How To Make A Muppet - Style Puppet for $25

Have you ever wanted to build your own Muppet - style puppet? Well we'll show you how for only $25! Watch this video below and subscribe to iTunes and if you still want a more detailed description, read on!

First, you'll need to buy a few things to make it. Here's a shopping list:

1. A good-sized piece of Styro Foam or soft Foam. (This is going to be used to make the all important puppet head. So keep that in mind when deciding on a size. They usually come in blocks or spheres)

2. One yard of stretchy fleece. (Color of your choice, this is going to be the puppet skin.)

3. Some children's clothes. (I know it feels creepy, but go to Good Will and buy your puppet some clothes.)

4. Something to make the eyes. (I've used white plastic bottle caps, construction paper, chap stick caps, and those stick on googly eyes. Be creative!)

5. Some black and red felt.

6. Something for the hair. (This could be a cheap wig, pieces of felt cut into strips, or just a hat!)

7. Hot glue gun, or spray adhesive.

8. A needle and thread.

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Step 1: Building the Head

While this is the most important part of the puppet, it is not terribly complicated. If your using soft foam you'll have to get your hands on an electric turkey carver. If you have styro foam a turkey carver or a steak knife will work. First cut the basic shape of your puppet head out of your block or sphere of foam. Start small and make incremented cuts. Eventually a new puppet skull will emerge. Much like people, puppets come in all shapes and sizes. So don't be afraid to use wacky forms!

Woadyscarsdale says: Apr 17, 2013. 10:04 PM

You guys should make a batarang we want to make one for school

mr.cardboard says: Feb 1, 2013. 6:24 AM

awesome

mr.cardboard says: Feb 1, 2013. 6:24 AM

awesome

mattz says: Nov 12, 2008. 6:17 AM

Hey, looks like I've been uhh...volunteered shall we say to construct possibly two of these for some friends in what will probably be a most rapid fashion. The catch I'm facing is one of them is gonna need to be a Cookie Monster styled puppet. Any thoughts on what would be a more furry/shaggy material for a Cookie Monster? Otherwise, this tutorial looks awesome for my purposes. Thanks Indymogul!

oedalis in reply to mattzJun 29, 2012. 5:44 PM

I know you posted this years ago but figured I'd answer in case anyone else was wondering the same thing. Fabric stores sell a wide variety of fabric and amongst them is usually a fair range of faux furs often in some pretty wild colors. For best results go to a big fabric store that has a lot of stock. They'll be more likely to carry something in blue.
For people inclined to crafts, one could also go the route of knitting / crocheting a tube out of some blue "eyelash" or "fun-fur" novelty yarn.

mr_reese says: Feb 4, 2010. 9:01 AM

Very useful. I used this instructable and a little of my own creativity and came up with this. His name is Franklin

cclemens1 in reply to mr_reeseDec 2, 2011. 10:45 AM

Franklin! HA thats great

TeratoMarty in reply to mr_reeseAug 6, 2010. 9:50 AM

You AND your puppet are both adorable!

Tsquared says: Oct 31, 2011. 5:26 PM

this is so fun i also did it for a science project on hurricanes and the end result was awsome

MFT_CORP says: Jul 3, 2011. 10:02 AM

For the eyes you can use a half ping pong ball....

ryanninjasheep says: Dec 31, 2010. 7:57 PM

You spelled Jim Henson wrong... But overall this was cool.

cocaswa says: Oct 4, 2010. 8:25 AM

I really enjoyed this instructable, it's really good.
I wanted to say that you can also use a paint spray (in whatever color you like, I chose a skin-orangy kind of color), that works really well too. Make sure though that you are pleased with your design before you paint it. Here are some foto's of the spraying result.

elkalpin says: May 28, 2009. 10:09 AM

I used a foam nerf-type ball for the head!

handy-_-man says: May 13, 2009. 8:55 PM

oh my gosh dude.. this is THE ABSOLUTE BEST instructable i have come across! it was so easy to follow! and i followed it to a T and I made a B-E-A-UTIFUL puppet for the project in my science class definitly A++ material thank you, Handy-_-Man

dragonwarrior3000 says: Apr 16, 2009. 6:26 AM

are you the maker of the website indymogul?

TeratoMarty says: Mar 3, 2009. 1:40 PM

A thought on how to avoid going over budget: raid your thrift store of choice for sofa cushions and old coats. The cushions are big blocks of semi-rigid foam. Though they aren't as convenient as the foot-square block, you can cut them in quarters and use the adhesive to glue the bits together in a stack; there's you're cube. A fairly big coat can provide enough "skin" for a puppet; use the back of the coat for the face, and make smaller bits like hands or legs out of the arms of the coat. Kermit, after all, was made from Jim Henson's mom's old coat. You can price out the difference between an oversize thrift store coat and an equivalent chunk of new fabric; they run about neck-and-neck.

Mr. Brownie says: Nov 2, 2008. 4:11 AM

i've been watching for a while and finally found this

Sunny124613 says: Aug 31, 2008. 6:30 PM

coolio

brick1993xx says: Aug 10, 2008. 10:45 PM

REALLY cool

slimguy379 says: Jun 30, 2008. 10:43 AM

muppets use ping pong balls for eyes

saradono says: Dec 21, 2007. 3:48 PM

Great idea and relatively easy to follow... time consuming but definately fun. I used this to make ot a full puppet but a hand puppet head only. Worked great. Very pleased.

Alathald says: Dec 16, 2007. 7:44 PM

This is awesome, I grew up on the muppets (well, who didn't?) so I'll definitely have to try this if I ever get the free time. BTW, I can just see someones spiky hair behind your muppet in the first pic...at least I think it's someones hair...+1 at any rate!

Legoman58 says: Aug 10, 2007. 12:55 AM

ok i don't get this one part, cutting the head, how should i do it , like what would bottom view look like, it's hard to explain, " simpler" how do i build the head. there.