I have been given the task of making a set of educational puppets for my daughter-in-law who is 1st grade teacher. She has a program that uses 4 characters that the kids choose to tell her which type of sentence she used.  Right now they use pictures on popsicle sticks to vote on their choice, but she wants 4 puppets that she can pull out to show them the right answer.  They will need to be about hand sized. One is a clam Ex-clam-ation! and I found a very cute clam puppet pattern from One-Way-Street and saw one in the photo gallery here too.  But I want to up the educational value and add something unexpected.  Either exclamation symbols that raise up from it's eyebrows or when it opens it's mouth there is an exclamation inside with a big pearl as the point. I think the mouth one would be easier to execute and work. Also have frog to make for the set for question mark. No good ideas for him yet, but I did envision a Batman's Joker-like green skin with question marks all over him.  The other two are Claire declarative (period)she is Heidi like with yellow braids, and sergent Interogative (his mark either period or !)not sure how to incorporative both of his marks. Maybe he could be holding exclamation like a night stick with a period like a metal on his chest? It might be hard to find a sergent hat so small, I don't think I can make hat. For Claire maybe the period could be like a flower in her hand with no petals, or she could pull it out of her Heidi basket? I have been putting this off waiting for the perfect ideas and now I have to get them done perfect or not.  Any creative juices flowing? Your input would be greatly appreciated.
Snail

I don't have any ideas just yet but I love the ideas. I'm a 1st grade teacher too.

Husband says it was Riddler not Joker who was covered with question marks. Had a new thought to make frog a reporter, they ask a lot of questions.  Found an online class for making doll hats that has inspired me to try a fedora and seargent field hat.  Even if you don't want to make hats the free online class had some innovative craft techniques I had never seen before.  My favorite was the bandaid thimble.  I am going to put a heavy piece of leather on my thumb and then hold it on with a bandaid.
http://craftycollege.com/academics/hats.html

Also the Claire Declarative puppet may be a Southern Bell who says "I do declare" (is that bad english?) with a period symbol for a fan? 
Snail

I'm confused.  Isn't the sign for the interrogative the question mark?  What's the fourth kind of sentence?  Interrogative, declarative, exclamation, and...?

Me again.  I was talking to the roommate, and he tells me that the other kind of sentence is imperative.  So why aren't you making an imp? Or is that too obvious?

Ha-ha-ha Funny subject... Grammar + puppets.

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One way streets musical note puppet pattern could possible be altered to make these symbols !  ?

http://www.onewaystreet.com/product/568/puppet_building

Billy D.

The four sentence types are: declarative, interrogative, exclamatory, and imperative.   The declarative sentence makes a statement. The interrogative sentence asks a question. The exclamatory sentence is a statement that shows strong emotion. And the imperative sentence gives a direction or a command.

Put the sergent in an army uniform like a marine drill sergent   Put the symbols on his uniform like insignia.  I like the southern bell idea for de "claire" ative.  Put the periods on her dress like polka dots.  Interrogative  the question mark covered super hero character is cool.  And the ex-"clam"-atory clam is cool.  Put the exclamation points - not sure what to suggest.

Jon, I love the poka dot idea for the southern belle dress, thanks, I was having trouble with that one.  Yes the imperative is seargent simlar to seargent Pain, I have grey camo and want a grey field hat, think he will be bald.  I want to try more angular facial features, but not too scary. I got some bumpy green velour today for the frog skin and am cutting him out today, I am going to experiment on the scraps to see what method works best for the question marks, fabric pen, iron on, or spray paint with stencil.  I had planned on flat fabric but this bumpy fabric looked too much like a frog. Have access to Cricut machine that can cut out small black vinyl stickers as a last resort. Since reporters ask a lot of questions he will have microphone and a little note pad with WHO? WHAT? WHEN? WHERE? HOW?  I was at the comic book store today and I saw lots of pictures of Joker but none of the Riddler, guess he is still in rhyming prison.  Billy, I have that musical note pattern, great instructions, I love it.  That is a new direction, making the character face on the symbol, but the seargent has two symbols, the period and exclamation, I can't visualize how to deal with that.  It think the symbols on his chest may be my best option. Thank you so much for all your great ideas.