Mission accomplished! More Dwarf Puppets Delivered!

Sorry for the long absence, dear readers. I have been really pouring a lot into Dragon Patch TV.

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Mini Nori, Jed Brophy and me, Dragon Con, 2014

Mission accomplished! Jed Brophy and Nori puppet together at last! Many thanks to my pal Beth for taking these pics. Jed couldn’t stop playing with Mini Nori’s hair!

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Mini Ori, Adam Brown and me, Dragon Con, 2014

Adam Brown was a bit overwhelmed. While Jed is a pro at being famous and dealing with crowds and adoring women, I think Adam is a bit shocked by it all. He was purely delighted with his puppet and went gaga over the hair, too.

Nori and Ori Puppets, created for actors Jed Brophy and Adam Brown of “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey”!

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Nori

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Ori

You may recall last year I made gift puppets for the dwarf actors of “The Hobbit” and presented them at Dragon Con. Well, this year I’m at it again, and I built two tiny puppets for actors Jed Brophy(Nori) and Adam Brown(Ori). Dean O’Gorman(Fili) was initially scheduled for Dragon Con and would have been a third puppet, but, he had to cancel. Although disappointed that I won’t get to see Dean(I’ve heard he’s a real cut-up at cons), I was worried about making his puppet, truthfully. Nori and Ori are easily caricatured… Fili is not.

Another bonus is that I have made a simple costume of Nori, after the barrel sequence in “The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug”: trashed hair and dirty tunic. I hate leatherwork, so I kinda skipped out on the primped n’ clean version of Nori that you see in the first movie.

Can’t wait for the guys to meet their puppets! :)

Flingback Friday! Chuck Rooster in Oklahoma

Here is an article published in the Tulsa Tribune, starring yours truly. I was attending  the 50th American Puppetry Festival, Northeastern State University
, July 28 –   August 3, 1991
 Tahlequah, Oklahoma. The late Jim Malone was the Festival Director.

I am shown with one of my most beloved puppets,Chuck Rooster. He was made back in the days when I couldn’t sew, but I could design and pattern, so my doting late grandmother patiently did everything requiring a sewing machine while I drew patterns,gathered materials, showed Grandmother where this and that was attached,and placed the finishing touches on my puppets. Chuck was modeled after one of my favorite musicians, Tom Petty, and he performed a lip synch number to one of the rocker’s songs at a late-night do-anything performance known traditionally to puppetry festivals as “Potpourri Night”.

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The Secret Stash!

My husband and I are big fans of the show Comic Book Men. We recently went to visit his family in New Jersey, and our destination was not terribly far from Red Bank, where the store that is the home of the show is located. So, last Saturday, we piled ourselves and the mother-in-law into the car for a trek to The Secret Stash, workplace of Walt,Bryan,Mike and Ming.

Mike Zapcic was the only one out of the group in attendance that day; we will know to inquire first next time, to see if more of the guys will be working. Mike also pointed out that if people are coming specifically to visit Ming, he will break speed and sound records from wherever he is to get to the store.

Red Bank turned out to be a very pretty place, and it was a gorgeous day. We had wanted to really enjoy the city, but I think we were pushing Steve’s mom’s endurance as it was, so we made the most out of our time in the store! My main mission was to ask the guys about “My First Comic Book”–specifially, what they would recommend to a person who has not grown up on comic books but was now interested in taking the plunge into them. Specific questions were dealt with–do I prefer Marvel or DC, and I am definitely a Marvel gal. I also like Spiderman, having watched the cartoon after school, and getting to meet Spidey at Six Flags in the 70’s.

Mike, who normally is the quieter personality on the show, was an absolute powerhouse of conversation and one-liners while we were there, and went straight to a comic he thought I would enjoy as a beginner–Spiderman: Death of the Stacys. Yes, rather morbid startup material, but I read it all while we were on vacation and I really enjoyed the writing style.

 

Thanks for making our visit so special, Mike, and we hope to see you and the rest of the guys again next year!

Creepy Things..

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I can be shock/startle frightened as much as anyone. Jump out at me when I’m not expecting it,and sure, my weak bladder tells the tale.Sometimes I wonder,though,if my love of the horror genre at an early age desensitized me significantly. There’s plenty of things I would readily call gross or depraved,but there is not a whole lot in special effects that I find truly scary.I had this revelation when I was thinking of the only comic book I’ve ever owned,which I begged Mother to buy me so I would have something to read while I waited for her at the hairdresser. I can’t remember the title and it’s long been packed away,but it’s very violent and graphic,about some jungle explorers who stumble upon a village ruled by a shaman who can leave his body to invade the bodies of huge tarantulas and pythons to kill outsiders(I think I’m close to the description anyway). 
Oh,don’t get me wrong; there is much to enjoy in today’s scary movies and the tacky old B movies and everything in between,but folks,but putting on a corset, and crawling around, with vampire teeth and colored contact lenses just ain’t gonna do it for me. Well, unless you’re a guy. That might be pretty funny.