tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25153269543765551922024-03-27T13:02:15.741-05:00Peter's PuppetsAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11246992079020036311noreply@blogger.comBlogger55125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2515326954376555192.post-74526329744847335992014-01-21T21:08:00.003-06:002014-01-21T21:09:48.298-06:00Pirate Wolf, Episode 01<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3ZrvbsqdmWLB4WPUs8gjSKCKFOMRcYdhAhAE9XIwc-IxmQxYtFEIvHJDZhmt1tSVEhVMFtqx7uK64zTeWDHg24PZSkAOl_ASk9WmUTH1mikgelbTrF6E9q1cI61sESkyhFBypq1Sh4CE/s1600/P1160501.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3ZrvbsqdmWLB4WPUs8gjSKCKFOMRcYdhAhAE9XIwc-IxmQxYtFEIvHJDZhmt1tSVEhVMFtqx7uK64zTeWDHg24PZSkAOl_ASk9WmUTH1mikgelbTrF6E9q1cI61sESkyhFBypq1Sh4CE/s1600/P1160501.JPG" height="112" width="200" /></a></div>
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I'm coming to grips with the idea that my writing -- bizarre, sporadic -- is a pretty minimal factor in what brings you guys to this blog (and, ultimately, to check out my puppets). My son wanted to make a "pirate movie" today, and I kinda realized that this sort of thing <i>just might</i> make a little more sense for a puppetmaker to post. So, without further ado, here's our puppet video!</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11246992079020036311noreply@blogger.com32tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2515326954376555192.post-43761038261251550092014-01-03T13:11:00.002-06:002014-01-03T13:24:36.436-06:00M(aster of P)uppets: Synchronicity between Metallica and The Muppet Movie<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1aZQct1nWs7nso4bzAyP1iyJWEKMIwdEI5TtN_xY90pvMyliSUsa_EFcclSJ4vHCQaFFCrc9KV8uuUQqS-q0dzFZ_TeWmBtjeyYgf3F5D6QHyE9s3zyokE9oWtuGxp4fLcpBVwQ2UZjo/s1600/Metallica.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1aZQct1nWs7nso4bzAyP1iyJWEKMIwdEI5TtN_xY90pvMyliSUsa_EFcclSJ4vHCQaFFCrc9KV8uuUQqS-q0dzFZ_TeWmBtjeyYgf3F5D6QHyE9s3zyokE9oWtuGxp4fLcpBVwQ2UZjo/s400/Metallica.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Certainly the most Muppet-y Metallica album is 1986's <i>Master of Puppets</i> -- uh doy, it says "puppets" in the title -- and I think it's no coincidence that it's regarded as their masterpiece. It is a bit odd, though, that there's no overt Muppet references in the songs themselves. Maybe we're expected to dig a little deeper. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">I've experimented with this idea, to some surprising results. I did one of those "synchronicity" things, where you start playing an album at the same time as you start playing a movie, to see if anything, lyrically or thematically, "matches up" between the two pieces. You know, kind of like how The Beach Boys' <i>Pet Sounds</i> synchs up perfectly with <i>Freddy Got Fingered.</i> In this case, I matched Metallica's <i>Master of Puppets</i> with the Muppets' first (and perhaps greatest?) movie, 1979's<i> The Muppet Movie.</i></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">If you'd like to re-create this experiment for yourself, just queue up one of the many "master of puppets full album" uploads on Youtube while you watch <i>The Muppet Movie. </i> Are you ready? Here's what I found!</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">So, right away, James Hetfield's classical guitar intro to "Battery" beautifully accompanies the movie, as it pans down regally over the statue at World Wide Studios' main gate. Then, at 00:40, the monstrous electric guitars rudely interrupt the music -- just as Statler and Waldorf drive up to the gate.