Shawn, are you talking about corrugated plastic? Polystyrene is also a common material for temporary outdoor signs. You can probably get a nice-sized piece pretty cheaply at a local sign printing company.

Thanks, Na, I think I understand. I wanted to try the rubber for durability, since I've read about cardboard getting moist and softening, and I imagined it being more comfortable than a more rigid material. My concern was that on this puppet, as sculpted so far, the lower jaw and movement of the mouth is barely visible, making flexibility irrelevant since there won't be much gained by way of facial expression when so hidden under the snout.

As I sat for a portrait drawing class this morning, I determined that I should probably sculpt a slightly larger lower jaw and have it attached to the foam as an open mouth so that his speech is more visible.  I'm thinking of Miss Piggy's mouth, although I have no knowledge of how she is constructed.  This also addresses the issue of ergonomics for me.  I have been practicing "holding" a puppet with my right hand, moving the thumb down to open the mouth and keeping the fingers fairly still so the head remains level.  I am not very good at this.  It seems to me that closing an open foam mouth will be a much more natural and easy movement. I assume the foam and fleece combo will be both springy enough to pop back open while not presenting too much resistance, avoiding fatigue. It also seems I will have more opportunity to create expressions with the added visibility. If anyone has an opinion or experience with this theory, please let me know what you think. Is there ever a device incorporated into the build to add spring to opening the mouth back up or is that unnecessary?

It is gasket rubber Shawn. It's black, about an 1/8" thick, and smells like a new tire. Do you use something thicker?  I was wondering if I should sandwich a couple layers. "Gasket" says super glue works well on the rubber.  I was going to try contact cement.  Don't know if it matters.

It is annoying that I must go to a doctor appointment and then model for another class tonight when I really want to be working on my puppet.

No need to add in a spring to the mouth.  With rubber gasket you get a bit of spring back and yes if the mouth is built in the open position it will naturally want to fall open.  Don't forget gravity. Even with your current design of the lower jaw you are going to get some help from gravity.  Quite frankly I find it harder to do the "practice" of moving the lower thumb then actually having my hand in a puppet head and manipulating it.  The practice is so you get used to not throwing your top finger up which moves the top of the head thus losing the focus of the eyes of the puppet forward. 

Contact cement should work on your rubber.  That is what the shoe maker uses to attach the rubber to the bottom of shoes. In fact Barge is the best brand I've found when working with rubber both on shoes (I work  in theater wardrobe which includes the repair of shoes) and when used in puppets. Using two layers may give you a bit more spring back.

Yep Chris you hit the nail on the head! Corrugated plastic is the term I was trying to think of. Bottom line is if you have a sign shop close to you take a visit and see all the cool poster boards they have. Or make a round of the neighbor hood after an election and collect signs.

P.S.  I like your lower jaw.  I realize it is not the traditional hand in mouth look, but that is what I like about it.

Thanks, Na, I think I understand. I wanted to try the rubber for durability, since I've read about cardboard getting moist and softening, and I imagined it being more comfortable than a more rigid material. My concern was that on this puppet, as sculpted so far, the lower jaw and movement of the mouth is barely visible, making flexibility irrelevant since there won't be much gained by way of facial expression when so hidden under the snout.

The rubber should work well. I think though the jaw will have sight issues. If used for videos this won't come up much, but in general you want large movements and action. Not only does it help direct the audience's eye to the correct place (ie. if talking you want them to know which puppet is doing that talking) but it also helps because puppets appear smaller from a distance on stage. That means any movement they do becomes more subtle the further away the audience is.

Flexibility is also not just about facial expression, but the comfort and range of movement you can achieve. If the mouth is rigid the puppeteer's hands quickly get sore - as I can attest with my first builds - because it requires far more effort on their part to move the mouth at all. I believe my puppeteers got sore hands after maybe 10 minutes with my first puppets. Secondly, range of movement may be more of an issue than the 'size' of movement. You may not open the mouth very far, but you may wish to do other things with the puppet, like a sideways underbite when the puppet talks. It's far far far easier to build in more flexibility, and therefore more range of movement, than to have to work with less range and flexibility in performance. The difference is the former means you may discover new personality quirks or characteristics via improvisation or simply find it easier to work with the puppet's planned movements VS being able to do less or even not being able to do what you planned at all.

The others are more experienced and wise when it comes to building these kinds of puppets, but the thing with any type of puppet is that you have to remember it's a thing with moving parts - those parts have to be moved in ways you expect, as well as ways you don't expect. Once you get the puppet moving in your hands, you discover the materials tend to have a mind of their own.

After much deliberation, I have decided to build the head again, slightly larger, and with a few moderations. I made a pattern of the foam pieces as I went so that should move along more quickly the second time.  I have a photocopier I can use to enlarge the pattern pieces.  I think the fit was tight enough that it would restrict movement a little. You gave me a lot of food for thought in that regard, Na, thank you.

This time I will definitely cover the snout and nose separately before assembling, Shawn. Great tip.

I hope that reducing the jowls on the snout a little and sculpting the mouth open will make his speech more visible.

You have all been so helpful. I'll share my reinvented fella soon.

This time I will definitely cover the snout and nose separately before assembling, Shawn. Great tip.

I hope that reducing the jowls on the snout a little and sculpting the mouth open will make his speech more visible.

Those are some great suggestions and I'm sure you will get it right. I'm new to puppet building as you know so here's my two cents... "What if you removed the neck foam and used fabric in that area. That way the puppet mouth could open wider with more movements?"

Keep us posted and updated on what works!

- Will

Love it!

After much deliberation, I have decided to build the head again, slightly larger, and with a few moderations. I made a pattern of the foam pieces as I went so that should move along more quickly the second time.  I have a photocopier I can use to enlarge the pattern pieces.  I think the fit was tight enough that it would restrict movement a little. You gave me a lot of food for thought in that regard, Na, thank you.

While I'm sorry to see you're starting again - if only because there's lost time and effort - I think often 'practice, practice, practice' is the puppet maker's mantra. The more you do it the better you get. I'm glad I could provide some tips you found useful

Good points Na. I generlly build my puppets to have as unmovable a top pallet as posible, as in real life this is part of the skull and does not move at all, and if it is attached well to the skull foams is what gives the whole head movement. The mouth is entirely a  thumb movement, and so is constructed for that. I have tried a number of materials  for the mouth plate, and found that the more flexible ones tend to deform and if you want lips to stay where they should be, then a rigid material is good. Real jaws are bone after all. The flexibility comes in the hinge and is helped or impeded by the material surrounding or attached to it. Card on its own can get damp with perspiration and warp and degrade, and so I tend to make a sock type liner which glues to the card, which gives that flexibility as a hinge and helps reduces wear that sweat can increase.