Custom Build: “Zephyr, Greek God of Wind” Theatrical Stage Puppet for YMCA Triangle in Raleigh, NC
Meet Zephyr, the Greek God of Wind — one of our latest larger-than-life custom puppet creations!
When YMCA Triangle in Raleigh, North Carolina, needed a larger-than-life character for an upcoming theatrical production, our team at Creventive Puppet Company was ready to bring their vision to life!
Inspired by Zephyr, the Greek god of the west wind, this custom theatrical puppet features a massive, intricately painted blue head, oversized expressive hands, fluffy cloud-like hair, and a flowing white fabric body designed to capture the movement of the wind.
And the biggest challenge? We had just ONE WEEK to build him from start to finish!
Talk about a whirlwind of a project — pun absolutely intended!
A Larger-Than-Life Puppet That Takes Three Performers
Zephyr isn't your ordinary puppet. His impressive scale and unique design make him a true theatrical spectacle!
In fact, it takes THREE puppeteers working together to bring Zephyr to life!
One puppeteer operates his enormous head from behind the flowing fabric body, while two additional performers independently control his oversized hands using long rods attached at the wrists.
Working together, the three performers can give Zephyr expressive movements that make him appear to float and move through the air.
His long, lightweight white fabric connects the head and hands, creating the illusion of a single towering figure made from wind and clouds. As the puppeteers move, the fabric flows and billows, adding another layer of movement to the character.
The result is a massive theatrical puppet that combines visual storytelling, coordinated performance, and creative engineering to make a BIG impression on stage.
From Concept to Creation in Just One Week!
Building a puppet of this scale is an exciting challenge on its own. Building one in just seven days? That's where things really get interesting!
Our talented puppet fabricators, Connor Asher and Virginia Edwards, worked to transform the concept into a fully realized theatrical character on an incredibly tight timeline.
From creating the large-scale head and hands to painting intricate details and assembling the flowing fabric body, every element needed to come together quickly without sacrificing the character's unique appearance.
One of our favorite details is Zephyr's face. His vibrant blue features are covered in intricate swirling patterns inspired by the movement of air, while fluffy white eyebrows, hair, and beard give him the appearance of a mythical figure emerging from the clouds.
His oversized hands were created to complement the scale of his head while remaining practical for puppeteers to operate during a live performance.
Finally, yards of flowing white fabric brought everything together, creating a dramatic, lightweight body that gives Zephyr his signature wind-inspired appearance.
Behind the Scenes: Watching Zephyr Come to Life
One of the most exciting parts of custom puppet fabrication is watching a character transform from an idea into something real!
Throughout the build, Zephyr gradually took shape as the individual elements came together.
The process involved creating and detailing his expressive face, developing the oversized hands, adding his signature cloud-like features, and bringing everything together with the flowing fabric that would become his body.
Each stage of the build presented its own creative challenges, especially with such a short turnaround time.
We've included some of our favorite behind-the-scenes progress photos below so you can get a closer look at the craftsmanship and creativity that went into bringing Zephyr to life!
[Insert progress photos of Zephyr's face, painted details, oversized hands, fabrication, and final assembly.]
Built for Performance, Designed to Impress
While Zephyr's appearance is certainly eye-catching, his design needed to do more than just look impressive.
Because the character would be operated by three puppeteers, each component had to work together as part of one coordinated performance.
The independent head and hand controls allow Zephyr to gesture, react, and interact on stage, while his lightweight fabric body creates movement without the need for a traditional solid structure.
This combination gives performers the flexibility to bring personality and expression to a character of such an impressive scale.
It's one of the things we love most about theatrical puppetry: a puppet doesn't truly come to life until the performers bring it into motion!
One Week, Three Puppeteers, One Unforgettable Creation!
From concept to completion, Zephyr was brought to life in just ONE WEEK by our fabrication team, Connor Asher and Virginia Edwards.
We're incredibly proud of how this project came together and grateful to YMCA Triangle for trusting Creventive Puppet Company to help bring such a unique character to the stage.
Projects like Zephyr remind us why we love what we do. Whether we're creating a small, expressive character or a massive theatrical puppet requiring multiple performers, there's nothing quite like seeing an imaginative idea become a reality.
And with this particular project, it's safe to say we had a little extra wind in our sails!
Have a Larger-Than-Life Idea? Let's Bring It to Life!
