Little's Creatures

Yeti from theyetee.com

2012-02-12T18:58:00.001-05:00

Yeti from theyetee.com, a photo by Little's Creatures on Flickr.

This is the puppet we built for theyetee.com

This was a fun puppet to build. They just unveiled him yesterday as part of their 5000 facebook fans video.

"Time Machine Guitar" Pilot Starts Production in Charlottesville

2012-01-25T10:54:00.001-05:00

"Time Machine Guitar" Pilot Starts Production in Charlottesville

Green and yellow monster puppet

2011-12-05T14:56:00.001-05:00

Green and Yellow monster, a photo by Little's Creatures on Flickr.

Currently for sale on our ETSY page. Go check it out before it is gone.

Littlescreatures.etsy.com

Puppets for sale!!!

2011-11-29T14:38:00.000-05:00

Puppets Galore!!

2011-11-28T11:04:00.001-05:00

Cute Orange Monster, a photo by Little's Creatures on Flickr.

Puppet production is in full swing here with the upcoming Christmas Holiday.

If you are looking for a puppet please let us know as soon as possible. So, that we can get it to you in time for Christmas.

Audrey II #3 and Audrey II #2

2011-11-09T10:10:00.006-05:00

Audrey II #3 and Audrey II #2, a photo by Little's Creatures on Flickr.

These are for sale!!!

If you would like these puppets for your production of Little Shop of Horrors. I'm willing to sell them for the cost of materials. You also need to be in the Boston area or be willing to drive here.

$200 for the Audrey II #3 (this is the large one)
for an extra $150 you can buy Audrey II #2 (fake arm illusion) But, only if you take the #3.

Audrey II #3. Comes in 3 pieces
root legs(pants)
Plastic planter Pot(performer sits on it)
The pod(performer works from inside)
The puppet also has a puppeteerable tongue

You can see another photo of the Audrey II #2 here. The arm closest to the camera is fake!

Audrey II #2 Comes in 2 pieces
Plant, pot, and jcket are all one piece.
2nd piece of the illusion is the glove for the left hand. This makes both hands look the same.

Happy Halloween!!!

2011-10-31T13:32:00.001-05:00

Audrey two pod #3, a photo by Little's Creatures on Flickr.

Here is a photo of the pod that I built for the Spooky Story Station.

Spooky Story Station is a brand new haunted house this year at the Puppet Showplace Theater in Brookline, MA

The haunted house is aimed at young kids and is more focused on the specatular vs the scary.

This puppet when it is fully together with the potted plant and puppeteerable tongue is a sight to see. We will also have our smaller puppet Gertrude with us as well.

Hopefully we will see you tonight from 5-8.

Bring the kids.

For more info head over to http://puppetshowplace.org/index.php?page=halloween

Building lots of plants

2011-10-28T13:28:00.001-05:00

Cactus, a photo by Little's Creatures on Flickr.

Here is a cactus we recently built. Made from Foam, Antron Fleece, and lots of toothpicks.

Snazzy bow tie!!

2011-10-04T12:02:00.001-05:00

DSC00356, a photo by Little's Creatures on Flickr.

This little guy decided he wanted to be a little more stylish. Personally, I think the yellow is an excellent color for him.

Photo archive

2011-08-25T11:16:00.001-05:00

Custom puppets for Alaska, a photo by Little's Creatures on Flickr.

I thought I would share this photo from a photo session we had before these puppets left for alaska.

By the way if you are in the Boston area be sure to go to the following link to sign up for our class. http://puppetshowplace.org/index.php?page=adult-workshops

Yeti puppet currently for sale.

2011-08-12T09:44:00.002-05:00

WARSHEEP

2011-07-12T09:20:00.001-05:00

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/538657550/warsheep-almost-live-in-hd?ref=live

In addition to working on our own stuff at Little's Creatures. From time to time we work on other people's projects as well. The extremely talented Brodrick Jones has enlisted our help in recreating his brilliant piece WARSHEEP. He will be performing the piece live with some talented actors/puppeteers at the Brookline Puppet Showplace in September. He has a top notch professional crew helping him with this project. All he needs is some funding to get everyone in the same place. So, head on over to the kickstarter link above and help him out. Thanks in advance.

Sketching

2011-07-06T13:18:00.001-05:00

Bear sketches, a photo by Little's Creatures on Flickr.

Here are some sketches Jon created recently of a baby polar bear, a grizzly bear, and two pandas in a tree.

The DEADLINE

2011-06-22T08:18:00.002-05:00

Check out my new film.

National Puppetry Conference -- Performances

2011-06-06T08:58:00.002-05:00

Hope everyone is enjoying the wonderful weather that is finally here. Little's Creatures will be out of the studio for the next couple of weeks.

Jon and Chris will both be at the O'neill National Puppetry Conference learning from the best of the best in a pursuit to continue their puppetry education.

Check out the video above to get a better idea of the amazing work that is created at the O'neill.

You can even see a quick moment of the piece Jon made last year around the 1:00 mark.

Please feel free to still continue to send emails about upcoming projects and we will do our best to get back to you asap.

Puppet building

2011-05-27T08:38:00.001-05:00

Puppet building, a photo by Little's Creatures on Flickr.

Building puppets!!!

How many puppets can you find in the photos?

Sign up now for the puppeteering class at 3DTA.com

2011-05-17T11:34:00.003-05:00

Blue monster, a photo by Little's Creatures on Flickr.

We are headed back to Seattle to teach another class at the 3D Training Academy in July.

This class sold out fast last time so don't wait.

The class will focus on manipulation, lipsynch, monitor techniques, and more.

You will also have an opprotunity to purchase a puppet from me at the end of the class. The puppet in the picture was built for the class last December.

So, what are you waiting for? Go to http://www.3dtrainingacademy.com/puppetry/ now and sign up.

Little's Creatures website temporarily down

2011-05-11T09:56:00.001-05:00

The Little's Creatures website is temporarily down. There was an issue with our service provider's system. We are working with them to get the site back up and running as soon as possible.

In the meantime if you need us.

Please contact jon(at)littlescreatures.com

If you would like to see some more examples of our work feel free to head over to http://www.flickr.com/littlescreatures or http://www.youtube.com/littlescreatures

Puppets ready to ship.

