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]

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!

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!!!

Self-Induced Challenge!

Ok...  

      Here's the deal.  I travel for a living - limiting my life to two suitcases, a backpack, and a messenger bag - BUT I'M ADDICTED (hence the title of our blog).  I NEED to be able to work on my craft while traveling, but its not easy!  Essentially I travel with a mobile puppet workshop so that I can get my fix on the road -

Which brings me to the point of this post...

I started this week with just a head - then challenged myself to finish a puppet by the end of the weekend.

So keep your eyes open and strap yourself in - I wouldn't want you to fall off the edge of your seat in anticipation... 

               ...unless you tape it so we can all laugh about it later.