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyKC8QJREOaVh_KoplOn2RjfNcfJuyDu5NU14Gc7W00YKISowDLI3JIW-dJoATz35MY89L9fI76DfHYKfcXDy-3-NohHn1eYC6OF1ZOg2_YrD1lEAqh0CZT-KJcggSv8PePoWTz8BOBmg/s1600/mup01statler.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="173" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyKC8QJREOaVh_KoplOn2RjfNcfJuyDu5NU14Gc7W00YKISowDLI3JIW-dJoATz35MY89L9fI76DfHYKfcXDy-3-NohHn1eYC6OF1ZOg2_YrD1lEAqh0CZT-KJcggSv8PePoWTz8BOBmg/s320/mup01statler.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Soon, the galloping rhythm of "Battery" begins, as the Muppets rip out chairs and detonate TNT in the screening room. When the rapid-fire lyrics begin ("Lashing out the action, returning the reaction, weak are ripped and torn away") we see Animal -- perhaps the most likely Muppet to be a Metallica fan -- bouncing frantically in his seat.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxAwCH35PFjJTACnguAP3uAaRg13EO5TE-DnpgKcjpjtNL2us-pyMi7VM4z_LoW_dgzzeRWDIcmJPy5RQu2J-YUBTTvyN0NDoLh87pAQiE58decx29GWhi2mj8Y54aj3Bu7sPFQgtV3Sk/s1600/mup02animal.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxAwCH35PFjJTACnguAP3uAaRg13EO5TE-DnpgKcjpjtNL2us-pyMi7VM4z_LoW_dgzzeRWDIcmJPy5RQu2J-YUBTTvyN0NDoLh87pAQiE58decx29GWhi2mj8Y54aj3Bu7sPFQgtV3Sk/s320/mup02animal.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">"Lunacy has found me" matches with the appearance of Lew Zealand.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuhl2f1WLvUHGns43a8T_533CmdAGD8jNIPAYsZvEKaINdQO1DU_tQgV0OdMaFZO0ftNMjlWrGX-HayBVSDMF4QWbMOByEvRREwzrhsZxXBXJApoJBbcp_zexvTbGtYG5SxsOSvnD2dt0/s1600/mup03lew.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuhl2f1WLvUHGns43a8T_533CmdAGD8jNIPAYsZvEKaINdQO1DU_tQgV0OdMaFZO0ftNMjlWrGX-HayBVSDMF4QWbMOByEvRREwzrhsZxXBXJApoJBbcp_zexvTbGtYG5SxsOSvnD2dt0/s320/mup03lew.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">When Kirk Hammett's ripping guitar solo starts at 3:17, the actual "movie within a movie" begins, and we're coasting through a panorama of clouds.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL9UNZiUMx5xD5U8s_fRBPzeCRYpMaOHkzEgBtiU5w0TTM3w1e38NY3ZPD3fQsGEdhOCJ7hLCTN2cM0bw4HOG1Bv4rWZR90AflxZLevzDu_BrnTjhsxfOcIUkZ0Lkzl1ePjE64m4XrBdM/s1600/mup04clouds.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="159" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL9UNZiUMx5xD5U8s_fRBPzeCRYpMaOHkzEgBtiU5w0TTM3w1e38NY3ZPD3fQsGEdhOCJ7hLCTN2cM0bw4HOG1Bv4rWZR90AflxZLevzDu_BrnTjhsxfOcIUkZ0Lkzl1ePjE64m4XrBdM/s320/mup04clouds.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Throughout the remainder of "Battery," the camera moves through the clouds and into the swamp. At 5:23, the title song "Master of Puppets" starts its intro, just as we get our first glimpse of Kermit with his banjo.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0ISLwPHOX_KpmWizznHUkJAMd4HDTOJ2NBAKUDJooaP4kLvCZ2kBpxPtLQ8LxkZnGsqWDfI1h2FMNKkt4lk7ZtnAG7zLK5dmK7vmPxfmu7wFhofeWhiuOiTprex1Xt0CpsQtFlO_eO-E/s1600/mup05kermit.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0ISLwPHOX_KpmWizznHUkJAMd4HDTOJ2NBAKUDJooaP4kLvCZ2kBpxPtLQ8LxkZnGsqWDfI1h2FMNKkt4lk7ZtnAG7zLK5dmK7vmPxfmu7wFhofeWhiuOiTprex1Xt0CpsQtFlO_eO-E/s320/mup05kermit.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">The verses in "Master of Puppets" don't line up extremely well with "The Rainbow Connection," but the pace of phrasing is surprisingly similar, so certain lines match amusingly with Kermit's mouth: "taste me you will see," "come crawling faster," and "obey your master."