How to make a Muppet-style puppet: Part One

Let’s get started!

Here are the materials you will need:

One yard 1/2 inch Upholstery Foam:

One yard Blizzard or Polar Fleece

~OR~

Antron Fleece (The “real” Muppet Fleece - a bit pricey!) Note:  One of the many reasons people love Antron Fleece, besides it being very close to the original fleece used for the first muppets, is its ability to hide seams well.  

Felt: small pieces black and red/pink/orange—inside of mouth colors!

Foam Board 3/16”

Gaffer’s tape or Duct tape

Scissors and/or Xacto blades (warning: do NOT use fabric scissors on foam!) 

Needle & Thread

Polyfill or other” stuffing”- a bag or so—or an old pillow’s worth!

Spiral Boning - 1 yard

LOW TEMP or DUAL TEMP Mini Hot Glue Gun & Hot Glue sticks
(High temp will melt the foam, and take forever to dry! And burn your fingers!) Note:  with traditional muppet-style puppets, the glue used to glue the foam to itself is called Barge.  Barge is a shoe glue.  It is HIGHLY TOXIC.  It works quite well for puppet building, but it is dangerous, which is why I don’t use it with my students.  If you choose to use Barge, I highly recommend only using it outside while wearing a respirator.  Yes, it is that bad.

Eyes: Ping Pong Balls OR large plastic or wooden beads OR buttons or more felt! 

Further decoration (optional):

Marabou

Feathers

Clothes:  You can make clothes for your puppet, or you can buy (used or new) children’s clothes. I have found sizes 2T or 3T to work well.