Follow Along with Adam Savage as He Learns to Build a Puppet

OK, you probably already know that Adam Savage likes to build stuff. You probably have images of movie props and robotics in mind. What I learned today was that Savage loves puppets as well.

In the video above you get to meet Finn the puppet. In the video below, you get to see the inception of Finn along with the folks who helped create him.

This isn’t just a build diary. Right off the bat you start learning about not only the construction, but the psychology of puppets. Rick Lyon, who created the puppet-based play called Avenue Q, explains some of the concepts to Adam. Notably, he points out just how little is required for people to begin to accept something as a puppet. The perfect example of this is the eyeball set that you can slap onto your hand. Just the simple addition of a couple eyes to your hand makes a functional puppet that people can identify with!

Of course they do delve into the actual physical construction, showing the process fairly thoroughly. You can watch as they go from sketches to a fully functional puppet, showing tips on construction along the way. What I find particularly interesting is the similarity to papercraft in how they constructed the masses of the puppet. They even prototyped with paper and cardboard before cutting foam!