ecl's Kermit the Frog Puppet Replica (later builds, using my newest patterns)

[directorwho]

I am sorry for not getting photos back to you sooner. These are not my final eyes, as I have heard that eyes used in film or tv had light blue undertones to keep the eyes from looking over-exposed. And these eyes are heavy and shiny. But I think the vinyl works well, because if there is a mistake its possible to cut another one. I cut mine on a paper cutting machine that cut 9 sets all perfectly the same. One thing that the velvet probably does better than the vinyl is reflections. Since the velvet is made of a bunch of black hairs on a black surface is absorbs light much better than vinyl. If you have ever heard of vanta black, velvet is very similar, but vanta black is much smaller, like a lot smaller. There are trade offs to both. It just depends on the use case.

 

[ecl]

Nice!! They look very sharp and clean. That’s true that the velvet is very light absorbant but the vinyl yields a very sharp outline. Like you said, there are trade offs and each material has its advantages and disadvantages. Good idea using a cutting machine for the pupils; it’s unusually difficult to cut by hand. Even now, I normally cut 2-3 sets before settling on a pair that i’m satisfied with.

 

[ecl]

Here are a couple of pics I took of one of my later builds—playing around with some vintage photo adjustments too. These feature 35mm ping pong ball eyes that I found on ebay. It’s been super hard for me to find 35mm ping pongs as they are all 40mm around here! I’ve been experimenting with adding a better finish in the hands where the arm rods slip in—trying to make it more secure as well as durable.

 

[DFW]

WOW ECL/directorwho, your builds are amazing! I'd like to see more Kermit pics from you directorwho, if you don't mind sharing? Vinyl looks better that I expected it to. If only I had the paper cutting machine you speak of directorwho! I've been cutting them all out by hand and feel as though I've cut out at least a dozen pair: ( This evening however, I feel as though I've finally got a few pairs to select from for the final set of eyes! HOPEFULLY
I've been working on Kermit for about 4 months now and it is quite a daunting task. I've gone through ALOT of trial and error with this project and hope I am nearing the end. After everything I've learned I'll definitely be building another but think I need a break before I get back into another one. The body, arms/hands, legs/feet were definitely the easiest part for me. The pupils and folding the edges of the mouth over the mouthplate I feel are the most challenging parts of the build. Looking forward to the end results!

 

[ecl]

It’s all about the trial and error and stubborn determination to get things looking ‘right’. Getting the mouthplate to fit right with the head pattern is indeed one of the more difficult parts of the build. Personally, I’ve still been experimenting with the shape of Kermit’s body, as it seems to vary a lot on the originals as well. Gluing foam is unforgiving as it can’t be easily torn apart again if you want to change something. I often build multiple foam bodies until I come up with a shape that I like.

The cool thing about building such a well known character like Kermit with such a long history is that there are many ways to build him, as his look has changed quite a lot over the years. So that leaves a lot to personal preference—there is no ‘one’ look. Each build I see is a unique one!

The difficulty of cutting the pupils out right is something that a lot of people are surprised about during the process! It doesn’t seem like something that would be difficult, but the shape, size, and position on the eyeballs can make or break capturing his portrait.

It’s amazing isnt’ it, seeing a character like Kermit suddenly come to life in front of you as all the pieces are assembled!? That’s the fun part and makes all the hard work worth it.

 

[directorwho]

Well thanks for the kind words. I have been working on my Kermit since the end of september. And although I am coming to the end of my prototypes, I still have not touched much of my 15oz in fear of ruining it, and since puppet pelts has been moving and changing their suppliers, they don't have any more 15oz frog fleece. Checking their website it looks like it will back in stock in mid-march. I digress, I am nowhere near the photographer that ecl is with Kermit. But when I am happy with the results I will definitely take some pictures, I know ecl wants to see too. I will be making another Kermit, but this one will be a photo puppet. I'm trying to see about making a fake log for him to sit on, that I can hang on the wall in my apartment. You know the curvy log that starts in the beginning of the original Muppet Movie. But for now that stand that ecl showed earlier should work. I don't have a good work space to spread all my materials, so that one will take a while.

 

[ecl]

directorwho, your Kermit is looking very clean and well built in the preview photos you posted above! Looking forward to seeing more.

 

[BrundelFly]

Thanks ECL!

I used your info and mine came out great...and yeah I want to do another. You do amazing work!

 

[directorwho]

Could you send some pictures, we don't get many people coming through here ya know?

 

[Timelash]

Thanks to you I am now addicted to making muppets. The first was kermit having to adjust the patterns to something I was happy with was a challenge. I'm now waiting for puppet pelts to get the nicer fleece to make a final version. One thing I've done to the hands was add tubing to inner hand at an arc, so I could remove the arm rods and it works out well. I'm now working on pepe and a fozzie bear.

 

[directorwho]

Where did you source your feathers for pepe? I think He looks great! You got his expression just right! Pepe and the rats are all rod puppets, never really took a deep look into how they are constructed. I am thinking of making a Sam Eagle and he has a lot of feathers. I can't find anything that isn't expensive.

