I was planning a 6 week puppet project for drama students in the uk and linked them to the site for their extended homework project. I got plenty of help too.

Thanks Rachel, although the video is not my own creation, I appreciate the kind feedback.

Cute! I never knew there was such an art to it! Great site, keep up the good work.

@Rebecca,

You are probably looking for these pages:
http://www.puppetsinmelbourne.com.au/faq.php/2009/02/13/how-to-make-a-toy-theatre

http://www.puppetsinmelbourne.com.au/faq.php/2009/02/18/free-toy-theatre-patterns

Which are about making 'toy theatre'. They're not the same as making models for set design though, for that I have no information (although if you find a good book on set design there should be info on how to do it).

Hi there, I am looking for any information on Theatre model boxes....Loads of good information on this site. Thank you. Rebecca

@Philip, I certainly agree that Melbourne is (by anyone's standards) the largest place for any kind of theatre or entertainment. I guess my main issue was always looking at it from a newbie's point of view: it's infinitely easier to find out about how to get into acting, for instance, than how to get into puppetry in Australia. Sure, there is heaps going on around you, but as a wannabe that doesn't mean it's obvious how to get involved. I think part of the issue is also that making contacts and asking questions is great: but again, only if you know someone to ask. One thing I didn't mention in the post was that in 2003/2004 I was busy contacting various puppeteers that I knew, but most were either recommending I go to VCA or didn't have the time (or it seemed, the interest) to respond. There are exceptions of course, such as you, Gary Friedman, and Hilary Talbot. Since then the group's gotten wider. Looking back on what I wrote, I can see much more clearly how insular the perspective was. Part of the trouble now is that things are still pretty insular as I work as a solo business (and greatly need to get a life! J), so things haven’t much changed in that respect. Certainly I don’t denigrate what you and others have done/are doing. I think everyone in Australian puppetry is supremely aware of the difficulties within the art form of getting noticed, as well as being supremely passionate about getting it out there. The dearth of information certainly comes from lack of time, rather than interest or effort. I definitely will keep in contact with you and others, and make more of an effort to do so. (I’ll also add that I am always flattered to see that you read my posts, since I’m a fan of your work and always in awe of what you’ve achieved)

@Ryan, thanks for the compliment on the article. Do posts some images if you can, I always enjoy seeing what other people are doing in puppetry.

A very good and comprehensive list of instructions. The only puppet I've tried to create is a human sized fancy dress doll of Beetlejuice like this http://www.mycostumes.co.uk/costumes/Adult-80S-Beetlejuice-Deluxe-Halloween-Costume--RUB(888736STD)

I'll try put the pictures on my computer and email them, it was very fun to do.

Perhaps you're right, it all depends on where you're standing to see the view. Viewed from another perspective, Melbourne has produced the largest puppet show in the world, the most financially successful, employing more puppeteers for longer blah blah blah. Insert publicity gush. Last year we were the largest non-musical touring show in the world. Number four in overall box office for all touring events, (tucked in behind AC/DC, U2 and Bruce Springsteen). Our company has been lobbying to maintain a puppetry course, introduce industry training programs, lobbying government for export development of puppet projects... It depends on your frame of reference when you look at a situation. My original comment on your original article still holds... keep in contact, chat, ask questions. I'm always happy to talk puppetry. Congratulations on maintaining the energy to keep publishing online.

@Tony, I think part of the problem with free patterns is that in order to use them for what you want, you'd probably have to do a lot of modifications to get them to work. Free patterns aren't very flexible, whereas the paid ones are designed to work in a variety of ways and for a variety of characters. (Plus, mixing and matching patterns is never a good idea unless you know what you're doing) Even then, freebies seem to be written by people who are experimenting, and experiments don't often translate well to proper instructions that work every time. I'm not familiar with Bashful puppet's pattern (I know of it, but I haven't used it myself or looked at in great detail), it's very possible that he uses a different methodology to me and that would make it harder to combine the two patterns together. Anyway, I hope you find my pattern easy to use, it can be quite difficult explaining things sometimes! I'd love to see some pics of the puppet if you don't mind sharing them, I'm curious to see how the hybrid would turn out. Thanks for sharing your thoughts!

@Shiloh, if you check out Part two of the 'how to', you'll find the video for the table tennis ball mechanism: http://www.puppetsinmelbourne.com.au/faq.php/2008/03/27/how_to_make_puppet_eyes_blink_part_two. I highly recommend reading the comments and 'part three' as well, as I uncover some problems with the video explanations and they are made clearer within the comments.

You mentioned another plan for blinking eyes involving table tennis balls, do you have or know where can I get those instructions

@Derick, glad you found the post useful; hope you can find some Pelham puppets for your wife, they're pretty popular!

My wife is a huge Pelham puppet fan. It reminds her of when our son was little. I was planning to get her a few, and landed here thanks to google. This post is an excellent resource for anyone interested in these puppets. Was able to learn what I needed to. Thanks!

@Nadia: Glad you like my site and all the posts you commented on. Always good to have positive feedback.

@Nadia: As mentioned in the article, there is only one supplier (in the whole world as far as I know), which is Georgia Stage, located in Georgia, USA. The link is presented in the article.

That is the coolest thing I've seen in a while. It's now my wallpaper.

Very cool, thanks so much for sharing. This will definetly help me out.

Do you know where it can be purchased in the US?

I've been looking for a project to do with me nieces, thanks for sharing!