2011-05-02T14:47:00.001-05:00

, a photo by Little's Creatures on Flickr.

Three new puppets out of the workshop. I will post some better photos soon.

Hopefully they will be happy at their new home in Alaska.

UPDATES

2011-03-09T12:56:00.000-05:00

Ok here are a bunch of updates and stuff that is coming up soon.

Yesterday, we had a crew of BU students shoot in the studio for a documentary film they are making for school. I think a good and informative time was had by all.

One of our puppet designs is currently being built step by step on the new and informative website puppetsmith.com Go check it out.

We have been building and building working away on puppets for clients. You can see some Mock-ups and in progress photos at flickr

We will be peforming at the Blood From A Turnip puppet slam on 3/18 in Providence.

We will also be performing at the Brookline Puppet Showplace on 3/26 in Brookline.

Also we announced the winner of the Baby Monster Raffle. If you would like to see who won go to youtube

Christmas TREE!!!

2010-12-22T18:04:00.002-05:00

Holiday Video #3

2010-12-15T10:30:00.005-05:00

Holiday Video #2

2010-12-08T16:03:00.003-05:00

All I want for Christmas is Two Monsters!!

2010-12-01T09:19:00.001-05:00

This is our first video of the Holiday Season. We will be posting a new video every Wednesday through the month of December.

Enjoy!!!

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

2010-11-24T15:41:00.003-05:00

Seattle Puppetry Workshop at the 3d Training Academy in Seattle

2010-11-19T16:36:00.001-05:00

We will be teaching a workshop in Seattle, WA. Go and sign up now before the class fills up.

Go to this link for all the info http://www.3dta.com/

See you there.

Happy Halloween!!

2010-10-31T13:34:00.007-05:00

Orange Monster and Purple Monster for SALE!!!!

2010-10-18T14:46:00.004-05:00

Puppet Pandemic this weekend!!! Oct 2nd and 3rd

2010-09-30T06:40:00.000-05:00

Saturday Oct 2^nd and Sunday Oct 3^rd
7:30pm & 9:30pm

This showcase of puppetry pieces explore the contagious nature of puppets. From marionettes to paper mache mayhem, artists redefine conventional notions of puppetry and breed new strains of creativity and present them to an audience of willing test subjects.

These works were developed at the National Puppetry Conference. All profits from this showcase will fund The Alumni Scholarship to attend The National Puppetry Conference, so we can continue to explore the infectious nature of puppets.

Hosted by: Jim "Nappy" Napolitano of Nappy's Puppets
The Tank Theater
http://www.thetanknyc.org/
345 W. 45th Street (between 8th and 9th ave)

Tickets:
$10 in advance -http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/124971
$15 cash at the door

The Puppet Pandemic is spreading!
The only cure - a dose of puppet performances.

I will be puppeteering in all four performances this weekend. This is a show not to be missed. Trust me!

Workshop was a success!!!

2010-09-27T17:55:00.000-05:00

Thank you to everyone who came to our workshop this weekend. It was so nice to meet you all.

For everyone who was not there. 19 people signed up for the workshop. The class started with basic lip-synch technique. We then moved to some monitor work. We ended the 1.5 hour workshop with some group lip-synch to some popular songs.

Fun was had by all.

If you are interested in learning more about TV style puppetry send us a message. We would be happy to teach an intro class for you.

SIGN UP NOW!!! TV Puppetry Workshop on Sept 25th

2010-09-14T13:16:00.000-05:00

Have you always been interested in learning how to puppeteer in the TV style?

Well, now is your chance. We will be teaching a 1.5 hour workshop at the Brookline Puppet Showplace on Sept 25th. The class is just $5!!! WOW!!!

No previous puppetry experience is needed for the class. We will provide the puppets, the camera equipment, and all the personal instruction.

The class will be filled with lots of hands on puppeteering experience.

Some of the things the class will focus on:
-Setting up a camera and monitor
-Proper puppeteering stance
-Eye focus
-Lip-synch
-Working with a monitor
-Acting with puppets
-And much more!!!

There are only 30 spots available for the class. So, sign up now before it sells out.

Go to the link below to sign up
https://puppet-showplace-theatre.ticketleap.net/buy-tickets/film/handmade-puppet-dreams-screening--video-workshop/brookline/92579626-2829-489D-BE7C-2716879A327

Here is a fun video to send to your friends that might be interested in attending the workshop.

See ya there!!!

Marshfield Fair 2010

2010-09-01T19:01:00.000-05:00

Here is a quick clip of a larger project.

Well I thought I was at a safe distance.

Baby monster giveaway to help the National Puppetry Conference Alumni Scholarship.

2010-07-16T11:22:00.010-05:00

BABY MONSTER RAFFLE!!!

Have you always wanted a baby monster of your own?

Well, now is your chance! For just $10 a ticket you can get a chance to WIN a baby monster of your own in the color of your choice.

This is an amazing opprotunity for two reasons.

1.Your money will go to the National Puppetry Conference Alumni Scholarship fund. This money will then allow the amazing art form of puppetry to continue to grow for people who may not have the funds to go to the National Puppetry Conference.

2.You get a chance to win a BABY MONSTER!!

We have also added an extra incentive to try and help raise money. We will only be selling 100 tickets for each baby monster build.

What does that mean for you?

Well if you buy 100 tickets. Then you win!

If you buy 50 tickets. Then you have a 50% chance of winning.

If you buy 10 tickets. Then you have a 10% chance of winning.

So, the more you buy the better chance you have to win.

If you are interested in getting tickets here is how you do it.

Please make checks payable to: "Flock Theater"
Please note on face of check: Alumni Scholarship

Mail a check to:
Jon Little
42 Metcalf St. #1
Medford, MA 02155

For each $10 increment you donate there will be a ticket with your name on it. Once we hit 100 tickets we will pull out a name and Little's Creatures will contact the winner for what color they would like their puppet to be.

In case you are unfamiliar with the Baby Monsters. Check out the video below.

