Hi Everyone

My name is Jo and my local Theatre group is putting on - yep you guessed it Avenue Q - and I am charged with making the puppets and must admit - so far so good.

Proportion is a bit of an issue as is body structure but things are taking shape fairly well.

Lucy The Sluts head shape has me a little baffled - the first one i have made as a trial looks more like Lucy the later years then her sexy sassy musical version - so if anyone has any tips on that particular head shape - that would be fantastic.

I also feel i am having a few neck placement issues - is there a trick to this? looking at original pics of the "Q" puppets, some you only really have a suggestion of a neck so i think i may be putting things together all a little out of preportion

Any way I will post some pics and would love some feed back - these are my first full puppets in about 12 years - and its a tough gig to fall back into - so any suggestions would be fantastic

The photos are of what we are calling the rehearsal cast - so the actors can practice


Couldnt figure out how to post pics here - put they are in my gallery

Thanks for reading

Welcome to Puppets and Stuff!

Looks to me like you have done a good job on them. Not really sure what the issue is you are having with necks. The original puppets heads where not attached to the bodies but simply had a tube coming off the head. The puppeteer puts on the head with tube "neck" and then the body slips around that and closes up the back. They did this to make it easy to do costume changes. Depending on how the puppeteer is handling or wearing the puppet it  may look like it has no neck.

Can  you post a picture of what you have so far for Lucy?  It is not so much head shape that makes her, but the hair and red lips... oh and the boobs.

Couldnt figure out how to post pics here - put they are in my gallery

It is the camera icon. Opens a pop up that takes you to your Album so you can choose the image you want to insert in the post.

I've spent the last two weeks looking at how to make the Avenue Q puppets for an Amateur production next march. I'm A complete newbie though! Are there any tips you'd be happy to share? I've been looking at patterns and ordered a few off puppet project but worried they're going to be too small :S

Project Puppet patterns would be a great way for a newbie to create puppets for "Avenue Q".  Check out this thread on enlarging them. http://puppetsandstuff.com/community/index.php/topic,7675.0.html

Also don't get caught up in duplicating the originals. Let your creativity take charge! While it may be your wardrobe person and set designer are looking at examples from the original Broadway version, I doubt they are two concerned about getting the exact same look.  In fact those designs just like the puppet designs are their property and duplicating them exact would be an infringement. That being said I do understand that your director and or producer may be looking for a similar look.  I've had to meet this requirement myself in the past. It is finding that balance where the wardrobe, set and or puppets are recognizable to the public but still not a direct rip off.

Thanks for that! I had not long read that thread after posting this the people at PP were extremely helpful in advising which of they're patterns were close to the originals.... I'm unsure still of a size to enlarge... Everyone seems different! Haha

Yes there is not a definitive answer for how much to enlarge because people use different methods to do it. It also depends some on who is going to be manipulating them. I am 6'3" and have really big clunky hands so if I am building for my self the pattern needs to be bigger then say if I build for a 5'4" high school student.

Hmmm ok, the males are 6' and the females would be around 5'5" :S but all adults
I've photocopied the roly pattern and enlarged it to 120 and 140.... But still unsure! Haha!

Well if it was me I would do a quick and dirty mock up of each size. Just the head in foam with no fabric or features. This gives you a couple of things. One it let's you see how the pattern goes together. Two if it is just a mock up it takes some of the stress off you for making a nice clean puppet. Three you now have two rehearsal "puppets" that the performers can use. Yes they may not have bodies but it let's them get used to manipulating the mouth while performing.

Then take each mock up to the theater and see how it looks from the back row. I forgot to mention this before.  You want to make sure your puppet reads well for the theater you are working in.  A small intimate theater would not need as large puppets. 

That is such a good idea! Thanks shawn! :D

Thanks for all the responses guys and for putting up the picture

Mini.mike - a rehersal set is such a good idea, I have learned so much doing mock up versions - I am happy with most but my Lucy The Slut was an epic fail, did her shape all wrong and she looked like she had a wrinkly neck!

Project Puppet has been a great resourse, I used Borso pattern for Trekkie Monster and enlarged it from, 100% - 122% in the photocopier settings. I have found that i often draft patterns to small and have been at Officeworks enlarging and manipulating.

The neck issue i was having may be more a puppeteer issue, we had a workshop with the puppets on the weekend and some people had trouble bringing the puppets line of focus at a good eye level, I started to think the body shape into the neck was effecting the puppeteer but some people had no problem - it may just need rehearsing.

I will post a shot of Lucy shortly, still unpacking everything from the workshop on the weekend - her body went ok, and her mouth is not to bad - its her actual jaw line where i completely lost it - she looks more like Joey Tribianni's agent from friends "Estelle" than Lucy - but on the plus I now know how to make a puppet character that has "Seen better days"