</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjEMIRVqdzmV8ntIOPnco0E_A_Alusq8fHgmE2uIT1cYqroB-LA9iba4VRcdDfMxJHsD8yjcoNk8mrPVLulqOK1Ira2KGnoXagBDOJzm28YLvFGx9ygyYUJS0Gkqd3XZTNN28fc4psUMs/s1600/mup06kermit.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjEMIRVqdzmV8ntIOPnco0E_A_Alusq8fHgmE2uIT1cYqroB-LA9iba4VRcdDfMxJHsD8yjcoNk8mrPVLulqOK1Ira2KGnoXagBDOJzm28YLvFGx9ygyYUJS0Gkqd3XZTNN28fc4psUMs/s320/mup06kermit.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">One of the more interesting ones is that Kermit shoots his head up suddenly when Hetfield sings "just call my name 'cause I'll hear you SCREAM" (in "The Rainbow Connection," this is when Kermit sings "all of us UN-der its spell").</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhilzuj3dZSUieany0fcG035VwjDT5tX3EbrAhHgyJGlo03mqwlb-8NNat9SuiHTxpIJ8BvmSO7FTZGiV2b4q8W2-4LgrsL4AVJk-IFZD1OgZsiun5SX2hYXbkFTlOqoEToZ7RNTGcgGI8/s1600/mup07kermitscream.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhilzuj3dZSUieany0fcG035VwjDT5tX3EbrAhHgyJGlo03mqwlb-8NNat9SuiHTxpIJ8BvmSO7FTZGiV2b4q8W2-4LgrsL4AVJk-IFZD1OgZsiun5SX2hYXbkFTlOqoEToZ7RNTGcgGI8/s320/mup07kermitscream.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">It seems like Dom DeLuise lip-synchs the line "chop your breakfast on a mirror," and then Kermit tries to catch a fly with his tongue when the phrase "taste me you will see" is repeated.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP306zeDRQVhEZHPbs3j9e8bGgmMsQvtySE5UY9eVrGuUufhAepw9HXLCqCMUTUrkBy4r-y73dqloe7OIdY-devSl_eiiK9SsJYcmachhhKyZAIfoPEFh63A2y07xLBkMKlaR3qGALvbk/s1600/mup08dom.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP306zeDRQVhEZHPbs3j9e8bGgmMsQvtySE5UY9eVrGuUufhAepw9HXLCqCMUTUrkBy4r-y73dqloe7OIdY-devSl_eiiK9SsJYcmachhhKyZAIfoPEFh63A2y07xLBkMKlaR3qGALvbk/s320/mup08dom.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">The BEST part of this section is that Kermit does his "read my lips: al-ee-gay-tor" bit, beat-for-beat, with Hetfield grunting "MAS-TER! MAS-TER!"</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizJXkwVhKBABl9bNqszqszNcmdGCfALTAiEz3PzUd3A5wnRd7nmVXFVc02-GLZB8TfNxuDAqlMyMY-iEz9kSTYwMQCKeDVx48U9hTuTmOMFApW2cIiHn1aEm62X1Wb3I5AH5P-Hw6SWOM/s1600/mup09kermlips.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="309" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizJXkwVhKBABl9bNqszqszNcmdGCfALTAiEz3PzUd3A5wnRd7nmVXFVc02-GLZB8TfNxuDAqlMyMY-iEz9kSTYwMQCKeDVx48U9hTuTmOMFApW2cIiHn1aEm62X1Wb3I5AH5P-Hw6SWOM/s320/mup09kermlips.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Further along, the music becomes more ominous while Kermit is biking past Doc Hopper's signs; at 10:53, Kermit is ostensibly being smushed by pavers when Hetfield shouts "Beats me!" (or whatever he's saying) just before Hammett's zany whammy-bar solo.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBLfpxh58HUuzLrQcYKqD2gsqstD23oZNRWvhIjhwI05enmRQYVhvfOf0stBbw_rg1ZiOt7d29gB4dDCnRcApq-fhP-5HqG7Tnkcl4vFFg8ZirKmg97hwOIGh9DRRYK-G8sUAPuzNN8Mg/s1600/mup10kermpavers.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBLfpxh58HUuzLrQcYKqD2gsqstD23oZNRWvhIjhwI05enmRQYVhvfOf0stBbw_rg1ZiOt7d29gB4dDCnRcApq-fhP-5HqG7Tnkcl4vFFg8ZirKmg97hwOIGh9DRRYK-G8sUAPuzNN8Mg/s320/mup10kermpavers.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">To close out the album's title track with a bang: at 13:28 or so, an Andre the Giant-esque "HA HA HA," which is followed by peals of lunatic laughter, matches with the appearance of Fozzie doing his comedy routine at El Sleezo Cafe.