Serendipitous Media Exposure!

A few weeks ago I took Yancy to the National Banjo Museum in Oklahoma City. While unsafely filming inbetween lanes of traffic, our attention was suddenly drawn toward a frantic woman beckoning us to finish crossing the street for an interview. Not one to pass up an unbelievably well-timed opportunity (it was November 10 - the day Sesame Street turned 40), I traversed the remaining lanes and safely arrived on the sidewalk. Within moments I was given a microphone to wear and the camera was focusing on my cloth-covered hand!

We spoke for a few minutes about what I do for a living and what Sesame Street means to me, and as I settled into this impromptu interview I realized how crazy lucky the entire situation seemed. After a mere few minutes the interview was over and we parted ways... Talk about being in the right place at the right time!

A "Barrel" of Gratitude

In the midst of a hectic week of shows fell the holiday that reminds us how distant we've become from our families...

Thanksgiving!

Being on the road, we were forced to go commercial for our celebration - thus we attended the illustrious Cracker Barrel in Southaven, MS. As a last minute decision, I grabbed some felt, Fabri-Tac, and Yancy to come along for the ride. Within half-an-hour Yancy had a new outfit, and an entire restaurant gawked at how rude it seemed to be to have a puppet at the Thanksgiving dinner table!

Forgive the lack of editing and obvious "puppeteers arm", there was not nearly enough room to get a nice angle. Enjoy!

A Little Update

Recently I made a last minute daytrip to Boston where I was able to meet up with Jonathan Little, founder of Little's Creatures!  

To say that we got along would be a severe understatement - and what transpired in the midst of that business cafeteria can only be described as hilarious, enlightening, and educational!

Not only was it nice to be able to meet face-to-face, it was so much fun just geeking out and trading stories.

It was great to hear how far he has come based on the strength of his passion, and he continues to grow exponentially.  I am proud to be able to call him my friend as opposed to a facebook connection.  Life certainly has a funny way of bringing like-minded people together!

Thank you, Jonathan, for a fantastic day.  I look forward to seeing your continued growth and can't wait for the opportunity to work with you someday!

Check out Little's Creatures here:

Website

Blog

Youtube

Here Comes the Sun...

So... I had a dream about blogging.  I guess it has been too long!

Tour ended beautifully in Miami, FL, as you can see above.  We took Yancy to the beach to see the sunrise and the shuttle launch (which was scrubbed due to a hydrogen leak) and it was absolutely breathtaking.

Although we had three shows that day and I was sure to be exhausted, I am glad I woke up early.  Seeing something that majestic really got me thinking:

As puppeteers and puppet builders, we strive to create life out of the inanimate world.  In some cultures puppeteers are even considered direct messengers of their respective gods due to their ability to breathe life into nothing.  Yet no matter how hard we try, our work pales in comparison.

That early morning was a nice reminder of the beauty we have surrounding us constantly that most of us don't really take the time to appreciate.  Not to get all hippy-tastic on you, but I recommend taking the time to wake up early and witness something that we can never recreate.  Why stop there, though?  Stay up late with some friends and take the time to stare up at the stars - get your hands dirty and go digging for bugs - at the very least turn on the Discovery Channel!

Understanding movement, connections, and emotions in the world around us can only improve us as people, performers, puppets, and any other array of "P" words... but lets keep it G-rated.

You're right Yancy... Earth rocks!

A Formal Greeting: Yancy

Yancy has peeked into the blog a few times over the past several months, but has never officially introduced himself.  Well, wait no longer!  Here he is...

YANCY!!!

[cue extraordinary applause]

Happy Earth Day!

Happy Earth Day!

 

Recently, we took Yancy to a butterfly garden to learn all about some of Earth's most vibrant and beautiful creatures.  He was even lucky enough to have some butterflies land on him!

Check back for some quick videos we took!  (that I haven't been able to edit yet)

A Wallaby, A City, and a Man With A Plan

Talk about a busy week!  Whoo!

I just got back yesterday from a whirlwind adventure in NYC where I was able to meet up with some old friends, some new friends, and hopefully life-long friends!  I hope to be able to fill you in on some of the wonderful things I was privileged to experience this week - I just want to wait for approval from my gracious hosts.

To finish up the process of Wally's first build, here are a few pictures we used as promotional shots at the reading last month.

I really like this picture.  It says "I'm adorable, 

well-built, AND friendly!

He's so cute when he thinks!

I feel like I'm being watched... 

and they're hungry...

Luckily, proximity won out over patience, 

and I live to see another day.  Goodbye Aaron!

Thanks for following along.  In the future I will be able to show more of my process when I receive my fixed digital camera.  As you can also see, there haven't been any recent changes to the Fisticuff Puppets website... but expect that to change soon!

Wally: The Beginning

So you have already seen some of Dave's construction process in building Dr. Cortex.  As he mentioned, part of the head was adapted from a Project Puppet pattern purchased a few years back.  In all honesty, we learned an invaluable amount from those patterns - most of all, how to simplify...

When I start to think of character designs, I create a few sketches to try to capture an essence of the character.  This time I am able to draw from an endless library of images online to get  a feel for these exotic creatures.  As I feel more comfortable, I start to really dissect the 2D design into 3D shapes.

