets too low. I am thinking now that the simplest solution would be to add a sort of 'rail' sticking out from the collarbone area to prevent the neck from going too far down. Ideally if it was a bit springy you'd be able to give a tug  on the neck control to bounce the head back up if it did get stuck.

Pat

Ideally if it was a bit springy you'd be able to give a tug  on the neck control to bounce the head back up if it did get stuck.

See you can find what is called Spring Wire Music Wire or Piano Wire in your area. The big major hardware stores do not carry it but if you have an old locally owned hardware store you might find it there. Here is a resource site that may help you find it on the internet: http://www.thomasnet.com/products/metals-spring-wire-50841006-1.html

Hey there Canadian PSI

I would suggest the link that Shawn gave you as well as look at a hobby shop in the area they sell all varieties.  Go to the variety shop that sells the remote control planes and boats they defiantly sell it there.  I didn't have any luck with even the small hardware stores around here. 

I hope this helps.....

Daryl H