Herb - The Collection

This is Herb.

Mouth Puppet and Collection

He's from the FAO Schwartz Muppet Whatnot Workshop.

This is the closest thing you'll ever get to a real Muppet to own... And I recommend them to everyone!

A great puppet, great collectible, and great fun!

Check out the website by clicking on Herb, you get to pick your own features, clothing, etc... It's way more fun to hit NYC and do it in person though!

I want more! Ha ha ha!!!

I posted him with the tags "Collection" and "Mouth Puppet", since it is a bought puppet, it falls in the collection, but since I did pick out the features I did kinda create Herb too!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Now Over to Puppet News:

The Muppet Movie has been added to the Library of Congress’ National Film Registry. Under the terms of the National Film Preservation Act, each year the Librarian of Congress names 25 films to the registry that are "culturally, historically or aesthetically" significant, to be preserved for all time. These films are chosen as works of enduring importance to American culture.

(from the Hollywood Reporter)

(very old photo by Jorge)

Some mornings I wake up and I think to myself: "Why the Hell did I ever move back to Connecticut?" Today was one of those mornings. So I got up made a pot of cofffee, popped in Prince's latest CD. As the last track, "No More Candy 4 U", started I smiled. And I'm glad I moved back. If I hadn't I would have missed out on my amazing old friends and amazing new ones I've made since being back who never cease to make me laugh, my amazing family who also have words of true encouragment, and an amazing woman who always has my back... Without all of you I'm just a putz with a bunch of puppets...

Thank you, love you, Happy New Year!

Fireman Ernie - The Collection

Fireman Ernie

Finger Puppet

Post Holiday Post...

Ahh, Christmas...

Brie is the best.

Ever.

This pic is the look on my face when I got a couple of my gifts, the latest Muppet Christmas Special; Letters to Santa, and the new Sesame Street book. And the picture was taken with the new camera she got me (told you she's the best). I've watched Letters to Santa three times now, Christmas night, the night after, and Sunday morning while drinking my coffee and flipping through the book...

And my folks hooked me up too; a new heavy duty sewing maching... I must have been good this year!

Jim, Shane (the new awesome guy) and I also did a live holiday show for a corporate party that went off great, pictures coming soon...

Can't wait for 2010... Elmwood has a lot of puppet stuff up our sleeves...

But for now...

One last time: Merry Christmas and Happy Whatever!

And I already know what Muppety goodie I want for my birthday!

Muppet Thing

This was a McDonald's Happy Meal toy from about 1994 to promote the Muppet Workshop Puppet Kits

Nutcracker - The Collection

Rudolph - The Collection

Rudolph

Finger Puppet

Merry Christmas!

Bob Cratchet - The Collection

Kermit the Frog as Bob Cratchet

From The Muppet Christmas Carol
Finger Puppet

Mrs. Cratchet

Miss Piggy as Mrs. Cratchet

From The Muppet Christmas Carol
Finger Puppet

Fozziwig - The Collection

Fozzie as Fozziwig

From The Muppet Christmas Carol
Finger Puppet

Charles Dickens - The Collection

Gonzo as Charles Dickens

From The Muppet Christmas Carol

Finger Puppet

Odie - The Collection

Odie

Finger Puppet

Garfield - The Collection

Garfield

Finger Puppet

"Can you make a puppet's nose bleed?"

Last weekend we shot some more "Steve The Vampire" shorts!

Here's Mom (Jim Williams), Steve (me!), and Han (Christoper A. Lemanski) on the set... And Jim's eye peeking through just to creep you out!

As a puppeteer and puppet maker I get asked some strange questions sometimes, usually funny.. . Or while working I tend to say and hear weird things that said anywhere else would just be wrong. In funny ways...

Ricardo (who directed Betty And Me and Plinksgiving) once asked:
"Can you make a puppet's nose bleed?"
My wise ass response:
"If you punch it hard enough."

Brie's sister Maggie asked while watching The Muppets last Christmas:
"What happens if you put a puppet in water?"
My wise ass responce:
"It gets wet."

Here are a couple of my faves from working with puppets...

"If I put my hand all the way in here, she'll pop."
- This came from Jim putting on a puppet that was very tight, and he could have popped a seam in her neck.

