Continuing my discussion from last week about the changes that I’m going to implement to make my shadow puppets more profitable…

Below contains a lot of detail about what I’m going to be doing. It’s likely some of this will change, but it’s what I’ll begin with. And before I start telling you about my thoughts, I thought I’d post this:

That’s me at the Finders Keepers market (see last week’s post) with Bambi. We were chatting about my ideas and I took out my (embarrassing-compared-to-sellers) new shadow puppet. As you can see, it’s a dragon using Japanese patterned papers. I had played with it the night before, trying to find the best placement for rod attachment so the puppet could be reversible. As I’m talking to Bambi, I’m flipping the puppet back and forth, while unbeknownst to me, Amanda (another Kukcrafters attendee) was taking photos.

Literally just as Amanda is taking the photo/s, the puppet breaks in half: I’d worn out the joint from all the previous night’s playing and split the puppet in two. … And that my dears, is the epitome of why I need to go bigger and better. So without more ado, here’s what I’m planning.

The basics

All of the puppets will have an overall theme or style, and I already have two main characters which will be the ’standard bearers’ across the board. I will have some French style shadow puppets (ie. black and white/Victorian silhouette), but will endeavour to stick mostly to the more exciting coloured designs. Materials will be much improved, if I can find a decent supplier. I already have in mind a new way to do joints, making them stronger and less likely to be swallowed by kids.

The basic idea is that the following product lines will help me sell more offline, as well as on. They’re aimed at the more arts/crafts scene than the toys-for-kids people or professional puppeteers. Everything will be presented on a custom made stall (not only so I can display stuff, but so I can include a screen for more interactivity).

I’m also thinking that it would be a good idea to have a series of free mini workshops while selling. I’d set up a couple of times during the day when I do these workshops - and of course, have signage for it too - and do a 10-15 minute explanation of how to use shadow puppets. I’ve worked out some very simple instructions in my head; and I think this will counteract the perception that shadow puppetry is difficult to do. (In reality, all it is is a combination of four different movements, no  matter what the character is or how it’s made) If I have enough room at the stall, I may take one of my shadow puppet kits - see below - and do a mini workshop with that. It smacks a bit of late-night product demos on TV, but I think this will be a good way to get people interested in the activity of puppetry rather than pretty items that a few people may buy but never actually make much more impact than that. It should widen both the audience for puppetry and the market for sales.

One big thing I’m tossing up doing is to change my logo too. It’s a bit too ‘muppet-y’ and I sometimes think that that suggests muppet-types are something that I do. Other puppeteers that sell muppet-types include a similar puppet design in their logos, and the differentiation might help me establish what I do better. … But I’m reluctant to change it as I’ve done so much work branding everything. (That and a new one costs money!) So here’s the product range:

Shadow puppets

… to wear

These will be shadow puppet designs in miniature; for your clothes. Little brooches you can position according to mood. (Yeah I know, it’s not quite shadow puppet. The purist in me kind of grates at this idea, but I know it will sell. Plus, they really won’t be your average piece of jewellry and I’m currently thinking of ways to ‘puppet it up’)

… for home

These puppets will be special designs that will appeal to both the kid and the adult. They will be rod-less, and totally for home play. The clue for this one is in the blog title. I’m not going to reveal much more than that, except to say the characters will be both educational and fun. And very very cool. (The thing I’m leaving out is important to how they will be cool. I’m not one to think that people will steal my ideas, but as this is particularly novel, I just don’t want someone else to get there before I do. And no, the blog title doesn’t reveal even half of the idea… ).

… for performance

These will be puppets with rods, using my patterned paper designs. I will likely change what kind of characters will be on offer, in order to kill the duds and keep the rest. These will be for performance and/or home and will have the option of suction cups for use in decoration. The only reason they’re ‘traditional‘ is that they’ll be actual puppets.

… for decoration

These will be framed shadow puppets, again for decoration. I’m not 100% sure on these, but if I can work it so that the frames are lightboxes, then I’ll be much more willing to go along with the product line. Basically I’ll take any shadow puppet that is ridiculous to make (ie. the goddess shadow puppet) but too gorgeous not to use, and frame it. These will be OOAK items (One Of A Kind) most likely, making it easier to sell for the amount of work that goes into them.

… to build

Better than the ones you’ve seen on the net, these kits will include patterns, instructions, card, gels (colours), joints and proper rods. I’ve yet to figure out the way the rods will work, but these things will all be packaged up nicely in a take-home box for parties and gifts.

Spare rods and screens

The rods are obvious; the screens not so much. I’m still trying to find something decent to work as a table-top screen, but have some leads for a sturdier one than I’ve been using. My hope is to have something you can actually use without needing extra construction, unlike the painted fabrics you can see being sold online. (If you buy a fabric, you still need some way/where to hang it and to keep it taut)

… And lastly, something to appeal to the corporate customer:

… for your business

This one I’ll admit to being quite scared of doing - if only because it’s going to require a lot of work to market it. The idea is to do customised shadow puppet displays for corporations (likely marketing to the ‘artsy’ kind of people, like graphic design companies, etc.), where they get a screen and custom puppets for display in their foyer or window. The puppets can be positioned (ie. set it up, leave it alone) but still articulated for movement, allowing for different displays as the mood takes you. Characters will be used to present messages like “meeting at X", “welcome to X” and so on. They could include characters representative of the company’s products or theme; a customised logo; customised messages.

… Now I know that’s a lot of stuff, and believe me, I find it overwhelming too. However, this is all things I plan to have done over several years, not straight away. (Although knowing how I like to dive into new projects, it’s extremely hard for me not to try and do it all now) But I figure if I do a little every day, whether it’s sourcing materials or thinking about the designs I want to do, it will all be a lot easier to finish. Already I’ve started looking into a new material for the puppets, and I’ve already worked out the new joints. I have a lead of the type of screen I could use for the corporate stuff, and I’m doing a - slow - clean out of all my non-essential (ie. crap) stuff at home. I’ve planned out my stall/screen design (still using my ‘new’ adjustable screen, for which I haven’t built yet, but since it’s adjustable, it doesn’t matter what formation I put it in) and my two main characters I’m tracking down a decent image to use as a base.

… A little each day and look at the progress I’ve made already!