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Puppetry

Light The Lights

Nov 12th, 2023
by rodney.
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More interesting stuff showing up at MIP-COM and MIP-Junior. This time we came across a press release from The Jim Henson Company, talking about several new shows they’re offering for young viewers — at least two of which are especially furry-friendly. First off there’s Wowsabout: “Roxy the Hedgehog and Ronald the Piglet are on a walking-adventure to find the ‘Wows’ on this gorgeous planet they call home… Our heroes will experience the beauty of the northern lights, a hot air balloon festival, the magnificence of the world’s tallest building, and so much more!” And maybe not as quiet, there’s Monster Jam: “Get ready to stomp and roar! Right here on the dance floor! At the grooviest, funkiest, most monstrous club around. Everyone is invited to the Monster Jam – a safe place for kids to express their big emotions through physical movement, creative expression, and by letting their inner monster out!” Let’s hope they have good luck finding good markets — especially here in North America!

image c. 2023 The Jim Henson Company

Dog and Pony Show

Jun 27th, 2022
by rodney.
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Don’t blame us — that’s their joke. Here’s another phenomenon we somehow missed — brought back to us now by Acme Ink. “Here comes the first exciting issue of Charley & Humphrey — with cover art by Darick Robertson! When a motley crew of fleas stow away on Charley — it’s up to accident-prone Humphrey to save the day before the itchy interlopers ruin an important ceremony down at the Sea Horse Docks. Based upon the popular puppet characters created by Pat McCormick — which have delighted audiences for over 60 year! Get in on the adventures of America’s favorite Dog and Pony show!” Told you. It’s written by Justin Sane (!), with interior art by John Hageman.

image c. 2022 Acme Ink

There is Puppetry in my Neighborhood

Feb 26th, 2022
by rodney.
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We had not heard about this, but we should probably mention it now! Animation World Network just reported that PBS Kids has secured some really big grants to help fund new TV series created by Fred Rogers Productions (named after the late great creator of Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood, of course). And at least one of those series is of note to furry fans: “Inspired by the funny, quirky side of children’s television pioneer Fred Rogers, Donkey Hodie is an imaginative puppet series following the adventures of Donkey Hodie, an enthusiastic and charming go-getter who takes on each day with curiosity and resilience, and her pals Purple Panda, Duck Duck, and Bob Dog. Set in the whimsical land of Someplace Else, the social-emotional series is designed to empower children ages 3-5 to dream big and overcome obstacles in their own lives, to work hard and persevere in the face of failure, to be resourceful and discover they can solve problems on their own — and to laugh themselves silly along the way.”

image c. 2022 Fred Rogers Productions

More Than Socks

Jun 24th, 2019
by rodney.
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The Puppetry Institute of Santa Cruz is the impressive name of a California facility that believe in “…giving all who walk through the doors a chance to experience first hand the beauty and wonder of an art form that encompasses all the other arts into one.” No prizes for guessing: They’re located in Santa Cruz, at the Capitola Mall, “Just around the corner from the Santa Cruz Museum of Discovery”.  But they also get out and about to various conventions and fannish events — we found them at BLFC! According to their web site, they give adults, kids, and families a chance to “Explore puppetry through workshops, classes, and demonstrations. Puppetry is more then just a sock with googly eyes — it’s design, construction, movement, masks, sewing — the list goes on. We offer a wide variety of classes in puppetry, theater, and FX skills, that cannot only be counted as art credits but also math, science, and engineering. We have 1000 sq ft space where students can learn in a lively and creative environment; or, we can do 1 and 2 hr pop-up classes at a location of your choosing.” The sight includes a lot of photos of their projects past and present. (Be sure to ask them about the “Dragon Petting Zoo”!)