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQsFKqQB7zW1IBNcMIlZPZJ1s-scBe8BG9jfaF15aZ_wODS8YILsJnwNeX8upvOuF2jhyphenhyphenvKMu44tQkHRsGII4owc_hg5VNiX1hrdJaQJC1YSwAL6DzGPbc9DaxFNcwSAzrukAunKRoOMI/s1600/mup11fozziehaha.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="198" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQsFKqQB7zW1IBNcMIlZPZJ1s-scBe8BG9jfaF15aZ_wODS8YILsJnwNeX8upvOuF2jhyphenhyphenvKMu44tQkHRsGII4owc_hg5VNiX1hrdJaQJC1YSwAL6DzGPbc9DaxFNcwSAzrukAunKRoOMI/s320/mup11fozziehaha.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">As we move into the third song, "The Thing That Should Not Be," Doc Hopper peeks into the bar with his tiny binoculars at the line "dark deception kills the light," and the angry mob starts tossing puppets at the line "fearless wretch / insanity." </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Doc Hopper's first bizarre proposition to Kermit takes place while Hetfield sings phrases like "in madness you dwell," and "drain you of your sanity / face the thing that should not be."</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">At 22:13, we've moved into Metallica's classic "Welcome Home (Sanitarium)," and we see Big Bird's cameo with the lyrics "they keep me locked up in this cage." I assume this is a reference to the plot of <i>Sesame Street</i>'s big-screen feature <i>Follow That Bird.</i></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">The phrase "just leave me alone" is repeated, both when Big Bird strolls away by himself, and again later when Doc Hopper stops Kermit and Fozzie to harrass them.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">At 24:40, Max attempts to stand up for himself against Doc Hopper -- to the phrase "mutiny in the air."</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWp2gHyL5Ron3H1QW0B-SWpHmZ0MLfIdcliDqRQFyI2i9XggNwlpyLtoUsi5sHKqMX6D6UsrxcJnCUO6p4bcntr2oIsrxxMAwae7KBdLFt-BcrLNZ5oc88buikxYorg0oqHseNVNEdh7k/s1600/mup16max.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="233" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWp2gHyL5Ron3H1QW0B-SWpHmZ0MLfIdcliDqRQFyI2i9XggNwlpyLtoUsi5sHKqMX6D6UsrxcJnCUO6p4bcntr2oIsrxxMAwae7KBdLFt-BcrLNZ5oc88buikxYorg0oqHseNVNEdh7k/s320/mup16max.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">The fifth track, "Disposable Heroes," has started by 27:20, a point at which we hear a backwards cymbal crash while we see Animal bite his cymbal to "eat drum." When Lars Ulrich pounds out an extra-loud snare beat soon afterwards, Animal has realized he should "beat drum" -- which he does, on the snare with his head.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">The Electric Mayhem's song "Can Ya Picture That" ends up corresponding to the lyric section of "Disposable Heroes," and it's not without its moments of near-perfect lip-synch phrases: "you will do what I say when I say," "you coward / you servant," "now an empty shell," and "the slaughter never ends." Clearly the most amusing thing is the irony in such a cynical, military-themed set of lyrics being "sung" by a bunch of freaked-out hippie puppets.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">After Fozzie and Kermit drive away from the church, they're being followed by Doc Hopper and Max. At 33:00, they look behind them and spot their pursuers. This synchs exactly with the lyrics, "looking back I realize, nothing have I done / left to die with my only friend."</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Soon, Fozzie and Kermit are about to collide with Gonzo's plumbing vehicle, and Fozzie covers his eyes at nearly the same time as Hetfield shouts the line "you blind man!"