A man and his plant

2010-04-26T09:22:00.002-05:00

Puppets aren't just for kids

2010-03-12T09:47:00.007-05:00

Check out this article written about the upcoming puppet slam. Oh yeah and it features US!

Be sure to check out the additional photos as well.

http://www.wickedlocal.com/brookline/features/x324656984/In-Brookline-puppets-arent-just-for-kids-anymore

I hate chores

2010-02-23T09:59:00.002-05:00

Here is a new video that we have been working on.

Please watch and share with your friends.

Is that an ant?

2010-02-05T11:16:00.005-05:00

Here is a video of a puppet that I built last June with the amazing Jim Kroupa.

Good luck trying to figure out how the head turns. I built it and I don't even fully understand it.

More Bad Jokes!!

2010-01-29T07:44:00.003-05:00

More bad jokes. Enjoy!!

Joke time with Little's Creatures!!

2010-01-24T16:06:00.002-05:00

We are working on a bunch of projects. But we didn't want to forget about everyone who stops by the blog.

So, we shot some quick videos for you to enjoy till some bigger stuff comes along.

Enjoy!!

New puppet for Client.

2009-12-31T14:16:00.001-05:00

Just finished a brand new puppet for a client in California.

Check it out.

Happy Holidays!!!

2009-12-23T09:22:00.003-05:00

So we have just posted our 4th and final video of the holiday season. We will be back in 2010 with lots more puppets. For now grab a cup of hot cocoa and sit back and watch all of our holiday videos. Below is a playlist of all four for your viewing ease.

Holiday Video #3 (O' Christmas Tree)

2009-12-16T14:47:00.003-05:00

Happy Holidays(Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy)

2009-12-09T09:42:00.004-05:00

Holiday video #2. Check back next Wednesday for another all new holiday video.

Happy Holidays!!

2009-12-05T10:12:00.004-05:00

Happy Holidays!!

This is the first of four videos filled with Holiday spirit.

Check back on 12/9/09 for the next video.

Till then have fun shopping.

Comedy Video Night.

2009-10-20T08:24:00.006-05:00

Come on by and support us. Only $5 to come and see our videos and many other super talented comedians.

Here are all the details you need.

Friday October 23rd 2009
LINEUP

- The Gas
- NSFW VIDEO SHOWCASE SHOW
- with comedians Jenny Z
- Dave Boz
- videos by: Sam Haber
- videos by: Jonathan Little

SHOW DETAILS VENUE INFO
- Age Restrictions: 18+
- Doors Open: 7pm
- Ticket Price: $5.00
- Advanced: NA

The Gas 10/23 NSFW VIDEO SHOW Jenny Z Dave Boz Emma Willmann Wes Hazard Rick Canavan Morgan Smith with videos by Sam Haber, Jonathan Little

Venue info
Great Scott
Harvard and Comm. Ave
Allston MA 02134

- 617-566-9014
- http://www.greatscottboston.com

FOR MORE INFORMATION

- Anderson Comedy Group
- http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/andersoncomedy?ref=ts

Anderson Comedy Group
Harvard and Comm. Ave
Allston MA 02134

- 617-566-9014

Well I hope I see you all there.

Tuck and Snippit (makeover episode)

2009-10-02T14:04:00.008-05:00

Tuck and Snippit give a make over to an unlikely individual. They also share some fashion tips which aren't really helpful.

Warning:
Tuck and Snippit do not actually know anything about fashion. This video is purely for entertainment and contains no actual information.

PUPPET PANDEMIC IS ALMOST HERE!!!!

2009-09-23T10:38:00.006-05:00

What: PUPPET PANDEMIC: It's infectious!

Where: The Tank - 354 West 45th Street, NYC!

Tickets: $10 online, $15 at the door.
http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/77490

When: Sept 25th 7:30pm Jim "Nappy" Napolitano and friends
Sept 26th 3pm - Jim Napolitano of "Nappy's Puppets"
Sept 26th 7pm - Leslie Carrara-Rudolph and Lolly!

The line up looks amazing. This is surely a show you do not want to miss if you are anywhere in the genral vicinity of the NYC area. All the money raised goes towards a good cause(scholarship fund for the O'neill)

Remember to tell your friends.

Furry Puppet Studio

2009-09-21T18:23:00.003-05:00

My friend Zach Buchman of Furry Puppet Studios. Has just released a beautiful new revamp of his website. There is a lot of fun to be had on his site. You can click just about everything and get a reaction. But don't take my word for it go to.

http://www.furrypuppet.com

Also if you are interested in the building process be sure to check out his blog.

http://www.furrypuppet.com/blog

Well go check it out and let him know that I sent you over to take a peak at his sight. I promise you will not be disappointed.

Puppet Pandemic

2009-09-16T21:33:00.003-05:00

I will be performing next week in NYC as part of a fundraiser for the O'neill Puppetry Conference.

Please read the following note from the amazing Honey Goodenough (yes that is her real name).

Hopefully I will see you all there.

Dear You,

I would like to invite you to become a sponsor of an exciting new Alumni Scholarship to attend the National Puppetry Conference at the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center. The Fundraiser is called Puppet Pandemic:It's Infectious!

Puppet Pandemic: It's Infectious is showcase of works developed at the National Puppetry Conference. This collection explores the infectious nature of puppets. From marionettes to papier mache mayhem, artists redefine conventional notions of puppetry and breed new strains of creativity.

All profits from these performances will fund a new Alumni Scholarship to attend the National Puppetry Conference, in order to continue propagating provocative theatrical works.

I would like to invite you and all your friends to support this exciting new event. There are several ways to contribute. I am offering "Donor" status to anyone willing to donate funds from $20 to $99 dollars, "Sponsor" status to any contribution of $100 to $499, and "Star Sponsor" status with a contribute $500 or more. The contributors will have their name printed in the program as a thank you. All donations are tax deductible.

To Donate to the National Puppetry Conference Alumni Scholarship:

Please make checks payable to "Flock Theater"
Please note: Alumni Scholarship.
Send to: Flock Theatre
c/o Alumni Scholarship
66 Union Street
New London, CT 06320

We are also conducting a raffle to help raise funds. We are accepting any puppet/puppetry related items items, such as books, puppets, tickets to shows, or services. Please consider this another fantastic way to contribute to the scholarship.

