Genuine Ventriloquist Dolls

Just because I have four genuine ventriloquist dolls, does't make me a racist.

Easter Show (Egghead Springsters)

I had been trying to get the "Chicken Laying Eggs to Pre-Recorded Soundtrack" gag worked out all week.

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MONDAY - search internet for sounds of chicken.

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TUESDAY - find music that sounded like a clock sound with instruments and combine the two.

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WEDNESDAY - Cleaned 30 golfballs

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THURSDAY - Clean milk crate, nightmare work.

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FRIDAY - Converting a box including a swiveling door to hold all the eggs (golf balls) and allow to exit. Disaster! It didn't work. But simply placed the ball on 17 inch "Conveyor Belt" by hand. It was perfect to allow the balls to roll on and swoop down into a connected funnel and shoot out and be caught into a milk crate.

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Although I totally forgot to introduce it as Peter Rabbits main supplier, it turned out fine. The gag goes on got a minute and a half and I am wiped out after doing it. The kids kept requesting I have the chicken lay more eggs afterwards which made me glad.

CROWD CONTROL

Too many kids on stage but I told them only two at a time and that they needed to get in line. The kids are too short to kneel but too tall to stand. I kept telling them to duck down!

EGGHEAD SPINGSTERS

The hand-made eggs puppets were my favorite to operate. Just because they were the easiest to perform. Their heads can spin, mouths can open. Don't have to worry about eyes or hands.

JAPAN PUPPET

The Ventriloquist Japanese Puppet was also something I had worked on all week. I brought one and explained how I got him resurrected. The mouth and eye work independently with switches that I made on the handle. I found the real expression come from the arms, at least with the music.

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Garfield Park

South Pasadena

California 91105

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Thursdays - MUSIC DAY

Times

(4:00 - 7:00)

Fridays - PUPPET SHOW

Times

(Show One 3:30 - 4:00)

( Show Two 5:30 - 6:00)

"The Egghead Springster"

Daisy Bowie

Chloe the Clown

Electric Richard (Mouth Open)

Electric Richard (Mouth Closed)

I completed making eight puppets yesterday. The heads were from a hollow plastic easter egg with a stick going thru it allowing the puppeteer to operate the mouth and rotate the head.

There is actually a straw that is slightly bigger that fits around the 6 mm stick. The straw fits up inside the lower half of the shell through a hole I drilled with a drill bit.

Puppy

You use a small amount of hot glue from a glue gun to fasten together the straw (to the lower shell) and the stick to the upper shell. (The straw must have been split allowing for 4 flaps.

After you glued your items you have to find a safe place to allow it to dry. Make sure the upper egg shell is straight.

(Spring and Rubber Band)

After the hard part is done then you can simply choose the eyes, nose, hair etcetera to decorate your character. I found it's best to imagine what you want first and then match it's personality visually.

Lastly you can add arms by gluing thinner straws. Use the straws that bend for elbows and add wire to the hands to make them move.

I found the simple cardboard/foam core display from Office Max works excellent as a stage to allow the performer to be hidden. You just have to add a wooden stick on each corner to keep it from falling over. Tape the stick to the ground or put something heavy to hold it down and your really to go!

Characters name left to right: 1)Electric Richard - 2)Melvin - 3)Puppy - 4)Bob - 5)Clarence the Clown - 6)Chloe the Bowie- 7)Green Steve - 8)Wood Chop

Engineer Eric's Experimental Puppet Show 2o11!

Wow today's puppet show was much better than Wednesday or Thursday. I really enjoyed planning to "Make Original Puppets" and getting together all the things needed to prepare. There were about 14 girls that participated. I could not find the drill bit to drill holes to make the mouth work but just gluing the straws to the egg worked fine.

I really enjoyed sharing how to make my mini puppets on a straw using plastic eggs with hinge to make the mouth work. Next time it will be easier if I get the correct two-sided tape. The tape was really a problem, everyone was complaining then someone said to fold the tape. This made it easier but the eyes didn't really lay flat.

Someone made off with mine with the spring at the base of the "double-straw" that made the mouth actually close.

I welcomed to kids to come up at a time to perform a song with me. People seemed to enjoy watching and there was applause after ever child. I remember Wednesday not having a iPod and having to play accordion most of the time.

Later I performed the "Peter Cottontail" story with Farmer McGregor and it seems to go over pretty well. I remember getting a big laugh from one kid showing him the baby chick pop out of the egg. Later Chris H. came by, we worked on a sketch with the Japanese guys. He came up with the mongoose and having get to loose. He mentioned having the animal on a string which I thought was great.

The chicken laying the golf balls was funny bit I had want to do for months but I missed Peter Cottontails basket, write down what will happen so I don't forget to blow the feathers, better yet get a muchkin to help!

I need to come up with more short sketches with bubbles, I got the sound effects just no story.

1) The spider trying to eat the eggs was a good idea.

Chris had some good ideas.

Story ONE: (Jordan)

One of the EGG 's is missing from the group... of course, all the puppets

blame the weasel, BUT ... actually , the weasel is innocent !

The spider (Bad Guy) had the egg in it's web... ooohhh, busted !

Then the puppets all kick the spider out of the BARN.

Story TWO: (Jordan /Chris)

The Cheer leading dog is frenzied over Peter Cotton Tail, who is stuck in the Tree.

4 Rabbit Puppets come to the rescue and team work their way up the tree... by

hopping up on each other... but when they get up to the tree, Peter jumps into

the Arms of the Cheer leader ! See ya Pals !! he shouts. All the other rabbits

are now stuck in the tree.

Story THREE: (Chris)

4 baby ducks follow Mickey Mouse, who says, "Hey, stop Following me... I'm not

your mother... wait a minute, where is your mother ??? " Mickey then meets

Kermit... and they go together to find the ducks' mother. The Rooster adopts

them and tries to learn how to speak to them using the "Quack Quack" sound,

but it always comes out ... " Quack a Doodle Doo ! " All the duck babies learn

how to speak "Quack a Doodle Doo !"

Four Vintage Asian Puppets

Today I was frustrated with the traffic I just decided to pull over and walk into the nearest store before I blew my top. I found these 4 wooden head puppets for $10 each.

None of the mouths or eyes worked but I saw that the heads had a way to remove the back to get inside and see what was wrong. I knew it was a broken spring or something. Turns out a decrypted shriveled up rubber band had worn out over the years.

I got the rubber band replaced on one but didn't like the effect of the eyes moving with the mouth at the same time. So I screwed in new screws in order to get them isolated. One other problem seemed to occur, the mouth would not open, remain shut.

So I took a thick stick and put it up through the inside of the hollow stick that you hold and Whala his mouth worked. Now I just would like to get the eyes working independently with the string and maybe a spring?

Later I applied cartoon eyes over the unappealing painted ones... using the glue gun. Now I will just get some nice outfits made and at least one will be better than new.