</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Milton Berle's Mad Man Mooney makes his appearance to the opening riffs of the sixth track, "Leper Messiah." He begins his used car salesman pitch to the Muppets with the lyrics "send me money, send me green... make a contribution."</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">At 39:49, Miss Piggy is crowned and seated on her throne to the lyric phrase "time for lust."</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4IeoPmDC62qtb4MGnaKhYpxWv2JMwOJI8wJtfQ46A5Bp8AvlpjGBMWHxs_XOoR_DUrD1LNxN66X34L2rAP7dqyfxrLuhq2XJlURHDuCWzdzCG4HeQiH9dESN2HI3UnBdFCDLjmkyK1Pk/s1600/mup21piggy.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="171" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4IeoPmDC62qtb4MGnaKhYpxWv2JMwOJI8wJtfQ46A5Bp8AvlpjGBMWHxs_XOoR_DUrD1LNxN66X34L2rAP7dqyfxrLuhq2XJlURHDuCWzdzCG4HeQiH9dESN2HI3UnBdFCDLjmkyK1Pk/s320/mup21piggy.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Piggy and Kermit have their romantic fantasy montage to Cliff Burton's eerie bass effects at the beginning of the instrumental track "Orion." It casts a strangely foreboding mood on the otherwise sappy scene.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTvFaoKVfF-7ixU6U6tWdzfy8BZH1teWXyNAty34vTmnuI4O5CNx1cy9txBW6OZqAqBgucCfNVvVKnKRCfyfh_6MxS-49ehzgLAVPmy0GtquaoBYl-1zIdAGh7lEyDgZyxmPzMMd6nJJ0/s1600/mup22orion.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="165" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTvFaoKVfF-7ixU6U6tWdzfy8BZH1teWXyNAty34vTmnuI4O5CNx1cy9txBW6OZqAqBgucCfNVvVKnKRCfyfh_6MxS-49ehzgLAVPmy0GtquaoBYl-1zIdAGh7lEyDgZyxmPzMMd6nJJ0/s320/mup22orion.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Gonzo is lifted into the air by his balloons at 45:50, accompanied by a slower, pensive section of the song, with lots of airy guitar string bends. Again, it makes for a different, but not inappropriate, mood -- it replaces the panic with a haunting dreaminess.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh39r91m1EFpIwVC5SuttiJ7gkodUa2fZrir3kTISfJzyrHK8sVqFo0dvgZbhwkPqaZLDnKVxwZBjYd69Pd_SIKORRBwppY93VQCLWEuXRrs7hk8Wdnkiucxe5HqRphfzSbCTbIc-TB1kY/s1600/mup23gonzo.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh39r91m1EFpIwVC5SuttiJ7gkodUa2fZrir3kTISfJzyrHK8sVqFo0dvgZbhwkPqaZLDnKVxwZBjYd69Pd_SIKORRBwppY93VQCLWEuXRrs7hk8Wdnkiucxe5HqRphfzSbCTbIc-TB1kY/s320/mup23gonzo.png" width="276" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Kermit and Piggy have their first official date to the manic strains of <i>Master of Puppets'</i> final track, "Damage, Inc." At 52:45, Piggy coldly abandons Kermit for a modeling gig to the phrase "we chew and spit you out."</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Kermit meets Rowlf at the piano during the guitar solo. There's a REALLY cool part, at 53:17, where Rowlf's hands seem to mime a frenzied run of notes.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinXi_YEqTwy5oq6Rdw9_8ce3yRzBhJbQAt_TY4fSDB8DDmdIEqD-1U5Dj8LAOiUxsqq6FgxoeBjSlGiFZBvawHa-_0Xh6nfAtL9Ds9ygwyF0P0crd9-l6lFGIHE1Svv5W1XKbwvnNpSBE/s1600/mup25rowlf.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="168" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinXi_YEqTwy5oq6Rdw9_8ce3yRzBhJbQAt_TY4fSDB8DDmdIEqD-1U5Dj8LAOiUxsqq6FgxoeBjSlGiFZBvawHa-_0Xh6nfAtL9Ds9ygwyF0P0crd9-l6lFGIHE1Svv5W1XKbwvnNpSBE/s320/mup25rowlf.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">"Damage, Inc." completes another round of verse and chorus during Kermit and Rowlf's duet, and abruptly ends. The album is done -- as far as Metallica is concerned, <i>The Muppet Movie</i> ends here, with "men" (as it were) working through despair and depression, but ultimately taking power and energy from the love of their music. