My Kermit the Frog puppet

[Lynn TXP 0369]

**EDIT***
New pics of my Kermits progress in my last post.
The body is now on.

Lynn

**END EDIT***

I have the MR Kermit the Frog poser puppet on order, but I wanted a true hand puppet, so I decided to go ahead and start to make my own.

It is not coming out too bad so far since I have no clue as to what I'm doing and how to make a puppet, so I'm totally winging this by the seat of my pants.

I joined the Muppet Central forum http://forum.muppetcentral.com/forumdisplay.php?f=23
and asked many questions to get this project going.


I got a Fisher Price 1976 plush toy off eBay to help use referance to make it and I used the pattern of the Fisher Price head from the MCF by up sizeing it by 125% to make the head.

I used green Alpine fleece for the main head, stiff red felt for the mouth, regular felt for the mouth detail parts.

The color may not be perfact, but it looks pretty good. The Alpine fleece dosn't accept dye to well, but if dyed it does tint just a bit, so I dyed it with dark green just to try and darken it a bit and worked.

I used 1/2" foam to make a "skeleton" to pad out the head just a little and I used rubber matt material to make the mouth a bit stiffer for manipulation.

The eyes are regular ping pong balls cut in half and glued in place. I drew on the pupils to get a feel for them before I paint them in. The real pupils I believe were fur flocked, like and old Adventure team bearded Gi-Joe, and not painted in. I'm just going to paint mine.

I made a test trial out of all white fleece to see how it went together and I learned a lot of things sewing this up.
I have no clue on how to do the body, so I gotta study the Fisher Price toy to get a feel for it and draw up a pattern and try that and do a practice run in white fleece.

I gotta decided on wether I want to do my puppet with just the arms and no legs, or a puppet with legs, I'm leaning towards to a puppet with no legs.
I will probably do it as a stick pupper with the sticks for the arms, I still gotta decide that as well.

I'll post more pics later as I make more progress on it.
Enjoy the pics.
Lynn

 

[The Mantis]

That is DAMN good.

 

[Apollo]

Great job so far Lynn..

For someone just winging it you have done an outstanding job so far..

 

[turok96]

That is good work for just winging it. Keep those progress pics coming.

 

[Lynn TXP 0369]

Thanks for the comps guys..
Yes, I'm totally winging this and I think I figured out how to do the body pattern..

After watching the Muppet show some more right now I realized Kermits body is kind of shaped like a balloon, If I blow up a balloon to his body size I could cover it with paper mache and then cut it apart to make the pattern.
I may even be able to keep it and use it as the inside frame to keep him filled out.
Lynn

 

[vaderdarth]

Lookin great Lynn...........can't wait to see the final pics.

Dave

 

[Lynn TXP 0369]

Thanks..

I redid his mouth a bit so that he can smile better and to give him thinner lips.
I also redrew the pupils a little to make them more better placed.

Lynn

 

[NakedMoleRat]

Looks like Kermit to me. Keep up the good work.

 

[TomSpinaDesigns]

great job so far man. Can't wait to see him done.

Tom

 

[rmschneider104]

Yeah, that is definitely great. Are the eyes anything other than ping pong balls cut in half?

 

[DarthBish]

That, my friend, is sen-freakin-sational...keep up the GREAT work

 

[gonk27]

He looks great and nice idea for the body.


I want to get some antron fleece (Henson muppet fabric) and try a muppet, or muppet-styled character myself at some point, I'm a member of the Muppet Central forum too by the way, but not a very active one at the moment, there's a lot of talented folk over there.


Watching Kermit closely I've never been able to work out just how much the shape of his head is formed by interior foam and how much is just the shape of the puppeteer's hand? There must be some foam at the front, but from behind you often see (I think) the puppetter's knuckles showing through the material meaning there can't be much padding there..


Jeremy

 

[RoCKo]

looking very good. :thumbsup

 

[Lynn TXP 0369]

Originally posted by gonk27@Apr 10 2006, 07:35 AM
He looks great and nice idea for the body.


I want to get some antron fleece (Henson muppet fabric) and try a muppet, or muppet-styled character myself at some point, I'm a member of the Muppet Central forum too by the way, but not a very active one at the moment, there's a lot of talented folk over there.


Watching Kermit closely I've never been able to work out just how much the shape of his head is formed by interior foam and how much is just the shape of the puppeteer's hand? There must be some foam at the front, but from behind you often see (I think) the puppetter's knuckles showing through the material meaning there can't be much padding there..


Jeremy

[snapback]1223594[/snapback]​

Thanks for the comps guys...

Yes, there is a lot of talented folk over there..
What is your forum name? Mine is Boba Lynn.

From what I have read and been told by the guys on the MCF that is all of Jim Hensons hand inside Kermits head, the newer ones may have foam insind because it is new puppeteer, but not when JH did him. I guess JH had some huge hands.

Lynn

 

[phase pistol]

You make it look easy... to be green. :thumbsup

- k

 

[gonk27]

Originally posted by Lynn TXP 0369+Apr 10 2006, 10:03 PM--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Lynn TXP 0369 @ Apr 10 2006, 10:03 PM)</div>

<!--QuoteBegin-gonk27

@Apr 10 2006, 07:35 AM
He looks great and nice idea for the body.


I want to get some antron fleece (Henson muppet fabric) and try a muppet, or muppet-styled character myself at some point, I'm a member of the Muppet Central forum too by the way, but not a very active one at the moment, there's a lot of talented folk over there.


Watching Kermit closely I've never been able to work out just how much the shape of his head is formed by interior foam and how much is just the shape of the puppeteer's hand? There must be some foam at the front, but from behind you often see (I think) the puppetter's knuckles showing through the material meaning there can't be much padding there..


Jeremy

[snapback]1223594[/snapback]​

Thanks for the comps guys...

Yes, there is a lot of talented folk over there..
What is your forum name? Mine is Boba Lynn.

From what I have read and been told by the guys on the MCF that is all of Jim Hensons hand inside Kermits head, the newer ones may have foam insind because it is new puppeteer, but not when JH did him. I guess JH had some huge hands.

Lynn

[snapback]1223876[/snapback]​

[/b]

I'm just 'gonk' over there. Posted a bit in the puppetry forum, but not for a while. I keep meaning to get back there actually, pick up a needle and thread and get started on a puppet but always get sidetracked.

I like the idea of doing either a Kermit like yourself or maybe a freestyle creation of my own with vivid, colourful wavy feather hair, fleece and characterful eyes like those wonderful muppets have.

Thanks for the Kermit info. It's amazing to see the range of expression Jim Henson was able to get into the frog's face just through shifting his fingers around a little. Pure genuis.


Jeremy

 

[Lynn TXP 0369]

Originally posted by rmschneider104@Apr 10 2006, 06:45 AM
Yeah, that is definitely great.  Are the eyes anything other than ping pong balls cut in half?

[snapback]1223578[/snapback]​

Thanks.
Yep, they are just plain old ping pong balls cut in half for the eyes.

Lynn

 

[SithLord]

I think you have an eye for 'ol Kermit.... :thumbsup


Nicely done....


t

 

[Lynn TXP 0369]

New progress pics up 4/24.

Lynn

 

[Apollo]

Wow. Still coming along VERY nicely..