Not sure where to put this but I am looking at building a puppet that the puppeteer will wear as a costume like big bird, this will be for promotional events need help with plans, size & materials etc.

hey there, I'm sure we can help you with this somehow, when i first started to make large costume puppets, i looked on the net at different 'fursuit' companies (savageturtle.com is quite good) they will give you a fantastic idea on how to construct the actual suit, it is slightly tricky to get the puppet head in the right place, but not hard at all, depending on where the head is!!! 'big naz' is a good example of the head being in front(ish) of the performer and therefore a bit easier to manipulate, however, if you are looking to do a costume puppet where the head is above the body (like bigbird) then you will have to pad out the 'neck' so that your arm doesn't show too much, and you are going to need strong arms to have your arm up in the air for any long period of time!!

but good luck and experiment as much as you can, it is all about finding what works for you too, also are you going to make a fake arm to hang by the side whilst your other hand is working the puppets head?? because there are a few theads on here concerning that subject, just have a search around, you will be surprised at what subjects have already been discussed, including both the costume puppet and the arm.

Ben.

These are actually very tricky to make, I have done a few but never been completely satisfied with any of them, except (ironically) the first one I ever did. The main thing is to give yourself lots of time. You might also want to check out Instructables at http://www.instructables.com which has a lot of good tutorials on different kinds of costume projects that might help you.