Written by | Cheryl Henson with Louise Gikow (editor/co-writer) and The Muppet Workshop |
Illustrator | John E. Barrett (photography), David Cain (illustrations) |
Published | 1994 |
Publisher | Workman Publishing Company |
ISBN | 1563057085 |
The Muppets Make Puppets! is a how-to book about making puppets using ordinary household materials.
The book includes sections on major aspects of the Muppet aesthetic, including eyes, noses, teeth, and hair and eyebrows. It also includes sidebars spotlighting historical aspects of puppetry, including short biographies of Bil Baird, Burr Tillstrom, Edgar Bergen, and Jim Henson; brief entries on Chinese hand puppets and Indonesian rod puppets; a look at Sam and Friends and the use of lip sync; and various sections on Muppet performance and performers. The book includes full color photos and building illustrations for over 50 individual puppets, many of which are supplied with names and character biographies, including both rod and hand puppets, shadow puppets, glove and sock puppets, and marionettes. These "home-made Muppets" include Princess Estirrilla (a wooden spoon princess used in various talk show appearances promoting the book), Garbagio (a Cookie Monster-esque automatic garbage can monster), and Dixie Dragon. A section on accessories features George and Barbara Brush, hair and toilet brush spoofs of George H. W. Bush and Barbara Bush.
The book comes with a starter kit of accessories, including a plastic grape (for a nose), googly eyes, felt pupils, red fur fabric, and felt pieces, amongst other items.
Cheryl Henson appeared on talks shows to promote her book, including Marilu, where she brought along George and Barbara Brush.
Credits[]
- Puppets built by the Muppet Workshop: Rollie Krewson, Ann Marie Timinelli, Mark Ruffin, Tom Newby, Larry Jameson, Fred Buchholz, Paul Hartis, Isabelle Dufour, Paul Andrejco, Connie Peterson, Cheryl Henson
- Stylist and Photo Archivist: Danielle Obinger