This will be an exciting event! We have gathered some outstanding pieces from throughout the years. Pam Arciero is attending and is planning to say a few words, and our hosts, Jim "Nappy " Napolitano and Leslie Carrara-Rudoph will help make the night a full evening of entertainment.

Like a pandemic, the passion for puppetry is spreading! The only cure-- a prescription of puppet performances!

Hope to see you!

-=Honey Goodenough

What: PUPPET PANDEMIC: It's infectious!

Where: The Tank - 354 West 45th Street, NYC!

Tickets: $10 online, $15 at the door.
http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/77490

When: Sept 25th 7:30pm Jim "Nappy" Napolitano and friends
Sept 26th 3pm - Jim Napolitano of "Nappy's Puppets"
Sept 26th 7pm - Leslie Carrara-Rudolph and Lolly!

To Donate: Please make checks payable to "Flock Theater"
Please note: Alumni Scholarship.
Send to: Flock Theatre
c/o Alumni Scholarship
66 Union Street
New London, CT 06320

Hands-on.mov

2009-09-01T14:02:00.001-05:00

Hands-on.mov

Shared via AddThis

Etsy Handmade Moment contest!!!

2009-08-21T23:41:00.003-05:00

Etsy.com is having a contest right now. We made a fun video for the contest. I would really appreciate it if you guys would check it out, rate it, share it, post it, send it to friends. I could really use all of your help.

Here is the link

http://www.etsy.tv/video/Hands-on-mov

Hands-on.mov

Posted to Etsy Handmade Moment by Little Jon on August 21, 2009

Click to Play | View Details

Thank you in advance for any help you can give.

Puppets for Sale

2009-08-11T17:43:00.002-05:00

Super Cute Baby Monster

2009-08-07T10:41:00.000-05:00

I decided to try and make the cutest thing I could. The little baby monster above is the outcome. Now I will have to try and see if I can make something even cuter.(insert evil laughter here)

Thanks again for stopping by.

Custom Girl Monster

2009-07-25T22:56:00.004-05:00

This puppet is the most recent build out of our shop. It is on its way to California. Well check out the video this puppet is absolutely adorable.

O'neill puppetry conference 09

2009-06-22T18:19:00.002-05:00

I just got back from 12 amazing days at the O'neill puppetry conference. My brain is so full of creative ideas it is crazy.

I would like to thank all the faculty, staff, and other participants for making the last 12 days an amazing life altering experience that I will never forget.

Prinderella and the Cince

2009-06-06T15:33:00.004-05:00

Jet setting, Sunny LA, and more

2009-06-05T09:40:00.006-05:00

I'm sorry I haven't posted in a while. I have been busy.

Here is a recap of some of our recent activities.

May 16th We performed for at the Brookline Showplace Theater for the final slam of the season. It was a fun show with some very talented performers. We performed our sketch "the three legged pig"

May 20th Was a huge day for us. We are can now shoot in HD. Little's Creatures now owns a beautiful camcorder the sony hdr fx 1000. It is a three chip color system shoots in 1080 and is just an overall a great camera.

May 21st I hopped on a plane and jetsetted to LA. The land of TV and movies. This was my first trip to LA and did a lot of tourist stuff which I always enjoy. We stayed with my friend Kira who is an animator for Disney. She worked on the awesome movie "Bolt". If you haven't seen it you should.

May 22nd I went to the Jim Henson Company's performance of Puppet Up. If you don't know what this is it is a night of Improv comedy with puppets. This is NOT FOR KIDS. But, absolutely for adults. I don't think I have ever laughed so hard. We also got to meet some great folks who were sitting next to us at the performance. IF you are in LA go to this show!

May 25th I came back to Boston and got a chance to shoot some HD footage you can see it above this post.

In the coming weeks. I will be heading down to Waterford, Connecticut. I will be attending the O'neil puppetry conference which is a once a year event that pairs puppeteers with the pros. I will be in Marty Robinson's group you may now him better for his sesame street characters Telly, Snuffy, Slimey, and those yip yip martians. I will also be doing a pre conference 3 day puppet building intensive with Jim Kroupa. Should be a intense couple of weeks. I will be sure to fill everyone in when I come back.

Orange furry monster

2009-05-04T21:49:00.006-05:00

If you want to buy one of our puppets here is your chance.

UPDATE: This puppet has sold. We will post here when another is for sale.

Swine Flu (important public message)

2009-05-02T08:28:00.008-05:00

STAY AWAY FROM PIGS!!!!

Earth Day is April 22nd

2009-04-20T14:51:00.005-05:00

Earth Day is April 22nd.

The Booty Song.

2009-03-25T21:12:00.007-05:00

So we got an email the other day challenging us to make up a song. They requested that we make a song about booty. Well we love pirates and we love booty. So we did it.

If you want to see this video go to our youtube page http://www.youtube.com/countonath

We love challenges and questions and if you would like us to do something similar for an idea you have leave a comment either here or at http://www.twitter.com/littlescreature

The Tuck and Snippit Show!

2009-03-18T12:45:00.004-05:00

The Tuck and Snippit show!

If you love cute monsters and DIY this show is for you. There is only one way though to make sure that there will be another episode. You need to show it some love.

Go to either of the following links and rate, subscribe, comment, and post your blog.

Here are the links

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_uUGvst7y7U

www.threadbanger.com/episode/ISPY_20090318#comments

Thanks for the help

Today is the day!!!

2009-03-18T10:46:00.005-05:00

Today is the day when the final piece of the puzzle comes together. Stay tuned this is an exciting time for us.

When you are married to a puppeteer....

2009-03-17T09:13:00.008-05:00

I found this on my computer and just had to post it.

Enjoy!!

Updated the site go check it out.

2009-02-17T09:05:00.004-05:00

We have a new fresh look and a bunch of new content.

Also, don't forget to keep checking our blog for the latest news about little's creatures.

Performances!!!

2009-02-01T16:11:00.008-05:00

So we have been busy performing at puppet slams.

