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:
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!
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…
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:
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!
He’s also been seen on billboards around Russellville, Kentucky:
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
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):
Millard:
For those of you who haven’t heard, Pasha Romanowski of Project Puppet fame has recently started an interactive puppet building website called Puppetsmith. You can become a member and join a rapidly growing community of puppet builders that are sharing tips and techniques. Pasha is updating the blog regularly with great tutorials–both as blog posts and videos.
As a part of this endeavor, Puppetsmith is now selling a dog puppet pattern from legendary puppet builder Terry Angus. This is a great pattern, and I have the good fortune of being able to take you through the process of building this dog puppet. It’s quite an honor to be the first guest builder at Puppetsmith.
If you’d like to follow along with me, all you have to do is become a member (just $10 a month) and purchase the pattern. We’ve only just begun so there’s plenty of time to jump in and learn some great puppet building techniques.
So don’t wait–meet me over at Puppetsmith today!
I recently collaborated with Church on the Move in Tulsa, OK to build some puppets for their Kid’s Ministry. They had designed some really fun woodland characters, and I had the joy of bringing them to three dimensional life. I can’t wait to see them in action, and I really hope the kids enjoy spending time with them as much as I did.
Raccoon:
Fox:
Porcupine:
Owl:
I was recently commissioned by TED UK to design and build puppets for a new show that they have developed called “Bugz”. It was an extremely fun project–I’ve always wanted to build bug puppets. The characters include Barney the bee, Antonio the ant, Dottie the ladybug, and Cleo the caterpillar. Below are the finished products:
Not long ago, I was approached by a client who’s brother was getting married. He wanted puppet versions of his brother and soon to be sister-in-law that he could use during the best man speech, and then to give as gifts. I was very happy to oblige, and below you’ll see what we came up with.
Here is the happy couple:
And here are their fleecy counterparts:
