Muppet-style puppet

With a serger you can prototype many things because it makes it easy to cobble together bits of material into something fun real quick. An after-dinner project when there is nothing good on TV, make your own muppet-style puppet. Time to get more practice using the serger so I threw this together.

Pick a random dude to base how your puppet will look like. Think about what the puppet's characteristics are. Will it have a long or short face, big or small nose, round or other shape nose, big eyes, small eyes... Should it be fuzzy, furry, or just soft and cuddly. Will you have a bald puppet or something with a unique hairdo? What accessories will it need. Or, just start sewing and create something as you go...

Step 1 Create the mouthpiece...

You can use a regular sewing machine for all of the steps.

You can also use a serger to do most everything except adding details where you need a straight or zigzag stitch. You can look at the Robohoodie for American Girl Dolls for more info on using a serger.

This project does not require any expensive foam pieces or core shapes. You do not need to deal with toxic foam bits from cutting and sanding or need to use toxic glues.

All you need is:

• fabric material of any kind
• a bit of cardboard
• a sewing machine
• a serger if you have one
• an imagination

I had a few sheets of pre-cut felt and robo-yellow fleece laying around. All of these dimensions were created as we went along to fit. Next one I make will probably be smaller and sized to be easily manipulated by a child-sized hand and arm.

I folded over that sheet of black felt to make the top and bottom of the mouth. Add a piece of red felt shaped like a tongue.

Cut out matching pieces of some other material to match. This is to form 2 pockets for the top and bottom of the mouth. Later on we will slip in cardboard stiffeners and that is where you place your hands to animate the mouth. I serged the edge of fabric for the pocket opening.

Sandwich everything and serge around the half-moon shape. Cut out carboard stiffeners to fit in the pockets. Test fit and take out to make the rest of the sewing easier.

Comments

[chinchymork]

awwwww! 1+$+4-$= 5 stars!

[Superhero-Apri]

Needs more detail in the instructions if you ask me... Very vague.

[caitlinsdad]

Not an overly ambitious project but it does require some basic knowledge of sewing and knowing how to visualize things inside out. I probably left out some details but this instructable was created as I created the puppet. The fun of it is you don't know what will turn out in the end.

[mg0930mg]

Wow. AWESOME!

[caitlinsdad]

Wow, the muppet-puppet resembles your avatar somewhat. :)

[mg0930mg]

I want to make a muppet puppet with my avatar. :D

[caitlinsdad]

Cool, maybe you can use whiffle balls covered in cloth for your eyeballs then attach by covering with eyelids attached to the face. Size the mouth so it is a little larger than the palm of your hand. You want to keep the puppet light so it doesn't tire out your arm and hands. I'm sure everyone would want to see it when you are finished.

[mg0930mg]

Gah. I forgot. Would $30 be enough for cloth? Please respond soon. Mike

[caitlinsdad]

That is way too much. I think you can find fleecy materials at a fabric store or Walmart for about $5 or less a yard. Rummage through the bargain bin for other stretchy fabrics to match what you want. You shouldn't need more than a yard of fabric. I would suggest you cut up an old large bath towel to use as the fabric. Make a set of teeth by laminating a few layers of cardboard and painting it white or covering with shelf liner contact plastic paper.

[mg0930mg]

What are the colors I should use, he's a green, right? I am colorblind, so I don't know. I may have to go to the fabric store tommorow. We are off of school. YES!

[caitlinsdad]

and experiment with a prototype sock muppet version first.

[mg0930mg]

Will Do.

[mg0930mg]

I'll do it within the month, I'm getting money for my birthday the 4th. 4 more days until I'm 13 :D Anyway, thanks for the suggestions, will do.

[coolboi]

it's kinda cool, i just made one this evening

[caitlinsdad]

You gotta show the world what you made. Post a pic!

[Keith-Kid]

Hooray! I can finally realize my life long dream of being a mupeteer! Seriously cool! Godzilla muppet is a possibility.......

[caitlinsdad]

You can make it big enough to house a propane/MAPP torch, the one with the pushbutton ignition, in the head so that you have it breathe fire. Make the mouth from flameproof materials though. Of course, high -intensity glowing red LEDs for the eyes...

[Keith-Kid]

Sir, I like the way you think!

[JusCoz]

This reminds me of a show called "Take Part", and they would make similar lookinh puppets out of old javex jugs, tubes, etc. Definitely a quality craft. KUdos!

[bounty1012]

Lol looks like that scientist off of the simpsons.

[randofo]

This is great. I just put an interior window in my office and was thinking about starting a puppet theater. You have just put me one step closer.

[caitlinsdad]

This is not the same as putting a cardboard image that looks like you are working and you go out for a three hour lunch. :) Check out my TV cutout ible. You can frame the interior opening like a big TV screen.