Please to show me your favorite puppet site/video?

September 8, 2013 3:08 PM

I've recently started to get into puppetry. Mostly I am collecting rod arm puppets, but any style of puppetry is acceptable. I am trying to compile a list of sites, tutorials (use and manufacturing), history, makers/sellers/collectors, accessories, and just cool uses of puppetry. Music videos are fine.

I'm looking for more things like Glove and Boots, the Handspring Puppet Company's War Horse TED Talk, and instructional videos like this.

So hit me.

posted by cjorgensen to Media & Arts (11 answers total)

Well it's certainly not highbrow, but Puppets Who Kill needs to be mentioned, if only for the sheer lunacy factor.
posted by sardonyx at 3:30 PM on September 8, 2013

That Terminator is out there. It can't be reasoned with, it can't be bargained with. It doesn't feel pity of remorse or fear and it absolutely will not stop. Ever.
posted by Sophont at 3:35 PM on September 8, 2013

Jarrod Boutcher makes some awesome muppets-style puppets. His blog mostly links to completion creations, but if you go back in time on it you'll get quite a fair bit of behind-the-scenes creation pictures.
posted by barnacles at 3:48 PM on September 8, 2013

At Worldcon last weekend, I believe I overheard Mary Robinette Kowal recommend the Puppeteers of America web site as a starting point for someone with a similar question.
posted by Monsieur Caution at 4:39 PM on September 8, 2013

Not what you're looking for, but the Puppet Bike in Chicago. Always the Puppet Bike.
posted by AppleTurnover at 4:56 PM on September 8, 2013

For giant parade puppets, The Puppeteers Co-operative (via the Puppet Free Library in Boston, which kindly lent us puppets for our wedding parade).
posted by teditrix at 5:10 PM on September 8, 2013

Bunraku--this doc is pretty good, but if you ever can see Peter and Wendy done with these puppets--it's magical.
posted by Ideefixe at 5:54 PM on September 8, 2013

One may view huge chunks (virtually all) of The Muppet Show and Muppets Tonight over at MultiMumpitz on YouTube, though seeing that some episodes of the latter have been taken down on claims of copyright violation makes me nervous.
posted by mr. digits at 7:04 PM on September 8, 2013

A few links that will hopefully lead you in some useful directions:
- Puppeteers of America
- The Jim Henson Foundation (check out the Grant Awards for lots of shows that they've helped fund)
- The O'Neill National Puppetry Conference
- Puppets on Film series at Brooklyn Academy of Music
- Bachelors and Masters degrees in Puppet Arts at the University of Connecticut (Related: Ballard Institute and Museum of Puppetry)
- Cotsen Center for Puppetry and the Arts at California Center for the Arts
...and because I see you're in Iowa:
- Eulenspiegel Puppets in West Liberty, IA
- Iowa Puppetry Guild on Facebook
posted by D.Billy at 8:29 PM on September 8, 2013

We also have the Charles H. MacNider Art Museum home to the Bil Baird puppets.

Love the links, guys. Keep 'em coming.
posted by cjorgensen at 6:46 AM on September 9, 2013

Any style of puppetry is acceptable? Well you did ask..
posted by gorcha at 6:59 AM on September 9, 2013