Paging captain Hook

Saturday was merrily spent making a custom puppet on the roof. I thought I would share some pictures of the process, as well as an unexpected guest that popped by while I was working.

So, this lovely couple ordered a custom made look alike hand puppet for their daughter (I will not post her photo here, but she is very beautiful and the parents approve of the outcome, so you can imagine a little girl who looks like the puppet, only slimmer and taller). They asked me to let them dress her, so I didn't prepare a wardrobe for her (pity, I love that part).

So I dye the foam, cut it, buy several gallons of glue in assorted formats (tubes and jars) and head on with the work of assembly also known as "giving birth".

A view of the operating table

Once the basic body is complete, several hours later, the real fun begins - creating the character. Equipped with the photo of my customer, I start sculpturing her face. It took me half an hour to decide where to place the nose, while my trusty sidekick brushed the would-be hair.

Waiting for a schnoz

At this point, my assistant started coughing and pointing. Pinky (who was also there to "help" us) realized what he was pointing at quicker than me, and grabbed my camera to save this moment for the ages.

After capturing Pinky, my mom ran to fetch some carrot (she decided this guy would like one) but by the time she returned, it already flew away. Pinky says it has nothing to do with him, but we say "yer, whatever".

Now it was time for finishing touches - hair placed, styled, and trimmed. Nose and ears in place. Deep brown hand painted eyes with golden sparkle accents. Makeup applied, and voila - the little lady was all set.

My lovely partner, after learning that most of my custom made puppets are either husband look alikes or kids look alikes , came up with the idea of a custom family therapy hand puppet set. Sit your entire custom made family down with a hand puppet shrink, and let them blame each other for this, that, and the other while you and your real family enjoy a nice day in the country or at the movies. That, my friends, is what I call a startup.