Soft Puppet Repair & Care

[Tom Crowl]

My main figure, Dangerous Dudley Duck, is a Pavlov creation. It is over three years old and has held up very well considering the use I've put it through. (I have a back up puppet, but hate to switch to it since subtle differences make it feel weird to use...)

Recently I've been using my puppet for street performances so it has undergone a lot of stress. It was finally time to take on some repairs and I felt this topic may help others who work with soft puppets.

The mouth began feeling "worn" at the fold. I was afraid the cardboard (or whatever the material is) would eventually crack, so I took small strips of cloth Gaff Tape and carefully reinforced the mouth from the inside. This made the area much stronger and helps to protect it against sweat. If you aren't familiar with gaff or gaffer tape, it is used by stage crews. The stuff sticks to anything, but isn't as "gummy" as duct tape. The cloth gaff tape is a handy thing to have - avoid the plastic gaff, which is just expensive duct tape...

I've also been doing spot repairs with a glue gun at points where the fabric and foam were coming away from the mouth. (Outside repairs.) A needle and thread is handy for any fabric or seam fixes, but luckily I haven't had that problem yet.

With the dampness of the air and the heat some nights I work, the interior of the puppet, has gotten very damp with condensation and sweat. Ken Groves recommended a large (4") thick paper mailing tube placed into the puppet. Allow it to sit out overnight and the paper tube not only holds the puppet open to dry, but also helps wick away moisture.

If you have any maintenance or care advice for soft puppets/figures, please share it!
Tom

[RINGMASTER]

Great ideas , Tom ! SInce I live 30 miles from the swamp (Everglades) humidity is a year-round issue. Although my staging area for shows is in my garage, I always upack the cases and take the puppets in my office after gigs. Otherwise, they cannot dry out properly. I made some large shelves up high in my office, near the ceiling mounted AC vents. On the shelves, I mounted upright thick pine dowels, about 14" each. These were big enough to get the puppets upright, and allow them to air out near the AC vents. So far, it has worked like a charm.

One interesting problem I am dealing with concerns my sheepdog. It is a cheap Folkmanis puppet, very popular in the UK, as I understand it. I have been using them for about five years now, and have several back-ups. I believe David Ginn just started selling these in a package deal with a trick and a DVD, though they have been around for a long time. I would not go anywhere without this puppet, as the kids go absolutely bonkers for it.

Anyway, my problem is due to a magnet. I have a powerful magnet inside the nose, for use in a balancing ball trick. The magnet seems to be turning the dog's fur green ! This is only happening around the area where the magnet resides. I have no idea why this is happening. So far, it isn't hugely noticeable, but I know eventually, I will have to retire that dog and place the magnet in another puppy. I am tempted to try some bleach, like one of the bleach pens for sale at the grocery store. I will relay the results once I begin experimenting.

Mark