Fraggle Style Puppet

I've always wanted to make a muppet style puppet and have liked the Fraggles since i was a kid... So why not combine the two!! I hope you enjoy it as much as I did creating it. If you like my puppet PLEASE VOTE for him in the PUPPET CONTEST sponsored by ShapeLock or by clicking the orange VOTE button on the top left of this instructable. THANK YOU!!!

Step 1: Head Pieces

Cut one half of the head piece (shown in pic) out of foam (from a craft store).

Step 2: 2nd Half of Head Piece

Now flip your first cut out head piece over and trace a mirrored image of it onto the foam. Cut the piece out and glue together as shown with a fabric glue or all purpose glue. I used Titebond. I also ran a stitch with needle and thread where I glued the pieces together to help keep it tight and in place. Let dry completely.

Step 3: Forming the Lower Jaw

Now that the two head pieces are dry bring together the pieces as shown in the picture and glue, sew and let dry again. Now you have the base of your puppets lower jaw.

Step 4: Forming the Complete Head Base

Now that the lower jaw is joined together and dried... Do the same thing with the top of the head... Glue, sew and dry. This will form your head base, complete with mouth,

Step 5: Adding and Closing Up the Mouth

Once your head base is dried... You can now close off the mouth. Use a piece of heavy cardboard. Cut a circle and fold it in half, put it in place and glue, sew and let dry. Really starting to come to life now!

Step 6: Body and Arms

Cut out your left side of your body base as shown in the picture. You will then flip it and trace it mirrored onto the foam. Cut it out, join it together as shown and once again glue, sew and let it dry. Now you can cut out the puppets arms as show. Just cut, flip, trace and cut as you did with other pieces.

Step 7: Joining the Other Half of the Body

Curve your ends together as shown and glue, sew and let dry. Your puppets body (base) is now complete!

Step 8: Joining the Head and Body

Now that everything is dry...glue and sew the head and body together and let dry. Your puppet is really starting to look like something now...

Step 9: Adding Details to Mouth and Body

Now that its all dry you can add details to the mouth. I used red, black and pink felt to create my puppets mouth as shown. I also cut a small piece of foam and added it to the body to form a bit of a belly, glued and sewed it on and let it dry.

Step 10: Giving Your Puppet Some Color (skin)

Time to really start bringing it to life! I used green fleece from the fabric store for his skin tone. Cut the fleece head pieces as you did in step one and two with the foam head pieces. No gluing here! Sew the pieces together but leave the mouth open (unseen). Turn your sewn piece inside out and stretch it in place over the head. Now sew the "lips" together with the mouth.

Step 11: Adding Eyes and Other Details

Giving your puppet the gift of sight! It's as easy as using two ping pong balls as I did. Glue them together and let dry. Then you can paint your pupils on however you would like. Let the paint dry and then glue the eyes to its head. I also added a little goatee at this stage using some specialty yarn (sewn on). He's really getting some personality now!

Step 12: Adding Eyelids and Hair

Next I decided to add some eyelids using scraps of the green fleece. I cut them in half circles and glued them where I wanted them on the eyes and sewed any loose material back behinds the eyes. The hair again is the same yarn I used for his goatee which I sewed into the head. Almost there...

Step 13: Adding His "Fur"

Just like the fleece I cut the fur to the length of the body...sewed it along the neck, sewed it together down his back and folded any extra material under and inside and sewed that inside along the bottom. Now at least he's warm! :)

Step 14: Adding the Arms

Remember those arms you cut out of the foam? Use them to trace onto the green fleece. Trace each arm twice so you have two sets of each. These you will see together around the foam to form his arms. When the arms were complete I sewed them to the body.

Step 15: Adding Legs and a Tail

The legs were made just like the arms. Two strips of foam were cut for the legs. I then cut the fleece and wrapped it around the leg and sewed it together. I then cut out some feet from the foam and sewed the fleece onto them as well and finished the legs off by seeing the feet on. The tail is nothing more than a wire hanger bent into shape, wrapped with the faux fur material and sewn up the seams. A little poof of yarn sewn into the end of the tail finished it off.

Step 16: A Completed Fraggle Ready to Rock

There he is all completed and ready to go on his adventures. Hope you enjoyed the pictures and the process! I'd be curious to see yours if you make one. Cheers!

Step 17: A Couple Finishing Touches

I thought he needed some Eyelid Lines... So I cut some black felt strips and glued them along the edge of the eyelids. Then I thought he needed some apparel...so I added the hoodie. Much better!