Even if we tend to think about puppets as something childish and playful, the birth of the puppets is linked to religious ceremonies, rites of primitive man related to hunting and pagan rituals of the Ancient Egypt and Greece. In our training course we learned how to make mouthy puppets - funny puppets with a big mouse that can be used for talking, eating and picking up various objects.
Materials:
BODY: old socks, sleeves of jersey of a shirt sleeves or a pant leg can be used.
MOUTH, TEETH AND TONGUE: Pieces of discarded colourful fabrics of cotton, felt or other.
HAIR: Pieces of wool, fabric, rope, cables, plastics.
EYES: Balls made of pressing paper or plastic, corks, plastic caps, buttons, plant material (small cones, seeds).
This list should be seen as guidance. The creative possibilities for making puppets are so broad that every person can use any other material for recycling, as long as its bring colours shapes and textures suitable for the Muppet.
Tools and accessories:
Scissors, needles, threads, pins, white glue, silicone gun and hot glue sticks, pencil, cardboard
Preparation
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| Photo: Isabel Alcantud Gómez Cut the sock at the front, at about a third of the length of the feet. |
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| Photo: Isabel Alcantud Gómez Draw the shape of the mouth on a cardboard, which should be the same size as the area that we cut. This cardboard is used to give stiffness to the Muppet’s mouth and also as a template to cut a fabric used to make the inside of the mouth. |
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| Photo: Isabel Alcantud Gómez Cut the tongue and sew it in the middle of the mouth. Connect the inside of the mouth, the cardboard, stick it to the sock with pins; sew on the outside only the two fabrics. |
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| Photo: Isabel Alcantud Gómez Cut the tongue and sew it in the middle of the mouth. Connect the inside of the mouth, the cardboard, stick it to the sock with pins; sew on the outside only the two fabrics. Add the details: cheeks (soft wax); freckles, nose and eyebrows with a marker; and accessories like earrings, made of remains of fabrics. |
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| Photo: Isabel Alcantud Gómez The final version of the Muppets. |
And here you can find pictures of some of the puppets made by our participants. Get inspired and make your own theater troup!
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| Photos: Montserrat Guirado |