image c. 2019 The Puppetry Institute

You Remind Me Of The Babe

Oct 4th, 2016
by rodney.
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With the death of David Bowie earlier this year, lots of people have been remembering his 1986 turn as the Goblin King in Labyrinth. Now Boom! Studios have their own salute to that landmark film as they bring us Jim Henson’s Labyrinth 30th Anniversary Special. “Celebrate the 30th Anniversary of the beloved Jim Henson fantasy film with stories from inside the magical walls of the labyrinth. Featuring fan-favorite characters like Ludo, Hoggle, Sir Didymus, and a few surprises, this special celebration collects for the first time all of the Labyrinth Free Comic Book Day stories along with new tales from Eisner Award winner Jonathan Case (The New Deal), Gustavo Duarte (Bizarro), and more!” Entertainment Weekly did a special preview recently.

image c. 2016 Boom! Studios

image c. 2016 Boom! Studios

Just Two Little Monsters

Aug 4th, 2016
by rodney.
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Dave Hulteen Jr. and Jerome Green got together and formed Hulgreen Productions with the intention of making some seriously silly entertainment using puppetry, animation, and video effects. Their first creation was The Bang and Bump Show, featuring “two little monsters in a big studio”. According to their web site, “Finding two store bought and generic monster puppets, Dave and Jerome created a simple buddy style duet video naming the puppets ‘Bang’ and ‘Bump’. They were named after the respective sounds monsters make in the night. The video caused enough attention for the two to make a regular series.” They’ve since gone on to create many other humorous videos and animated shorts.

image c. 2016 Hulgreen Productions

image c. 2016 Hulgreen Productions

One Little Lizard, One Big World

Nov 25th, 2015
by rodney.
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Another discovery from MIPCOM, thanks to Animation World Network. Created by BRB Internacional, Minchi’s Adventures combines puppetry, live action footage, and animation in each 3-minute episode. “The series follows a pet lizard belonging to a 7-year-old boy that, connected to the outside world via Internet, explains nature in a simple and very fun-filled way while encouraging ecological values.” You can learn more about it at BRB’s official Minchi page.

image c. 2015 BRB Internacional

image c. 2015 BRB Internacional

Down at Fraggle Rock — Again

Mar 20th, 2015
by rodney.
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Word has been spreading fast among the Silly Creatures that the long-rumored big screen version of Jim Henson’s cult TV series Fraggle Rock is finally a go. Joseph Gordon-Levitt (Inception) is set to produce and star in the feature film version. (Interesting side note: Mr. Gordon-Levitt was the voice of Jim Hawkins in the Disney animated film Treasure Planet.) Here what we got from The Nerdist: “Originally an HBO series which ran from 1983-1987, Fraggle Rock centered around a group of tiny creatures called Fraggles, along with the even smaller Doozers who lived among them. The Fraggles and the Doozers lived in a series of caves called Fraggle Rock, and would only venture outside of it to gather radishes to eat, where they would have to avoid the giant Gorgs.” That and get advice from a matronly trash heap named Marjory, and occasionally interact with the human (and his dog) who lives above them all. Trust us, none of this even begins to capture the magic that went into making this show and the magic that viewers took away from it. This new live-action feature film version is being created by the Jim Henson Company and released by New Regency.  (Hmm, not by Disney, eh?) No word yet on a targeted released date, but you can bet you’ll be hearing more about it soon.

image c. 2015 The Jim Henson Company

image c. 2015 The Jim Henson Company

Fuzzy Cloth People

May 12th, 2014
by rodney.
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Taking a cue from the life and work of Jim Henson (who else?), Gordon Smuder and his associates formed The Puppet Forge back in 2001 to make and perform with puppets for a variety television and other media projects. Since then they’ve appeared in commercials for the Minnesota State Lottery, The Choo Choo Bob Show, Transylvania Television, John Kovalic’s The Dork Tower Project, and many other places. They also travel the land to various fandom conventions to sell puppets and teach about puppetry. Their web site has much more — and a plethora of pictures. Like this one…

image c. 2014 The Puppet Forge

image c. 2014 The Puppet Forge

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