Thistledown Puppets For Sale

As we kick off the New Year, I’ve been organizing the workshop to make room for some new projects. As a result I’ve decided to sell a few puppets that have been hanging around for a while. They are all a part of Thistledown’s history and I’d love to see them go to good homes where they will be appreciated. If you are interested in any of them, send me a Contact Form and I’ll send you a PayPal invoice for them. If you are interested in the entire set, you can purchase them all for $1700 total.

First up is the Red Panda from the Building the Red Panda video series. He was originally built for a local auction, but he was a little out of place there and never received a bid.

Red Panda

Next is Little Red Riding Hood. She was part of one of our early live shows.

Red Riding Hood

Red Riding Hood

The next puppet was one of the top ten finalists in the Once Upon a Puppet Contest held in 2007 at Project Puppet. It’s Mr. Toad of Toad Hall, inspired by the Kenneth Grahame classic The Wind in the Willows.

Toad Sold

Mr. Toad

And finally we have a little female sheep that was used for a few years as Mrs. Cratchit in our production of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol that featured a motley group of Thistledown’s puppets.

Sheep Sold

If you haven’t been able to afford one of our custom creations, this is a great way to get one of our puppets to add to your collection or puppet show cast!

Frank and Jim

Frank and Jim--Websense

This past summer, I created a couple of puppets for Websense. They were two I.T. guys named Frank and Jim and were used in one of Websense’s marketing campaigns. You can see Frank and Jim on their Websense page here. And you can watch all three episodes featuring them on their YouTube channel. Below are some images of Frank and Jim before they left the workshop:

Jim

Frank

Frank and Jim

Frank and Jim

The Critters Have Shipped!

Christmas Critter 2011

I’m glad to announce that the Christmas Critters have all been shipped. So if you ordered one, then you can expect it in the mail really soon. And if you didn’t order one…that’s okay. We plan to make the Critters a Christmas tradition here at Thistledown Puppets. Expect a brand new one next season!

Critters at the tree

more Critters at the tree

Critter close-up

tag

first batch of boxes ready

Now it’s back to work for a bit until Christmas, then we’ll be taking a mini vacation the last week of December to rest and relax…

Ryan Reynolds Puppet

ryan reynolds

I was recently contacted by a client that wanted a Ryan Reynolds-ish puppet to use in an upcoming video contest. It’s going to be a spoof of the movie Buried. This was a fun build since I’ve never really done a lot of “make-up” effects on a puppet before. But I’m happy with the outcome—take a look:

Ryan Reynolds

Ryan Reynolds

Ryan Reynolds

Ryan Reynolds

Sid the Squirrel

A while back, I had the privilege of working with David Hosay and Crabtree Furniture in Kentucky to develop a character for Crabtree’s new marketing campaign. He is the star of a series of commercials that talk about the “squirrely” service you get from the “Big Box” stores. Below are some pics of Sid before he left the workshop.

You can also see him in action on his own Youtube channel. Here is his first commercial. David Hosay did a great job bringing him to life!

Sid

Sid

Sid

He’s also been seen on billboards around Russellville, Kentucky:

Sid billboard

The Thistledown Puppets Christmas Critter

christmas critter

This Christmas season, I want to share my love of puppets with you. So without further ado, I’m proud to introduce the Thistledown Puppets Christmas Critter! He is an adorable little monster puppet made by myself right here in the Thistledown Puppets workshop. He’s just over 12 inches tall and sure to bring smiles to the faces of the little ones in your life. The Critter would also make a great beginner puppet for those of you who are young at heart and have wanted to get started in puppetry.

This quality hand-made puppet is available to you for just $79. This is a limited edition—only 25 puppets are available, so it’s first come first serve.

How do I purchase one?

Simply fill out a Contact Form on the Thistledown Puppets site and you’ll receive a PayPal invoice (You must pay in full to reserve your puppet). All orders placed before November 18th in the Continental US will receive free shipping, so get your order in early. For those outside the US, international shipping rates will apply. When ordering, please include, your name, e-mail address, and shipping address.

All orders must be received before November 30, 2011. The puppet will arrive at your door in time for Christmas.

So what are you waiting for? Get your order in for your Christmas Critter today! Here’s looking forward to Merry and Joy-filled Christmas season!

Philip Hatter

christmas critter

christmas critter

christmas critter

christmas critter

Two Old Men

Herman and Millard

Thistledown recently built two more puppets for Church on the Move‘s kids ministry. You can see the other puppets that we built for them here.

This time they wanted two old men: Herman and Millard. They were full bodied puppets and really fun to bring to life. Have a look below.

Herman (his glasses actually have magnifiers in them):

Herman

Herman

Millard:

Millard

Millard

Cow Appreciation Day at Chick-Fil-A

The opportunity to use a full bull suit doesn’t come around often, so when Chick-Fil-A announced Cow Appreciation Day, well…I jumped on board. The deal is this: dress up as a cow and get a free meal. I did…and I did.

Here’s Bull and the Chick-Fil-A Cow. I think she felt a little threatened.

Bull and the Cow

And here’s Bull using a straw for an unintended purpose.

Bull being crude

Ah, the spoils of victory…a free meal. And I only lost 10 pounds of sweat to get it.

Bull with his free meal