We performed on Jan 17th at the Brookline Puppet Showplace. It was a fantastic night of great puppetry. We performed a Physical comedy act that was very well received. Which was great cause we weren't sure at all how it would do with a live audience. It was nice to see some familiar faces performing again at the showplace. It was also nice to meet some new people as always.

We also performed last night at the Connecticut Guild Puppet Slam. This was a great night there were 8 acts in all covered a wide range of puppetry. It was great to meet some more new people in the puppetry world. It was also fantastic to catch up with some old friends of puppetry that we have met from past slams and from festivals. The puppetry world really does feel like one huge extended family sometimes. The evening was hosted by Nappy from Nappy puppets along with the all star judges panel which included none other than Martin Robinson, Leslie Carrara-Rudolph, and Pam Arciero. They also brought along their counterparts Telly Monster, Lolly, and Grundgetta. Congrats goes out to Carole Simms who won the audience cash prize with her peacock performance.

After all the performances we got a chance to talk to the judges a little more and even get a photo with them. I would also like to add a huge thank you to Leslie for all the great feedback on our performance.

It was fun a night. But, it is always a fun night when puppets are involved.

A look back at 2008

2009-01-05T10:50:00.006-05:00

We are going to be posting some of our favorite work from 2008. Here is the first clip of work from 2008. This was a project we worked on with Aleigh Reeder. She had a terrific script and did a great job directing as well. We built, designed, voiced, and puppeteered the puppet in these clips. This is really just a little bit of the 15minute pilot. But, I think you will get the idea.

Let us know what you think.

Happy Holidays!!!

2008-12-19T14:24:00.004-05:00

Hey everyone,

We have been working hard over here on a new project that will be unveiled soon. It is a secret so I won't tell.

But hopefully soon enough I can share all the details with you.

Till then have a happy holiday and enjoy a classic clip that we made last year wishing everyone a happy holiday.

Leave a comment below and let me know what you are doing for the holidays and any fun puppet news you may know of.

Puppets for sale!!!

2008-11-21T14:01:00.010-05:00

http://i212.photobucket.com/albums/cc256/countonath/IMG_1839.jpg

All of these puppets need loving and caring homes. Please come by the Joy Street Open Studios and adopt them. Nov.22nd and 23rd 12-6pm #52

See you there.

Open Studios

2008-11-15T16:42:00.007-05:00

Hey everyone,

We have a bunch of puppets for sale and will be at Joy Street Open Studios in Somerville. Stop by on either Nov. 22nd or 23rd from 12-6pm. I will be in studio #52 so stop by and buy a puppet for someone for the upcoming holiday or for yourself or just stop by and say "Hi."

Once again
Joy Street Open Studios
Nov. 22nd and 23rd
12-6pm

more info here----> http://www.joystreetartists.org/content/os/

Update

2008-09-30T08:30:00.003-05:00

Stuff has been extremely busy here.

First off I have been working on puppets for a top secret project that is all I can say about it.

Next I am getting married on Oct. 11th so we are getting the last minute details taken care of.

Also be sure to pay attention to the blog through november for profiles of some of the puppets that will be for sale at Joy Street Open Studios.

Well back to work.

Public Performance

2008-09-17T10:24:00.003-05:00

Hey everyone,

We have been extremely busy here. We have been building puppets, performing at birthday parites, and working on our new stage show that will be debuting in the spring.

I would like to let you all know that you can see us this Saturday the 20th at Macy's in Hanover at the mall between 12-4. So come on by we will be doing little sketches and peformances during that time frame.

Also in November we will be participating in the open studios at Joy Street we will have a ton of puppets for sale and will be a great opprotunity to get some gifts for Christmas.

2008-08-28T22:41:00.000-05:00

Hey everyone click here to see our newest puppet clip.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fYFg4N8LaY8

Enjoy.

buy this mug

2008-08-18T12:36:00.000-05:00

buy unique gifts at Zazzle

Hey everyone,

If you like Little's Creatures feel free to pick up this mug. We will be adding lots of cool swag in the weeks to come. So check back

Puppets as decoration?

2008-07-29T08:34:00.001-05:00

So check this out. I have branched my puppets into a whole new line of work. They now are not just fun tools for imagination but they are also now apparently a cool avant garde art up there with paintings. A designer approached me about having my puppets be a decoration in a house that she had designed. She said they were perfect for what she was doing. So I brought over a bunch of puppets for her and she picked out the colors she wanted and boom they are now artwork like an oil painting I love it. Hopefully this will catch on and we will all be making puppets for decoration as well as for use as puppets.Well go to this site and you see our puppets in one of the pictures. Let me know your thoughts.

http://www.edlundhaasdesign.com/37st...orizontal.html

A video of us that I didn't know existed

2008-07-25T12:04:00.004-05:00

Hey I found this video online. I had no clue it even existed. This is from a puppet slam so some stuff may be unsuitable for younger viewers. For everyone else watch it and enjoy.

http://jo540.bu.edu/jesscoll/slam.html

Regional puppet festival in Maryland

2008-07-15T08:26:00.006-05:00

So we just got back from an amazing weekend in Maryland. The regional puppet festival for the Northeast and Mid-atlantic regions was held at the University of Maryland. The weekend was packed full of performances, workshops, and tons of puppet goodness. This was our first festival and I would highly recommend it to everyone. I will do my best to try and recall all the names and expericences of the weekend for anyone who did not go.

We could not attend Thursday nights opening ceremony due to our flight coming in Friday morning but here is what happened on Thursday. Tom Knight Productions performed Library Boogie. The show is a vibrant collection of original songs and skits. Library Boogie is a living Library of songs and skits related to books and reading. It includes Characters from Classic Children's Books like the Very Hungry Caterpillar and Where the Wild Things Are plus the title song "The Library Boogie". That night Frogtown Mountain Puppeteers performed the Headless Horseman of Sleepy Hollow. This tale is a comedic version of the classic Washington Irving tale, "the legend of Sleepy Hollow. Based Loosely on the original story, this telling involves a bumbling Headless Horseman, his wisecracking horse, the meat-head Brom Bones, the lovely Katrina Van Tassel, and the mild mannered and lovable protagonist, Ichabod Crane. There was also a film shown Titled Faust by the Metropolitan Puppet Authority a "puppenFilm" about the Alchemist who sold out to the dark side. The concept was to recreate the Show Goethe saw on the streets of Frankfurt. But while becoming engrossed in the subject for nearly 13 years; Steven Ritz-Barr ended up producing a film based not only on those early puppet versions but a version inspired by Goethe's own Faust part one.

