Hello all!

I'm starting to begin the brainstorming and drafting for my next upcoming production, The Crayon Kingdom, based on the book by Jennie Bishop.


I am planning on building all the puppets for the production and already have an idea of what I want. I would like to follow the book's idea of having the tip pointing down [that way I don't have to make it].

However, I don't want to just make a regular tube with a mouth for the crayons. I would like to give them a bit more of a professional look by having the mouths slightly curved out like the OWS Candle Puppets.


I was hoping perhaps some of you would be able to help me with ideas on how I could do this. If you also have any other suggestions or comments in general feel free to make them!

Are you talking about the lips on the puppets to curve out?

I would say that the candles are just tubes with a mouth built in to it......besides adding some foam lips to give them some extra character.  I also hate to say but I think that you will need to build the tip on the head, either wise they will look like candles and not crayons.  I personally think that you could keep the tips as plain foam (dyed of course to the colour you want) and the wrapper of the crayon could be the fleece.  This will make it look more like a crayon.  I would make the tips like birthday hats concept.  On the book they can get away with the tip on the bottom because you can see the whole body, from top of the head to the bottom of the crayon you will not be able to show the bottom as easily and to convey a tip at the bottom would be more difficult as a puppet......unless you put a hole in the back of the crayon and put it up higher then you could have the bottom of the tip showing (think like a vent doll concept) however they will see your hand and part of your arm.

I hope you get my drift.......

Daryl H 

I think you can get away with the tip being down. It might be that you would have to do a couple double puppets that have the tip, perhaps on a smaller scale as rod puppets" that could be used to set up the full look. For example you could start the show with the smaller rod puppet versions on a hilltop in the distance. Not sure what the story line is but there may be other places you could use this technique to show them full body.  I also think the markings that crayons have are distinct enough that people well recognize them. You also have to take into account that the name of the show is The Crayon Kingdom.

Somewhere in a recent thread a tubular puppet with a curved mouth was discussed I think.    Man my memory is getting bad. Remember they don't have to be foam muppet style puppets.  They could be a cardboard tube that had a mouth where the bottom half (lip) slides up and down to animate the speech.  In fact if you did that you may be able to build the tip into the larger ones and make them all rod puppets.  If you want to go foam muppet style you might be able to use the basic design concept that is used for the puppets that Nice builds and has the videos for.  Instead of attaching a "normal" body to the head you would attach a tube or you could "cut off" the top of the head and just use the mouth that is attached to the front of a foam tube.  The key is to not get stuck on one idea... explore the alternatives.

Are you talking about the lips on the puppets to curve out?

Yes that's exactly what I meant! And ah ok I see, so would I need extra foam around the lip for it to curve out? And I was thinking of just covering all the crayons with fleece but I want to get a better look at the illustrations in the book before deciding. And hmm, I think I'll have to try both ways to see which one works, and I've seen puppets where the opening is in the back. I think I'll have to experiment a bit.

@Shawn Oh I had never thought of that and I like the idea! And I was also thinking they'd be easy to recognize sicne they are crayons!
And oh really? I'll try searching for it to see what I can learn! And I actually want them to be foam just because it gives it some flexibility. And I am thinking of that. And that's what you've lent me so I'll take some time to think!

Hi, just wondering how this is gonig?  Someone asked me to make a sausage character, might be a good starting point.   Seems like the Simpsons mouth would be a good shape to go for.