I have been trying to figure this out. I tried doing it but mouthplate is to small to manipulate. to open and close should I use finger tubes to help open and close. or if you got a better idea I would really appreciate it.
Kevin

Did you made "Honeydews" head from one piece of carved foam or is it sheet foam?

The amount of tension on the jaw has a lot to do with how it opens and closes, but yes, anything you can use to give you a better grip and support will help.

Julie

Honeydew is made out of a carved piece of foam. Ok actually they have a mold that they pour liquid foam into now but that type of construction is beyond most folks here.   Remember just like with a puppet made out of pieced foam you want to construct the mouth in an open position. So in this case you carve it in the open position. There was an image in a recent post that actually had a shot of his raw head uncovered in it but I could not find it. The mouth almost looks like an "O".

Duhh.... I remember now.   Not so much of an O as I remember. In fact the mouth is not as open as I would guess it needs to be or that I've done when carving a puppet. 

I saw in book where they carved a hole in back side of foam to glue in baby bottle nipples to grab each finger. I bought the nipples but have not tried it in a puppet yet, it looks like it would make the foam move in sinc with the fingers more, I'm dying to try it. You might have more range of motion, like forward and back with this as long as the nipples grab onto tips of fingers well.

Not sure if it was Puppet Mania or Puppet Planet, just gave my copies away.
http://www.creativemin.com/product/1265/puppet_building

Shawn, do you know what type of liquid foam they use? It would be interesting to try some out. For science. ;D

Not sure if it was Puppet Mania or Puppet Planet, just gave my copies away.
http://www.creativemin.com/product/1265/puppet_building

It must have been Puppet Planet. I could not find this in my copy of Puppet Mania.
Link no longer available.

Dr. Megan,

Not sure of the exact brand or mixture that Henson Studios uses but it would most likely be something like this. http://www.monstermakers.com/product/the-monster-makers-foam-latex-system.html

You have to sculpt your original out of clay then make a plaster cast that  you then pour or inject the mixed liquid latex into. It expands into the mold much like the stuff you buy at the hardware store in a can for insulation but it is more pliable. I know that some processes require that you put into a low temp oven to cure.  Here is a technical paper that gives some details on the two processes. http://www.patrickimmel.com/tsgo/PDF/TSG13.pdf

Other resources and sources:
http://www.sagecraft.com/puppetry/building/foam.latex.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foam_latex
http://www.gmfoam.com/
http://www.makeup-fx.com/mirakeleng.html
http://www.sagecraft.com/puppetry/building/FoamPuppets.html
http://thehollowboy.blogspot.com/2010/11/painting-foam-latex-puppets-pax-paints.html
http://www.axtell.com/flock.html
http://www.fxwarehouse.info/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=FW&Category_Code=Flock

Wow! Thanks for the info! Probably not something I can achieve in the lab right now, but once that research grant comes through....

Ok, I can clarify this a little better. I've worked with various foams for many, many years. There are two basic types that would apply; foam latex and foam urethane. Urethane is a two-part "cold foam", i.e., it does not have to be baked. It can be used in a plaster mold, but only if there is a separating skin, like latex, or if the plaster mold has been heavily treated with any number of separating agents. Urethane foam can be found in fairly low densities down to about two pounds. The lower the pound number, the softer it is, the higher the density, the harder it is.Two pound density is about the same as a lot of the sheet foam you're building the puppets with. This is a much more "doable" system than the latex foam and doesn't require anywhere near as much equipment, although you need to be careful with it as it can be messy and sticks to everything. . The two parts of the foam are mixed and poured as a liquid into the mold where it expands over the course of a few minutes. Be aware that it becomes quite hot during this period. It sets by itself and can be demolded usually in about 20 minutes. Something to keep in mind with urethane foam is that there are two different types; the old resin-based and the newer water-based. I've used them both and while the water-based is not as even or quite as soft a cure, it has far less noxious vapors!
Latex foam is a much softer, more flexible and stretchable foam, but is much more involved to work with. It does not need a separating skin or layer like urethane. The molds cannot be the usual plasters as the heat needed to bake the foam destroys the plaster. Hydrocal or Ultracal are the stones of choice.  The foam itself is usually at least three parts and most of the time four. It does not expand of it's own and must be whipped in a mixer up to the desired volume. And it is a very delicate mix, much like a meringue and quite easily gotten wrong. The foam must be injected or pushed into the mold before it gels; at that point it holds it's shape, but isn't cured. The mold must be baked, usually a couple of hours, for a final cure. After the mold cools, the finished foam piece can be removed.
Miss Piggy is made of flocked foam latex and you don't want to know how much she cost to make!