At Creventive Puppet Company, we specialize in designing and fabricating custom puppets for theatrical productions, live entertainment, special events, and more.
Whether you're looking for a unique character, a large-scale stage puppet, or something completely out of the ordinary, we'd love to help turn your vision into reality!
Have a character you'd love to bring to life? Visit our website to request a quote for your very own custom puppet. We can't wait to see what we can create together!
#CustomPuppets #PuppetMaking #PuppetBuilder #TheatricalPuppetry #StagePuppets #Zephyr #CustomPuppetFabrication #BehindTheScenes
#PuppetChainLetter Collaboration Project
Hi everyone,
I’m so excited to talk about #PuppetChainLetter project collaboration started by Swazzle Puppet Studio in California. I was invited to be one of eight builders from across the country to participate.
First, lets talk about the project…
Eight puppet builders across the nation will contribute to the creation of a single puppet.
The final result will be auctioned with the proceeds benefiting the @puppeteers_of_america Direct Relief Fund for Puppet Artists!
Contributors include: @swazzlepuppetstudio @connorasher @projectpuppet @dluxpuppets @adrianroseleonard & @rachelmadestudio
#puppet #puppetry #puppetmaker #directrelief #puppets #puppeteersofamerica #puppetbuilding
My contribution to the chain letter was to design and fabricate the foam arms and hands.
Unboxing video:
LIVE reveal of the completed arms where I share my step-by-step thought and build process:
FOLLOW the hashtag #PUPPETCHAINLETTER on social media to follow this puppet’s journey from beginning to completion.
Special thank you again to Swazzle for bringing me on board this exciting project. Can’t wait to see how this puppet turns out!
As usual, please feel free to get in touch if you have any questions!
Until next time,
Connor Asher
Fozzie Bear Puppet Refurb Project
Before I begin,
NO! I do not accept replica requests/commissions. Don’t ask.
A close friend of mine reached out asked if it were possible to refurbish a puppet from their personal collection for private use.
Normally I would NEVER do this since it’s a copyrighted character however the idea of a refurbishment project intrigued me as both a puppet builder and Muppet fan especially since I wasn’t building it from scratch nor was charging for it.
I decided to take the project on as a favor for my friend and challenge to myself to tackle between projects. (Once again, I did not get paid for this project)
It was a major challenge but I learned a lot of great techniques and would like to share some of the lessons I learned during this build.
So let’s dive in!
The Process
I received the puppet in a pretty beat up condition. The first step was looking at the puppet from both an internal and external perspective to see the amount of work that needed to be accomplished.
My friend wanted me to try to keep as much of the original’s materials as possible since it was an unpaid project.
I then began dissecting the puppet into pieces to see what the internal structure was made out of.
All of the foam was disintegrating/toasting, mouth plate was built out of card board, nose was built with styrofoam. One of the major issues with some of those materials is that they’re inferior, don’t last long and don’t handle performing well.
After, I began recreating the patterns using some of the original’s along with creating new patterns to make the shapes more accurate to the actual puppet.
One of the most challenging parts of this build was reference images. The actual character changed so much over the years, I decided to try my best to be as true to the character as possible.
Capturing subtle details can be a very difficult and time consuming process on certain characters but I’m always up for a challenge.
After putting together all the new foam, mouth plate and neck sleeve, I began draping the head, neck and body to get new covering patterns.
I then traced those patterns onto remnants of the original faux fur that I got from dissecting the original puppet. (Which was a challenge within itself - so if I needed extra fur, I didn’t have it) and luckily had just enough to cover the head, body and neck. I decided to reuse the original’s ears, arms and necktie to save time and costs.
After everything was sewn together, I treated the fur with heat to give it more texture.
After this, it was time to problem solve the features. Figuring out the eyes, nose and ear placement took quite a bit of time.
In the end, I ended up designing and creating about 9 prototype noses to get the size and shape correct. Some of the noses were foam patterned and fleeced and some I designed in 3D, printed them and covered in Nylon Fleece. The end result was 3D printed and covered.
Similar situation with the eyes. The eyes took about 12 pairs to get just right to where I was satisfied with them.
The end result were made from soup spoons that were sanded, had a screw and bolt epoxied to the back of each eye then inset inside of the head.
Next, the tongue was foam carved with uvula/throat features airbrushed.
Finally, I placed his pupils using a straight pin to get the focus right.
After the puppet was finished, it was time to costume!