 

[Timelash]

Where did you source your feathers for pepe? I think He looks great! You got his expression just right! Pepe and the rats are all rod puppets, never really took a deep look into how they are constructed. I am thinking of making a Sam Eagle and he has a lot of feathers. I can't find anything that isn't expensive.

I got them off of ebay, it was half a meter around £2 (not sure what that is in dollars), this is ostrich trim btw. Good luck with sam he is on my list too

 

[Timelash]

Where did you source your feathers for pepe? I think He looks great! You got his expression just right! Pepe and the rats are all rod puppets, never really took a deep look into how they are constructed. I am thinking of making a Sam Eagle and he has a lot of feathers. I can't find anything that isn't expensive.

thank I've made two of him so far adjusting the pattern as I've been going and working out the mech.. I know the original has a wire for the mouth and a ball on the palm that rotates the head up and down... But that's beyond my ability to work out so I've done it using an umbrella arm. It works ok but not perfect.

 

[directorwho]

wow that looks so neat!

 

[ecl]

Thanks to you I am now addicted to making muppets. The first was kermit having to adjust the patterns to something I was happy with was a challenge. I'm now waiting for puppet pelts to get the nicer fleece to make a final version. One thing I've done to the hands was add tubing to inner hand at an arc, so I could remove the arm rods and it works out well. I'm now working on pepe and a fozzie bear.

Fantastic, these look really great! Always enjoy seeing new builds. I look forward to seeing your other projects. And great idea with the tubing in the hand; that’s something that I’ve been refining in my later builds as well. Love what you’ve done with Pepe, and Fozzie is one of my favorites so i’m really curious to see how that one turns out.

 

[ecl]

Thanks ECL!

I used your info and mine came out great...and yeah I want to do another. You do amazing work!

Awesome, I’m glad it helped, and thanks for the comment! That often happens after people build their first one; the itch to build another one! Even after having built so many, I still find it fun to tinker with new builds.

 

[DFW]

If anyone has a thorough break down (patterns, materials list, etc) of any other muppet builds like ECLs would you mind sharing? Or if you know where to find any others Im very interested

 

[Sir Spades]

How do you make the body?
I know you use foam to make it but what shape specifically

 

[Timelash]

How do you make the body?
I know you use foam to make it but what shape specifically

ECL released a pattern for Kermit some time back. It's not perfect and isn't the final one he uses. It's all trial and error and coming up with new patterns till your happy.
For me I use monster clay to sculpt up a rough character or body parts. I then use masking tape to create the patterns. That then gets translated to paper (if the shape dosnt lay flat you will have to cut darts to get it flat those darts get glued back together when the foam is cut). Once on paper they will need to be scaled up to the right size via a scanner or using your eye and guessing (not the best idea). But that's the kinda way I'm using to build puppets. And it's doing great so far..

 

[ecl]

How do you make the body?
I know you use foam to make it but what shape specifically

The body is basically composed of about 7-8 ‘wedges’. The shape of them though is sort of like if you flattened an egg into two dimensions. I’ll find one of my older patterns and post it again to give you an idea. After all my builds, I still find the body to be the biggest pain to make; the smallest variations in the shape of the wedges can result in a big change in the overal shape of his body.

The idea behind it is something like (below). The wedges are glued together and you eventually end up with an egg or tear drop shape. Kermit’s body varies quite a lot over the years; I prefer a slightly less exaggerated tear drop shape, but that ends up being more of a personal preference. Also note that the Kermit puppets that don’t have legs tend to feature longer and thinner looking torsos, while Kermits with legs tend to have slightly shorter and rounder torsos. I think this is mainly to provide a little bit more room for the camera to work with when shooting the legless Kermits, which is most of the time actually—you don’t want to accidentally see the performer’s arm! If/when you want to go even more advanced and into more detail—I tend to use a couple slightly modified wedges his spine/backside than the front. In many reference photos, it’s clear his body is not a completely vase-like shape (equal all around). His chest tends to be flatter and his spine actually sticks out to kind of a point (Illustrated in my sketch below as well).

ECL released a pattern for Kermit some time back. It's not perfect and isn't the final one he uses. It's all trial and error and coming up with new patterns till your happy.
For me I use monster clay to sculpt up a rough character or body parts. I then use masking tape to create the patterns. That then gets translated to paper (if the shape dosnt lay flat you will have to cut darts to get it flat those darts get glued back together when the foam is cut). Once on paper they will need to be scaled up to the right size via a scanner or using your eye and guessing (not the best idea). But that's the kinda way I'm using to build puppets. And it's doing great so far..

Great job!! And you are correct; a lot of it is trial and error, and also very close observation of the references. Thanks for sharing your process. It’s important to know there are many ways to go about making these! The right way is..whatever works! I’m pretty sure the original Muppets ran on this thought as well. I often tell people to not be overly stressed about it; the Muppets themselves have changed so drastically over the years. There is no ‘one’ Kermit, or any other Muppet. Try to capture the essence of the character, and it’ll work. Your Fozzie looks amazing!! He’s one of my personal favorite characters.