All About Puppatoons

History of Puppatoons

I was watching Sesame Street almost from birth––as soon as I could notice the television. In the late 70’s,my family howled with laughter at The Muppet Show. As a teenager,I was hooked on Kukla Fran & Ollie whenever I could catch some sort of rerun, and I adored Wayland Flowers and Madame, although I was far too young to appreciate the humor at times.I devoured puppetry in any form I could find it on on television; Shari Lewis,Senor Wences,and Edgar Bergen were also influences. There were puppets on Captain Kangaroo,The Electric Company, The Kroft Supershow,and many public television shows I watched during my youth.

Fortunately for me, my city is the home of The Center for Puppetry Arts––there, I took workshops, watched shows, and honed my craft and creativity. With the help of my grandmother, who could sew like the wind, I made many puppets. I could design,I could pick out fabrics, I could make patterns, I could finish them off with feathers and eyes and other features, but I couldn’t sew. Grandmother was vital to my puppets’ existence back then. I began performing for kids birthday parties for pocket money, and for a teenager, I was doing rather well with my little company called “Paradox Puppets”. But what I wanted more than anything was to work for the Muppets. While still in college, I had the great fortune of meeting Jim Henson at a puppetry convention. He saw my work, and thought I was very good. However, he was insistent that I finish school first, then get back in touch, and to keep up the good work.

Jim Henson passed away the next year. I was devastated beyond belief.

But, still determined to live my dream, after I finished college, I did indeed get back in touch with Henson Associates, as they were called then, and sent tapes and resumes. I was ready. I was called back, and asked to participate in a workshop, up at the headquarters in New York! Excited and eager, I packed my bags and a few puppets and my family gave me a big sendoff. I was prepared to move to New York if need be; I felt at last I was on my way.

Alas, the workshop did not go well for me. I got terrible stage fright and could not perform.I was actually thankful that Jim Henson was not there. The workshop was taught by another Muppets performer,Kevin Clash. I was told, on the first day, not to return. Dejected,defeated, and discouraged, I went home and put the puppets away.

I focused on my other passion at the time–animation, and found work in that field after college.

Now, years later, I am happily married to another creative soul who also has a passion for puppetry, although his occupation is animation––Steve, my partner-in-crime on this website. Reluctantly, I at last showed Steve some of my videos of my puppets, and the old puppets themselves. He seemed impressed. Through his encouragement, I finally decided to strap on the puppets again and return to the dream.However, although I would be happy to work for another company,the real dream is to have my own. (Although I would jump at any chance to work with some of the original Muppet performers.)

I decided on a new name, Puppatoons–I wanted to encompass both puppetry and cartoons in the name, and Puppetoons was already used, from the 1930’s. While working small freelance animation jobs,selling many of my possessions on ebay, and pet sitting, I have been slowly building and financing this little puppetry empire. Soon I will have many wonderful things for the public to see. I will live my dream.

Me, barely sixteen, with my first character, Sebastian.

Puppatoons Today

The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing. ~Walt Disney

My head is always filled with ideas of “I could do this with a puppet”, or “Wow, I’d love to do that with animation”, and “I could make a toy out of this”. The purpose of the Puppatoons company is to finally stop talking and begin doing,and hopefully make a business in the process. Puppatoons is composed of my husband Steve and me–I build the puppets and perform, and manage the website, while he is my director, editor,graphics department and sometimes voiceover artist.

In the works currently are several educational shows for schools and libraries, and entertaining shows to put on our YouTube channel.

I mostly operate hand-and-rod puppets, and mouth puppets—like the Muppets, but I also like what I call “glove” puppets, in which the fingers operate the puppet’s arms and hands and a finger or two operates the head. I’m slowly perfecting a hybrid mouth/glove puppet. I love monsters, and I’ve always wanted a huge stable of monster characters to perform with. I have big dreams for full-body puppets in choreographed acts onstage, but that may have to wait.

Also included on the Puppatoons site is a little cartoon I draw called “Sticky Dumbness”–it’s not the first cartoon done on sticky notes, but it does outdate a few others and was probably the first to use really bad puns.

You may also notice an icon over on the side called “NorthClaw”. NorthClaw is a story I have been writing and changing around for years, but my desire to bring it into the Puppatoons world brought about some major changes. If you like dragons, especially dragons thrown into the mix  of our modern-day world, you’ll  enjoy it. It is my greatest wish for it to either be published or to be made into a stage production.

So that’s the scoop. Thank you for visiting!

Vapor and me