Hi folks. Glad to meetcha.  

My name is Bryce and I'm around 50.  When I was growing up,  I was around professional puppeteers and performed in my off time from the age of 5 until my early 20s. I loved puppets,  but then I got burned out.

Now,  after being a stay at home dad with my autistic kids for 12 years,  I'm working an unsatisfying job as a night security guard at a car auction place.

It's only through a fluke that I found a picture of a puppet online, got lost down the rabbit hole and quickly became absorbed into the fascination of professional puppets again.  I guess the love never really leaves you. Heh

This time, however, I'm interested in being on the end of making and selling them. Maybe all those tips those knowledgeable folks offered to me long ago will actually be of use four decades later.  Heh

And,  if it allows me to reduce my guard job hours for doing something I love,  well...  I consider that success.

Very much looking forward to making friends in this field again!

Welcome to Puppets and Stuff! What type of puppetry where you involved in when  you where younger?

Secular and ministry.  By the age of 14 I had several national championships under my belt with puppets. I had also been offered to tour with a cruise line,  but I was young and dumb and turned that stuff down because I wanted to be "normal" like everyone else. *rolls eyes*

Flash forward to now and I'm interested in puppets again.  This time instead of on the performing end,  I'm more interested in construction. Seeing a well made puppet still excites my creativity.

Having performing knowledge will help you design more useful puppets. Best of luck to you.

I'm glad i never threw my puppets away since i had an almost 20 year gap before starting a youtube channel with them.  Now i have too many.

No, you can't have too many puppets, if you get rid of some you will be needing them again soon.

Ha , yes  Snail, so true.  And welcome Bryce.