"Grab those balls and put them in my mouth."
- Making puppets with Pete one day I had a eyeless puppet on my hand and I wanted him to hand me two ping pong balls, and since the hand with the puppet on me was closer to him I wanted him to put them in the puppets mouth... We laughed untill we were in tears.

Many times we're all laying on a floor with the puppets up in the air and the director behind the camera will tell us we need to get the puppets closer to each other. In this case we have to spoon up together, or on top of each other and so on... Very often it looks like grown men playing Twister without the Twitser pad... A very bizarre orgy... I worry someday someone will get hurt and 911 has to be called and we're all stuck in position... That would be a story for the EMTs to tell...

Anyway... December 1 the next Puppet A Day goes up, another one from the collection. I'll start posting Elmwood Puppets again at the start of the New Year...
Have a great one!

I Am A Genius!

A few months ago I was getting ready to work on some things and I layed out some antron fleece to cut, and I folded it over a could times to do one cut instead of several. While cutting it I hit a part that took a little extra pushing with the scissors. Then a little while later I plugged in the power strip to get the glue gun warmed up... And it wouldn't... Hmm, I wonder why...

I will admit, this wasn't one of my brightest moments!

Hahaha

Ernie - The Collection

Ernie
He lost a hand!

Me and my brother in Sesame Place, very early 1980's

Over on the Elmwood Productions Blog we're taking some time to pay tribute to 40 Years of Sesame Street by sharing our memories of our favorite moments of Sesame Street and it's citizens and the effect the show has had on us, check it out!

Bert - The Collection

Bert

One of my oldest toys

My brother, Michael, and I - at Sesame Place

Rosevelt Franklin - The Collection

Sesame Street's Rosevelt Franklin

Paper Bag Portrait By Mad Matt

This portrait of me was made by Matt Ficaro back when I worked a Blick with him in 2005. In return I made a puppet of him. Click his name to see it!

Click the pic to see more puppets of me, if you really want to! Hahaha...

Yoda - The Collection

Yoda

I got Yoda way back in 1981, when The Empire Strikes Back out!

Skeleton - The Collection

He glows in the dark!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Black Cat - The Collection

Dinosaur - The Collection

Dinosaur

Marrionette

White Cat - The Collection

White Cat

Marrionette

Witch - The Collection

Jack-O! - The Collection

White Mouse - The Collection

Mouse

Hand Puppet

The Eyes! - The Collection

I always have a set of these with me. Great for practice, and kinda like a good luck charm now.

I should buy stock in the company that makes them!

Click the pic above to get your own eyes!!!

Rocky - The Collection

Rocky

This was my original puppet partner and brother Michael's favorite puppet.

I still have it.

Rocky with Kermit

Rocky with Ripper and the Elf!


He used to have a little black nose. It fell off decades ago. Someday I might put a new one on!

Dread Guy

Liz Werle made this guy.

I'm not sure if he's got a name though. He's appeared in some Elmwood stuff...

I live the mouth piercing!

Kermit - From The Collection

Here's Kermit!

OK, yesterday we hit the one year mark! "Yaaaay!!!"

So from here I'll not only be posting puppets that I've made but I'll be posting puppets made for Elmwood Productions by our other crew members and puppets from my collection of toy puppets. And I'm not gonna promise a puppet every day... It was a one year experiment, and it was a success!!

This Kermit is the one that started it all. I had other toy Muppets as a kid, but this one was the one I was obsessed with. I used to turn him inside out to see how he was made! I never got rid of him and never will.

Ripper and Kermit

Kermit and I - Late 2008

My friend Matt gave me a twin of him as a gift a couple years back, I'll post him later! Hahaha!!!

Kermit Rules!

PLINK!!!

Plink

Mouth Puppet From "It's Late Enough With Plink!"

The New Plink! The old Plink was the first puppet I ever posted here one year ago, and here is the new one.

I made the original in 2000 and he was my first puppet, so I've learned alot since then, so it was fun to go back and make him again but with updated techniques!

So I made it one year! The experiment is complete. But I'm not done with Puppet A Day! From here on it might not be daily, but I'll still be posting the puppets I make, and the puppets other members of the Elmwood crew build. And I'll also be posting puppets from my collection of toy puppets, so I hope you keep checking back in! And thanks agin to the awesome Brie for coming up with the idea to do this!

Me and Plink!