Bud's Puppetry Page

Punch and I

I finally got a chance to include one scan of me and my Punch. His head is molded of Celastic. I based his design on some 18th century drawings. Also pictured is my Vent figure, Horatio. His head and body are also of Celastic and I have articulated his eyes with a variation of a standard that allows me to move my finger in the same direction as his eye movement. The usual attachment has the Ventriloquist moving counter to the movement which I found awkward, so that motivated me to invent my little variation which works more easily for me. I have many more puppets, puppets I made and a collection garnered from around the world.

Here's a new photo of me onstage doing a ventriloquial bit at an Air Show. The vent figure is one I purchased at the 1996 Ventriloquist's conVENTion in Fort Mitchell, Kentucky. The figure who I have named Dooda (he's obviously a Dodo), is by Axtel Expressions. Steve Axtel makes fabulous puppets and figures and he's the first figure I haven't made myself. I was torn, but his personality won me over. Here he is sitting on my falconry glove (he has sharp claws) commenting on the various bird dialects he can imitate.

 

The last two years have seen me building very large puppets for parades. The images following are from the annual Livingston Manor, New York "Trout Parade" which falls on the first weekend in June. below are several photos of the parade in progress in June of 2006.

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Here, swimming through the streets is a 25 foot long "Brook Trout", segmented so it can "swim", with an articulated mouth. I have added a photo of the fish and myself that was in our local newspaper.

Below is a 15 foot tall puppet of "Johnny Darling" who lived in Livingston Manor in the 19th century. A book was written of his exploits, published in 1949, "The Marvelous Adventures of Johnny Darling". I felt he needed reviving and with my "crew" of volunteers built and carried him through the streets of the town where he waved to the populace and acknowledged their adulation.

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It was necessary to limit his height to clear the wires across the road which can be seen behind his head in the above photo.

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