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWuZjib43tSLG7W1EiWbEdrCJG_IY1b8HyG6f9s1OJlXrY3OrWG3LipDstFFdAyRv-5xXd1jLC4k8olPSlfhWMzMYYcXrIQo5JR0BOLUhAAli2g48jclfvqirIGTe7UgiYiDeY3FQvvcM/s1600/mup26end.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="194" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWuZjib43tSLG7W1EiWbEdrCJG_IY1b8HyG6f9s1OJlXrY3OrWG3LipDstFFdAyRv-5xXd1jLC4k8olPSlfhWMzMYYcXrIQo5JR0BOLUhAAli2g48jclfvqirIGTe7UgiYiDeY3FQvvcM/s320/mup26end.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">So, in conclusion, I'm 100% convinced that Metallica was directly inspired by<i> The Muppet Movie,</i> and made all creative decisions concerning the writing and production of <i>Master of Puppets</i> based on a frame-by-frame study of it. Try this synchronicity experiment for yourself and I think you'll agree.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><br /></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11246992079020036311noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2515326954376555192.post-49138528252511565862013-12-01T18:09:00.001-06:002014-05-21T18:51:50.025-05:00FREE Postcard / Picture From Your Favorite Disney Character<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<b>UPDATE: </b></div>
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<i>On February 28, 2014, I (Peter) received a very standard "Mickey and Pals" postcard -- see front and back images at the end of this blog post. Ezra, as of today (May 21, 2014), hasn't received anything. This means that the Florida address seems to be the reliable one, but there isn't a variety of postcards to be had; probably only a Princess one and a Mickey one. If anyone has recently had any luck with the California address, or has somehow received a </i>different<i> postcard from Florida, let me know!</i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnXcMbv60xNKYfrLxC0UZTmR3LuhkPjrx6bkjbEBjSqwEGHhY9nUGeOfLgkCStQaAfj6abbzAiw9xm3yzml9RqJ1zisNk7uv368EFAXCtugQjtGep98NhR8xZL7uDvUzjp1ZB3VigDVfI/s1600/Peter_Pan_fighting_Captain_Hook.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnXcMbv60xNKYfrLxC0UZTmR3LuhkPjrx6bkjbEBjSqwEGHhY9nUGeOfLgkCStQaAfj6abbzAiw9xm3yzml9RqJ1zisNk7uv368EFAXCtugQjtGep98NhR8xZL7uDvUzjp1ZB3VigDVfI/s200/Peter_Pan_fighting_Captain_Hook.png" height="152" width="200" /></a></div>
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It's come to my attention recently that, by sending a letter addressed to your favorite Disney character, you can receive either a postcard or a photo from that character in the mail! <br />
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The address I first discovered was an address at Disney World (Florida), and with a little Internet digging I discovered that you'll probably get a <i>postcard</i> back from this address. Unfortunately, the only examples I could find online were letters written to any one of the Disney princesses, and all of those letters were responded to with the same Disney Princess postcard. I have no idea what you'd get if you write to any of the jillions of Disney characters that don't happen to be princesses.<br />
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I also discovered an address at Disney<i>land</i> (California), and apparently you can receive an 8 x 10 black-and-white photo of that character (as a Disneyland costumed character). I saw that someone wrote to Buzz Lightyear and got a photo of Buzz and Woody. But I also heard a rumor that they no longer send these photos. So, again, I don't know what to expect by writing to this address either.<br />
