Helpfuls Tips?

[jpink]

Hello Everyone!

So I was hoping you guys could offer me some help. I am in my senior year at college, and as our senior project, we are putting together a full production of Alice in Wonderland. I am so excited to be able to costume design it, and I was able to talk to my director about making the cheshire cat a puppet. He could just add so much magic to our children's show as a puppet, it gets me so excited just thinking about it! The thing I am fearful about though is puppetry is a completely new field for my school. But that also makes me really excited too.

I was just curious if anyone had any really help hints for a new puppet maker. We really just want the head to be a full head, slightly larger than life (maybe a foot in diameter?) and we are looking at making the body with the feeling and look of a slinky, so hopefully it won't be too difficult. Our goal, if we could do anything in the world, is to make three puppets: one a full head and body, a matching head, and one head that is all black with his huge cheshire cat smile. Go big or go home right? But if anyone has any great tips about materials or process or just words of encouragement that would be amazing.

Thanks everyone :]

 

[jcnegron]

That's a show i would love to do one day! But I'll do it mostly puppets except for Alice, and a few others!

As for the slinky effect I would use a hose.

Congaratulations!

 

[The Shoe Fairy]

To save on the head/body buisness, would it be possible to instead mount the body to the head via hooks or some such thing and have the head separately manipulated - this way, when the time comes that the whole cat is no longer needed, the head can be quickly detached and used as a stand-alone puppet, meaning you only need the head+body and the blacked out head with the grin.

 

[jpink]

yeah, that was what i was hoping to do :] i just am not sure what to make the spiral from. we have also played with making to body a wire structure, almost like the shape of an easter egg, but now i am pretty sure we are just going to go with a foam body. this show is growing by the day!