My friend, Mae Risk helped me problem solve the hat and necktie. After they were fabricated, I permanently sewed them to the head.
Then after a bit more cleanup work, he was finally completed on 11/16/2020.
Hope this was useful and insightful for some people.
He was a major challenge but I’m pretty satisfied with the end result given the parameters of this project. If I were to start again, I would do some things differently but glad it’s over and ready to start onto new projects.
ONCE AGAIN….NO! I do not accept replica requests/commissions. Don’t ask.
“PUPPET PODCAST” by Caroline Bernier-Dionne.
Hello everyone,
Please check out “PUPPET PODCAST” by Caroline Bernier-Dionne.
As an artist, I really enjoy listening to other creatives while I work on projects around my shop. Caroline’s Puppet Podcast is fun, informative and very professional.
One thing I deeply enjoy about her podcast is the diversity of puppeteers/artists that she interviews who come from all different backgrounds, ages, and points in their career.
Caroline is a very friendly host who makes puppeteers feel comfortable with sharing their stories, passions and ambitions.
I was recently interviewed by her in episode #28 which is now available on YouTube, FaceBook and other streaming platforms.
Please check it out and help support her great work.
That’s all for now. Thanks so much!
How to Survive COVID-19 - Video
Find out what to do and what not to do during the COVID-19 pandemic in this hilarious, WWII propaganda-style puppet satire video now on YouTube!
Special thanks to everyone who contributed to help bring this video to life. 🎥🎬
https://youtu.be/KjihQvKvxUE
Kiedis the Troll - Custom Puppet Build
Today we’re featuring Kiedis the Troll, custom puppet built and designed by Connor Asher completed on February 24th 2018 for our live touring theatrical production “Three Billy Goats Gruff”.
Kiedis the Troll is now being used in collaboration with the Insurance King and preparing for his own upcoming web show.
More soon.
To request your own custom puppet, visit our custom puppets page and fill out a form: https://www.creventive.com/#/custom-puppets/
Thats all for now. See you soon.
SEE HIM IN ACTION NOW:
Dexter Blue Monster Sack Puppet - Rental for Commercial/film/tv/stage
Welcome back to the blog.
Today we’re featuring our latest rental puppet: Dexter. A sack puppet designed and built by Connor Asher.
What’s a rental puppet?
If you don't have the time or budget to have a custom puppet built, you can rent one from our stock for a reasonable daily rate.
Our rental puppets can be customized to fit the needs of your project. Whether its an individual character or a full cast, any and all existing customizations are possible to be built from our own minds directly to your own hands.
As always, contact us here to discuss a quote for your own custom projects!
See him in action now:
Shmoop Hand/Rod Puppet - Rental for Commercial/film/tv/stage
Welcome back to the blog.
Today we’re featuring our latest rental puppet: Shmoop. A hand/rod puppet designed and built by Connor Asher.
Built using: Faux fur, gasket rubber, ostrich feathers, felt, velvet, wooden spheres.
What’s a rental puppet?
If you don't have the time or budget to have a custom puppet built, you can rent one from our stock for a reasonable daily rate.
Our rental puppets can be customized to fit the needs of your project. Whether its an individual character or a full cast, any and all existing customizations are possible to be built from our own minds directly to your own hands.
As always, contact us here to discuss a quote for your own custom projects!
See him in action now:
Kiedis the Troll - Insurance King Collaboration
Hey everyone! Welcome back to the Creventive Newsletter, we’re excited to share one of our latest partnerships!
Our pals at Insurance King wanted to bring in our character, Kiedis the Troll as their new social media manager to help combat trolling on their social media through a series of clever GIFs and short video comment replies.
Speaking of which, Kiedis actually has his own social media accounts on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and TikTok!
Follow him @KiedisTroll
Be sure to also follow the Insurance King facebook page to see what he’s up to. Tweet him if you dare!
Kiedis the Troll - Insurance King Behind the Scenes Video shot by Frank Slowinski Jr and Alfredo Castil Produced by Dan Block
Custom Portrait Puppet for Client
Welcome back to the Creventive Newsletter,
Today we’re featuring a new custom portrait puppet that we just built for a client’s husband as a birthday present for her husband.
Handmade custom puppet made to order. Featuring a needle-felted goatee, custom-dyed hair, nylon fleece skin, custom made shirt.
To request your own custom puppet, visit: https://www.creventive.com/request-a-custom-puppet-quote