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Since there's two Disney fanboys in this house, I decided that we should each write a letter to our favorite Disney character, and I'll send one to each of the addresses. That way, I figure I'll scientifically deduce what could be expected from either address, and I'll be sure to update you when the results of the experiment come in!<br />
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Name of Character<br />
Walt Disney World Communications<br />
PO Box 10040<br />
Lake Buena Vista, FL 32830-0040<br />
<br />
Walt Disney Company<br />
Attn: Fan Mail Department<br />
500 South Buena Vista Street<br />
Burbank, CA 91521<br />
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<i>Ezra's letter to Peter Pan, dictated to me:</i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBTIMfCAXoBGllM2_gbDrBCMB7ZMS06EKWXbU4HRuWgdXrQwWbp2JBqo9GSnShK7NJB5ys-UmDe9-cUkZy9AWVZLfiXwZoAa2VROmGdAWauJsvGqMasIokc_JG3IOLxkNdKuhXlRiitRE/s1600/P1150928+-+Copy.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBTIMfCAXoBGllM2_gbDrBCMB7ZMS06EKWXbU4HRuWgdXrQwWbp2JBqo9GSnShK7NJB5ys-UmDe9-cUkZy9AWVZLfiXwZoAa2VROmGdAWauJsvGqMasIokc_JG3IOLxkNdKuhXlRiitRE/s400/P1150928+-+Copy.JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
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<i> My letter to Captain Hook:</i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9-7BQM-kx8H_mgRBqI4qsTob3j1cXrTfBArBKAyCMXJqOvfD2Uqd0Q_-MStm8TMZkZ2ryXp0nRGpZ08goGTpeaGB16DGvqesdqaTNaHtYx4zopNs4b1RDrP_Ln_QeNrhwOvgqsH7aHHI/s1600/P1150929+-+Copy.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9-7BQM-kx8H_mgRBqI4qsTob3j1cXrTfBArBKAyCMXJqOvfD2Uqd0Q_-MStm8TMZkZ2ryXp0nRGpZ08goGTpeaGB16DGvqesdqaTNaHtYx4zopNs4b1RDrP_Ln_QeNrhwOvgqsH7aHHI/s400/P1150929+-+Copy.JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
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<i>Our separate envelopes. Ezra's is going to California,</i></div>
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<i>and mine is going to Florida. These will be sent out December 2, 2013.</i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGYqH8v-afum9nlCp2QNAk2LqG1wpC2ikkKiAmzmqocEwDAVblZmZ9PwJa3qAtty7WmQXtSAndfGRlDJIQVHD1BSv0WH3vQ67paoP9WeC4IYOUnARWJfTdI4QIoLcBu5E5_YHqBHVLq-c/s1600/P1150930.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGYqH8v-afum9nlCp2QNAk2LqG1wpC2ikkKiAmzmqocEwDAVblZmZ9PwJa3qAtty7WmQXtSAndfGRlDJIQVHD1BSv0WH3vQ67paoP9WeC4IYOUnARWJfTdI4QIoLcBu5E5_YHqBHVLq-c/s320/P1150930.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b>UPDATE: </b><i>After writing to Captain Hook using the Florida address, I received</i></div>
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this<i> postcard (front and back shown here). The letter to Peter Pan in California</i></div>
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<i>has remained unanswered.</i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqz3gWxyny3v6-sfO-X4WgcMsvloWKee1BIjHtGTmVZ_3URlU7D_j4IDpQogpykzh8sBgG-divCB3bejrBZeHplfOaY1-GRAKNu3oDo9E9xnT-gHcl3IH3A0wPcatGWt5sBayKMrbX-7g/s1600/P1170776.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqz3gWxyny3v6-sfO-X4WgcMsvloWKee1BIjHtGTmVZ_3URlU7D_j4IDpQogpykzh8sBgG-divCB3bejrBZeHplfOaY1-GRAKNu3oDo9E9xnT-gHcl3IH3A0wPcatGWt5sBayKMrbX-7g/s1600/P1170776.