So now this is where we came in we arrived early Friday morning to the Puppet Festival. The campus was enormous. We eventually found the dorm and the puppet festival office to check in with and get all our information. We then went to a class taught by Ingrid Crepau on puppet basics of Voice and Manipulation. This was fun we had never actually taken a class on lip synch or even voice training. The info was definately geared toward beginners but it was info everyone could use. Including a special recipe for fixing your voice.

Recipe for Ingrid's Fix a Flat voice repair:
Take 3 whole lemons and juice them
then add 2 Tbs Honey
and 1 Tbs apple cider

We then went on off to find the dining hall. It was your basic cafeteria dining experience. However the time spent in the dining halls was great. We were able to connect with many other puppeteers and learn all sorts of ins and out of the puppet world as well as creating some good friends. We then all hopped on a bus after lunch to go to Glen Echo Park. We saw to perfomances while we were there the first one was The Tragical Comedy of Punch and Judy performed by Fred Greenspan. Fred had a great show that he combined the many traditional Punch and Judy shows together to get a a story that flowed. His puppets are based off of a beautiful nineteeth century european set. His show included the crocodile, the clown, policman, pretty pauly, Punch and Judy(of Course), Little baby punch, the devil and so on. There was no stick but he said he replaced it with "Shtick" there were many awesomely bad puns throughout the show. Even though there was not stick he did grind a lot of people and things into "Squashages" We then had some time to look at the beautifully carved and very well preserved Carousel it had an amazing level of craftsman ship. We then went into see The Wizard Of Oz production by The Puppet Company. This show based it self of the actual book by L. Frank Baum. There was just about everything in this show the had marionettes, Rod puppets, humanettes, live actors, full body puppets, and more. They did a beautiful job of bringing this story together with a huge cast of characters. This production was really well done all around with good writing, good jokes, charcater design, and even voice matching the characters. I felt as though I was almost watchin a completely different story since I was so familiar with movie version. This was top notch and if you are in the area go check it out. After an award ceremony where several people were recognized with UNIMA awards. We then all filed on to the busses and headed back to the University. When we all arrived we ate dinner and then proceeded on to the evening shows. The evening performances continued to show the diversity of puppet world. The first performance of the evening was Vegetables Destiny a new work from Goat on a Boat performed by Liz Joyce and Juliana Nash. The show was performed using table top, hand and rod puppets. This performance told us the story of a vegetable from beginning to end with 10 amazing original songs written by Liz Joyce and Juliana Nash. The song were extremely catch and fun to listen to. They even had a song of poop and fertilizer(hilarious). Throughout the production the stage started as basically a brown box(Dirt) and throughout the production we watched the garden grow and flourish as it became a thriving garden full of vegetables. The Second evening performance was OM: Objects in Motion this was an innovative and brilliant performance combining both live dancers and obects puppets together into well put together and coreographed segments. The puppets were made from a wide assortment of materials including recyling plastic bags, butcher paper, aluminum foil, industrial foam. Each piece had a very nice progression with a clear beginning, middle, and an end. This show was directed by Colette Searls, choreographed by Doug Hamby. We then proceeded off to the after party and had more time to get to know everyone and create some more bonds with our new extended family.

Saturday morning came to soon. We got up and rushed off to breakfast and then headed off to to the meet the artist session. This artist session was all the artists from the previous day it was really interesting to hear where the ideas came from and the creative process of the work. We then headed off to Part 1 of Steven Ritz-Barr's workshop Puppets in Film and Video. He gave a great presentation and spoke a lot about the ins and out of the film and video world. Steven also spoke about the work he has been involved in and gave us some behind the scenes info about his 30 min film Faust. After the workshop it was back to the dining hall for lunch and then before I knew it I was back in a theater again waiting for The Last Dragon on Earth to begin being performed by Crabgrass Puppet Theater. This was a great story from a time when the princes needed to kill the dragon before they could married a princess. But what if the princess doesn't need rescuing, the dragon is the last dragon, and the prince would not kill anything never mind a dragon. The show featured pop-up and pop-out scenery that made for some great transitions in the show. All in all another great performance with the use of hand puppets. We then all shuffled over to the other theater to see Travelin' Jack performed by Christopher Hubert, Applause Unlimited. This was three american folk-tales told with hand puppets by a single puppeteer who serves as both narrator and character in the show. Based on a Jack tale, a slave story song, and a morality tale, these stories reflect the depth, scope, and humor of early american storytelling. This show was very entertaining and had everyone giggling and laughing throughout truly a great show. Shortly after Deborah Costine took the stage with Woodland Cinderella. In this new version of the classic story, Cinderella is a fairy who lives with her stepmother and Stepsister in an enormous old Oak Tree. The king of all woodland fairies wants his son to marry a fariy princess but none can be found. So the king hosts, a great ball and commands that every single fairy maiden in the land must attend. Deborah put on a great production for everyone and it was nice to see a fellow guild member perform and represent Boston. We then all headed to dinner by this time my head was packed with puppet ideas and the shows we had seen. I couldn't believe there was more to see. After dinner Nana Projects performed Luna and Danny the Diver. This was a shadow piece using three projectors and three puppeteers. They used a combination of techniques including a fade on the projector, colored gels, and stunning cut outs. The first story was the Danny the Diver and his rescue of a mermaid from the evil octupus to kidnaps her. The second story was Luna based on a Grims fairy tale. There was no spoken lines throughout the perfomance just written and incorporated into the visual. There was a great score written for the production by Anne Watts & Boister. They also recieved a Henson Grant to put this production together. There was then a quick intermission and Larry Hunt's Masque Theatre took the stage with a premiere of Blues, Blues. Normally I am not a huge fan of Maque theater but I think Larry showed that it just has to be done right. Larry and his assistant both did excellent work with great body movement and control. They interacted with the audience had a great use of props and overall a great show. They incorporated some hand puppets as well in the performance. after this concluded they moved into a puppet potpourri followed by a puppet slam. There were some good performances throught the potpouri. The moment I dreaded was approaching very swiftly now. We have performed several times in Boston but not for a crowd like this. This crowd was full of puppeteers everyone in the audience understood lip synch, eye focus, body movement, everything. Well we gathered up enough nerve to get out there and perform and luckily we got some big laughs and some really great feed back afterwards during the after party. We partied away during the night after the slam drank beer and wine, sang around guitars and saxophones, and laughed and laughed with our new extended family. At this point I couldn't believe there was still another day of activities.

