#PuppetChainLetter Collaboration Project

February 28, 2021

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

November 15, 2020

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.

June 7, 2020

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

April 28, 2020

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

April 3, 2020

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

March 7, 2020

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

March 5, 2020

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.

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

January 25, 2020

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!