The first decision to be made is deciding on hand placement.  Every good design keeps in mind the shape and placement of the human hand for optimal manipulation.  With Wally, we knew he needed to be very expressive and have the ability to communicate a variety of emotions - so we quickly realized a rigid mouthplate would not do the job.  Being my first time venturing into a "soft palate" puppet, I was curious to see how different it would be and how well it would hold the supporting shape.

                                             

One of the most notable features I found with wallabies in general is a strong rostrum bridge - taking note of this I simplified it down to a simpler shape - like a "T" wearing a superhero mask.

         

Check back again to see how it developed as more foam was added...

PS - I can't believe how practical Math and Science are to the artistic process...  Maybe I'll write more on that later.

Cortex and Wally: United!

Well here they are!  Built hundreds of miles apart by two different builders, we present the first official viewing of Dr. Cortex and Wally!

Cortex flew in from Chicago, while Wally trucked it from Syracuse, to join Aaron and the crew at Point Park University for this weekend's production of "LAN'ded".

We look forward to bringing you more news as it develops this weekend... so keep checking back!

Wally: Process With Pizazz!

Welcome back!

As you probably know (because you've been following the LAN'ded blog as well), Dr Cortex and Wally will soon officially be unveiled!  We decided to keep the final outcome a surprise for the cast and crew in Pittsburgh... which unfortunately means that no final pictures can be posted until next week (but believe me, it will be worth it).

As Dave mentioned in his post, we both have similar, yet drastically different styles of process and product.  My design phase in this particular project was based on researching wallabies (quite interesting) and tracking down as many pictures as I could to create a profile of characteristic images.

One of the reasons Wally has been my undertaking is because I have had more experience in creature creation, while most of Dave's projects have been more humanoid oriented.  With that differentiation in characters, we ran into the challenge of matching styles - especially in the eyes.  Judge for yourself next week if we accomplished it 680.22 miles apart!

This project is also the first time I've ventured into the use of gasket rubber and a new type of wire for the hands.  In addition to that I decided to recycle some old arm rods that I was unable to use until now... so, huzzah!

In other news...

Long story -> Short:

In addition to building Wally, I have been working on reclaiming Yancy (the blue guy - I'll formally introduce you next week) from the bus company from our trip earlier this week...  The bag he was in got wedged out of view and in his rush, the bus driver took off without checking.  So...  In order to obtain him, I now must meet up with the bus driver on the side of the highway outside our hotel as he passes through Syracuse on his way to NYC with a high school band!

Wally: Sneak Peek!

Just arrived in Syracuse, NY, so I figured I would sit down and show you how my latest build is coming along.

While Dave is building Dr Cortex, I have been busy working on his wascally wallaby sidekick Wally!  It has been quite a challenge so far due to my very limited supplies (I will have JUST enough foam!) and trying new methods, but I am quite proud of how it is shaping up!

The mouth and head shape work really well for allowing a wide range of characterization opportunity - and I can't wait to get to play with him more after the reading...

WHICH LEADS ME TO:

If you are in the Pittsburgh area, I highly recommend checking out the staged reading of "LAN'ded" this Sunday at the Pittsburgh Playhouse.  For more information check out the blog and/or feel free to shoot an email to landedtheseries@gmail.com

We will be adding posts every day this week to show you a bit more of the quick build process along with bits of character information.

See you again soon!

An Epic Tale - Part 4 (the conclusion)

Adoption is so much easier when dealing with puppets...

Soon I am presented with the subsequently named Duane Reade...  He stares at me from inside his plastic backpack home, begging to come out and play.  Sadly, however, I have no time to answer this call.  We are in New York City - home of tourism, Broadway shows, and street vendor food.

There is much to be done!

We hurriedly continue our journey (with Duane Reade in tow) to the Broadway Theatre to see Shrek the Musical.  After taking in the show - which includes John Tartaglia! (Avenue Q, Sesame Street, Johnny and the Sprites, etc) - braving the frigid elements we stake our post outside the stage door.  Also in the show was Aymee Garcia (Big, Big World, Avenue Q, Les Miserables).  Much to my surprise, also attending the show that night was none other than Fran Brill (best known as Zoe from Sesame Street)!  Of course she had worked with "Johnny" before and had come to see his performance.  After overcoming the initial shock of being recognized, Fran was quick to burst with pride at John's performance.  I mentioned my current job and she insisted we all take a picture... and I could not have agreed more!

(John Tartaglia, friend Megan, Me, Fran Brill)

It was a wonderful end to an already momentous day.

     _____     _____     _____     _____     

Be sure to check back for video of Duane in action!  We also hope to officially announce some exciting news next week...  MUA HA HA HA HAAAAA!!!

An Epic Tale - Part 3

It was a time of growth, a time of change, a perfect opportunity to GO GREEN!  (at the time they were out of blue and orange bodies...)

My Magical Mistress of Muppet Mayhem brings forth the Colorforms (a childhood favorite) and we go to town.  There isn't anyone else in the workshop at the time, so the creative process proceeds uninhibited.  Small talk progresses into discussing my current occupation - which explains my inherent pickiness in the final product!

Having made my selection, I take a literal step back from the event.  I would soon have a Muppet to call my own!  She plugs in her glue gun and starts working her magic... inviting me, in the meantime, to try my hand with Whatnot Weird Al!

As the Adhesive Ace attaches my fleece friends features, I patiently wait...  It is nearly the end.