Sunday we woke up ate breakfast and headed off to the second half of the workshop with Steven Ritz-Barr. There was some real fun moments doing some hands on stuff with what he will be doing for his next film. We then had a little bit of time to pack up our stuff and head over for the final production. Dinosaur Desperados by Dinorock Productions. This was no small show they had a huge set and even bigger dinosaurs all of the production took place in the old, old west. This production was just crazy it included a huge T-Rex, walk around dinosaur costumes, baby eggs on a remote switches, the music was top notch and they had actually been nominated for a grammy. They involved the audience as much as possible including bringing people on stage to tell the little baby T-rex why he should go back to his mom. After the show we said a bunch of good byes to people and then headed back to the airport to head home. To bad the airport didn't want to let us go since our flight was delayed about 6 hours. I finally returned home around 5am the next day and got some seriously needed sleep.

Little's Creatures Contest

2008-07-01T23:23:00.003-05:00

Hey everyone,

we are looking for a really great logo that represents what we do. So if you like making logos check out this thread

Http://forum.indymogul.com/showthread.php?t=11029

and maybe we will pick yours for the grand prize.

Celtics WIN!!!!

2008-06-19T14:30:00.001-05:00

Woo Hoo!!! Boston is a basketball town once again. This also means I can finally sleep again.

Hopefully we can defend the title next year =)

Frogtown Mountain Puppeteers

2008-05-27T14:00:00.005-05:00

I hope everyone enjoyed their memorial day weekend. We spent a bunch of ours out and about at BBQ's and enjoying the weather. We also got the opprotunity to see the Frogtown Mountain Puppeteers at the Brookline Puppet Showplace theater. The Frogtown Mountain Puppeteers are based up in Bar Harbor, Maine and consist of three siblings Erik, Brian, and Robin Torbeck. They performed their original piece titled "everyone loves pirates".

The performance was all done with mouth and rod style puppets. The story based around two little kids that went fishing and ended up catching a treasure map. The children decide to go for the treasure but little do they know the are being chased by three fearsome pirates. This story is an amazing tale for both children and adults. The characters are all well defined and the story is jam packed with hilarious situations, great puns, and fun for the whole family. My personal favorites are Lobster Boy and the Jet Ski Guy who refers to everyone as "guy". Well if you hear that Frogtown Mountain Puppeteers are performing near you it is worth every penny to go.

After the Perfomance we saw, we sat and chatted with the Torbecks for a while exchanging puppet stories, building tips, and chatted for a while about their stage show. They invited us to come back the next day and watch the show again from behind the curtain. We couldn't pass up that opprotunity. Stephen and myself watched the show a second time from behind the curtain. In my opinion I wish I could watch all shows that way. The did some very innovative things in their show to make it all work and the transitions from one scene to the next are seemless. When you go to watch the show there is a great moment that we couldn't figure out till we were backstage. In the production after the kids dig up the treasure there is a scene with the two children and the three pirates and some how they grow and extra hand to be able to carry the treasure away. We found out how they did this but we'll never tell.

All in all some great people all around and if you get the chance please go and see their show. Well we are excited about seeing them again and the regional puppet festival in July.

For More info on Frogtown Mountain Puppeteers go to http://www.frogtownpuppets.com/

Could this change the world of puppet design

2008-05-22T14:18:00.001-05:00

There is a new game coming out called Spore. The thing that really interests me in this game is not the actual game but the creature generator. You have the ability to completely design a creature in any shape or form and color.

Now for how this could impact us. This enables us all to have a quick and dirty 3d puppet creator. This could make all of our lives easier without having to redraw images we could use this game to completely resculpt the creature with a quick mouse click. I was doing a little searching around and I have seen a demo where they created a Carebear and stuff that looks like it is from the alien movie. So I'm sure with a little creativity this game could be a huge asset to all of us puppet builders.

TO see a little bit of the program in action check this link.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=jpM1CsO0S0I

News Article

2008-05-15T22:24:00.006-05:00

Woo hoo we got some press. That is always fun.

Press article

Puppet Slam

2008-05-13T13:50:00.002-05:00

Thanks to everyone that came to the puppet slam last Saturday. It was a fun show and appreciate you all showing up.

The next slam will be in the fall so be sure to check back to find out exactly when.

Performance May 10th

2008-05-08T08:58:00.003-05:00

We are once again performing at the Brookline Puppet Showplace Theater. This Saturday May10th there will be the last of the seasons Adult puppet slams till next fall. If you would like to come and see us perform this would be a great chance to do just that. I highly reccommend calling ahead due to the usual soldout performances.

If you would like to reserve tickets for the performance call 617 731 6400

Hope to see you all there

Somerville Open Studios(UPDATE)

2008-05-05T18:43:00.002-05:00

Huge thank you to everyone who stopped by and said hello during open studios. You all really made it an amazing weekend. Please feel free to drop us an email with any ideas or puppets you may need.

If you would like to see more of us please stop by the adult puppet slam this saturday at 8pm. Be aware the shows sell out early so call ahead to reserve your tickets. If you want more info go the Brookline Puppet Showplace Theater website.

Thanks again for the great weekend. We miss all the little puppets already but, we are sure they went to a good home.

Somerville Open Studios

2008-05-02T11:17:00.002-05:00

May 3rd and 4th will be open studios in Somerville,MA. The hours of open studios are from noon to 6pm both days. So come on by to 82 Columbus Ave Somerville, MA and pick up our new DVD or grab a fabulous handmade puppet.

Hope to see you this weekend.

