Where can I buy puppets from Avenue Q?
I like to go to Yahoo! Answers and try and give some advice on making puppets. A regular question there - and elsewhere - is where to buy (or how to make) puppets from Avenue Q. I haven’t seen the show, but am naturally aware of it, and its popularity.
UPDATE 24/12/09: The official store for Avenue Q is now selling finger puppet versions of the Bad Bears. Check it out here. (Also, see below for info on Trekkie)
As mentioned in my other blog posts on NOT making puppets like The Lion King and not being able to find Muppets/Sesame St patterns (you should really read the stuff at the Muppets/Sesame St post, because it has a lot of excellent info and links about replicas in general), puppets seen on TV or in shows are always copyrighted (in fact, any puppet design will be copyrighted). And unless you find puppets sold as official merchandise, there will be no one selling these puppets (not unless they want to get sued for breaking copyright laws). It doesn’t matter whether you want to perform with it, or just want it as a souvenir; if it’s not sold by the legal copyright owner, then you won’t be able to buy it. Additionally, if you can’t find any information via Google or other searches, then it’s more than likely that there’s no info for a reason (simply, that they’re not sold anywhere). The puppets were made by Rick Lyon and if you like his work so much, why not contact him to make you something unique to you and your needs: naturally, don’t expect him to make you an Avenue Q puppet, as he probably has a contract with the producers that makes his Avenue Q designs exclusive to the show. UPDATE: Puppet Wikia reports that Trekkie mini hand puppets were available for purchase during the London premiere. From what I’ve read on the net, it was a one-off event, not likely to be repeated. UPDATE 8/1/10: You can buy Trekkie again as official merchandise here.
UPDATE: As quoted on Avenue Q UK:
"Will you be able to purchase puppets as merchandise items?
A - The puppets that appear on stage are not available as merchandise items due to the high cost of making them. At present smaller versions are not on sale but this is something that might be considered in the future."
With that in mind, there are things you can do:
- Read this thread on Muppet Central forums, where the copyrights for this show are discussed in detail. Those who have made replicas and posted pics on the net have either gotten permission due to a licensed reproduction of the show (ie. for school or something), or have done so illegally.
- Read this thread from the Avenue Q forums, about buying replicas
- Read this on people getting sued for selling replicas
- Use a free puppet pattern, or one purchased from any decent pattern seller or book and invent your own characters. There’s plenty of info here and here on how to make your own muppet-type puppet. Additionally, no one legally sells Avenue Q patterns. Seriously, they’re copyrighted characters!
- Commission a puppet maker to create one for you. It’s more than likely that any puppet maker will refuse to make it exactly the same, and some puppet makers may refuse to do it altogether. I don’t recommend approaching anyone to make you a replica, nor do I endorse replicas of any sort.
As with all successful puppet shows, people see it and simply think: "I want one". Well, take a moment to think of the puppeteer whose designs you’ll be ripping off. Despite how it might seem, 99% of puppeteers are not anywhere near as successful as Jim Henson was, and ripping off their work is not only disrespectful, but means those puppeteers lose out on any money they could make from their work.
Do yourself a favour - create your own puppets from scratch. The beauty of the muppet design is that the technique is the same; but a zillion different characters can be made from that one technique. You’ll find it’s much more enjoyable creating your own characters, and you can celebrate your love for Avenue Q by buying approved merchandise from their site (Aussies can go to www.avenueqthemusical.com.au for official merchandise). There’s plenty of info here and here on how to make your own muppet-type.
Oh hey, and no, there’s no Avenue Q DVD to buy. Seriously, have you ever seen a filmed version of a live show? It never works well, and when it does, it’s because they filmed over several nights and spent a lot of money (or got a lot of funding) to do it. Just go see the show: it would cost about the same to buy a DVD anyway.
Learn the basics of building a muppet-type puppet with my patterns here and here!
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