Debut DvD and Somerville Open Studios

2008-04-30T13:00:00.003-05:00

Hey Everyone,

So we have finished our first DvD. It has 12 fun filled sketches for the adult that still wants to be a kid. I personally hand drew each label for the DvD. If you want to get a copy of the DvD keep reading for how to get a copy.

SOMERVILLE OPEN STUDIOS

May 3rd and 4th come on by and pick up a copy of our debut DvD only $10. There will also be tons of puppets for sale. Open studios runs from 12-6 both days. We are located at 82 Columbus Ave. Somerville, MA. For more info check out

www.somervilleopenstudios.org

Can't wait to meet you.

National Day of Puppetry

2008-04-24T09:18:00.000-05:00

Saturday April 26th from 10-4 at the Brookline Puppet Showplace theater. Come on by and check it out.

For More info: www.bagop.org

Curious Kitchen T.V. Pilot

2008-04-21T09:36:00.007-05:00

Hey Everyone,

We finished a T.V. Pilot this weekend. The show is called the Curious Kitchen. It was a lot of fun to make and we worked with a great crew of actors and a top notch production crew. We did all the puppeteering. Stephen, Chris and Myself put in a long day of being crammed under a counter but it was worth it. Here are some photos check it out.

News News News

2008-04-04T23:08:00.003-05:00

Hey everyone,

Lots of stuff coming up in the next couple of weeks.

We will be filming a T.V. Pilot over the next couple weekends. The script is amazing and it should be fantastic.

The national day of puppetry is coming up on April 26th. Stop by the Puppet Showplace theater in Brookline and enjoy all the puppety goodness.

May 3rd and 4th will be open studios for us so if you are in the Somerville area between 12-6 check out our studio and buy a puppet or two.

The last tidbit of news is that we are going to be releasing our very own dvd. It will be available at open studios and then on the web. Keep reading the blog for updates about the dvd.

If you come to any of the events that we will be at please say hi. Stephen and I are really nice and would love to chat with you.

Puppet Slam

2008-03-16T11:34:00.003-05:00

Hey Everyone,

Last night we performed in another puppet slam at the Brookline Puppet Showplace Theater.

I love adult puppet slams it is a great opportunity for us to see other puppet performers as well as a chance to see puppeteers who usually only perform for kids and see their adult humor.

Here is a brief review of last night.

The show opened up with The Newport Cultural Enrichment Committee Showcase. Performed by Margaret Moody, Maggie Whalen, And Sparky Davis. This was a very humorous piece with a great sense of humor in regards to censorship and Politically correctness.

Sparky then performed a solo piece titled The Foolish Man. A very comical tale of a little foolish man looking for riches but not aware of the riches under his nose.

Paul Vincent Davis performed Waltz Joke. This was an amazing piece from Paul. He performed this piece of a ballerina dancing. Paul's manipulation of the dancer was wonderful and very delightful and he had a great twist at the end of the piece.

Kathleen Conroy Mukwashi doubled as both host and performer doing an excellent job on both she performed a piece titled Untouchable. She used shadow puppets to tell this emotional story of a person infected with aids. She used many great effects to allow the viewer in a world of dreams and reality.

After the intermission Puppet Master Jake started off the second half of the show with A Feminine Retelling of Judy Strikes Back. This was a great contemporary twist on a Punch and Judy show Including a Devil, Alterna Girl, Punch and Judy, and one character who is too racy to mention here.

We then followed Jake with Mogre performing our version of the story of Cinderella. We also were part of the peanut gallery assisting Kathleen with her host duties. Prinderella went well and we got people laughing which we always strive to do.

Margaret Moody performed her piece titled turning 50 which was a great little story talking about giving her puppets some exercise.

The show closed out with Maggie Whalen with an excerpt from the Emperors New Clothes. This was a fun piece with lots of audience participation.

All in all it was a very successful night of puppetry to a sold out crowd the next show will be May 10th at 8pm hopefully we will see you at the next one. Remember to buy your tickets early.

Crazy over here

2008-03-10T12:23:00.002-05:00

Hello everyone,

It has been a little crazy for us.

Number one I got engaged so it has been crazy planning a wedding.

Number two we have been developing some new stuff with the puppets. You can now order puppets with blinking eyes, posable finger, or both.

Number three we are working on several production type things.

In any case we will hopefully be posting more regularly again.

Dancing

2008-02-22T16:15:00.003-05:00

Please watch this clip these guys have taken dancing to a new level. Being a dancer myself I love to see awesome dancing. But, this goes beyond dancing these guys have elevated themselves and the artform to a new level.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M9L7exvltPg&feature=PlayList&p=19A8B0219816359B&index=6

Heart day!!!

2008-02-14T13:42:00.000-05:00

Happy Valentines Day!!!! Go out and tell someone you love them.

More robot progress

2008-02-13T09:38:00.004-05:00

Still a long way to go but, you can see how S.A.M.M.I is shaping up.

Robot puppet construction

2008-02-11T21:48:00.000-05:00

Here is a photo of our most recent puppet. It will be finished in the next couple of days, stay tuned for all the info and photos on the robot puppet.

Have you always wanted to know how to....

2008-02-11T14:25:00.000-05:00

expertvillage.com is an amazing site that has a plethera of info for everything. Go check it out you can even learn how to make puppets...

Improv Everywhere

2008-02-08T13:43:00.000-05:00

I recently saw a clip on youtube of some amazing improv. The group is Improv Everywhere. They excel in large scale improv performances. My favorite by far is the performance the did at Grand Central Station in NY.

Go check them out they are doing amazing stuff. www.improveverywhere.com

New Production

2008-02-07T09:48:00.000-05:00

We are currently working on a new comedy short skit. We have the script all done, I'm working on the scenery and puppets right now. If all goes to plan we should be able to perform this live at the next adult puppet slam in March.

We have also started working on our french accents for another possible project in the works.

Kids Expo Recap

2008-02-03T17:27:00.000-05:00

The Kids Expo was a huge success. We were really sad to see all the puppets leave us but we feel assured that they all went to good homes. There was a nice article about the kids expo check it out here; http://www.telegram.com/article/20080203/NEWS/802030406/1101