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaZFuRJnReCd8_pvaML87PXtzUBNIUiqVP-gdMSithui0IuuPMSRLThc1bIQMNzOeS3TCNNopwsQLWbklseFS8sf-mibh4yJdiqLuPLPD5W3VSkAWdv2zg0_tWKcIWbbuHdngZjaYAGgw/s1600/P1170777.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaZFuRJnReCd8_pvaML87PXtzUBNIUiqVP-gdMSithui0IuuPMSRLThc1bIQMNzOeS3TCNNopwsQLWbklseFS8sf-mibh4yJdiqLuPLPD5W3VSkAWdv2zg0_tWKcIWbbuHdngZjaYAGgw/s1600/P1170777.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11246992079020036311noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2515326954376555192.post-66224429036276820822013-10-15T18:59:00.003-05:002013-10-15T19:01:43.030-05:00Reader MailThings have been a little slow for puppet news, so I thought I'd go through some Reader Mail.<br />
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<i>Dear Peter's Puppets,</i><br />
<i>I wonder what John Krasinski has been up to since </i>The Office<i> wrapped earlier this year.</i><br />
<i>-- Flo, </i><i>St. Petersburg, FL</i><br />
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Since lending his voice to this summer's family hit <i>Monsters University, </i>the hip heartthrob, 33, has been seen on a recent episode of <i>Arrested Development. </i>John says, "it was totes rad to play that particular character!"<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXGkhJ4qZr1r7B7Ck5uQS1W0FcenulB0in6y_y0S58-GD_LFWaXnrVPZqAEYo72tJQy9W2VkBqnR02xxZXEPoc8biZsZCjSIbS_IN39RRuiO9PKUUhkWJUe6gYThy_ZO7ah4EY9y1t8UA/s1600/john-krasinski.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXGkhJ4qZr1r7B7Ck5uQS1W0FcenulB0in6y_y0S58-GD_LFWaXnrVPZqAEYo72tJQy9W2VkBqnR02xxZXEPoc8biZsZCjSIbS_IN39RRuiO9PKUUhkWJUe6gYThy_ZO7ah4EY9y1t8UA/s200/john-krasinski.JPG" width="155" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b><i>John Krasinski</i></b></span></div>
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<i>Dear Peter's Puppets,</i></div>
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<i>Is there any royal baby news from Philip IV and Mariana of Austria?</i></div>
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<i>-- Jontesh, Studio City, CA</i></div>
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Good news, Jontesh! The Spanish monarchs welcomed baby boy Charles II in 1661. The couple is very happy... and very exhausted!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4Ltqrp68fakfOPc_TQQaQt_d3qGDQ2Nfy1EDSISJSDC2XfYbIM5-1lHeTX63gzp6mllhCAW2di5Fi_0Fe53DQ2YwOKBwaoZ5YwW_2T_LA1EGmFLvrq_-cL5Y0AlJeqvUftwIIZAXBDmM/s1600/Juan_de_Miranda_Carreno_002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4Ltqrp68fakfOPc_TQQaQt_d3qGDQ2Nfy1EDSISJSDC2XfYbIM5-1lHeTX63gzp6mllhCAW2di5Fi_0Fe53DQ2YwOKBwaoZ5YwW_2T_LA1EGmFLvrq_-cL5Y0AlJeqvUftwIIZAXBDmM/s200/Juan_de_Miranda_Carreno_002.jpg" width="163" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b><i>Charles II of Spain</i></b></span></div>
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<i>Dear Peter's Puppets,</i></div>
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<i>Is this a good week to plant begonias? My wife doesn't think so.</i></div>
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<i>-- Wenceslas, Denver, CO</i></div>
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<i><br /></i></div>
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Your wife is right, Wenceslas. Begonias should never be planted until after the danger of frost has passed in the spring. In the meantime, you can place the sprout containers, with a towel under them, on a radiator.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVqMjVcB26BkJKoCBKPgJDvtlKFnXV8d9LfWjsAo1jIa7puygFXu-hqpgIS1zDurwxR11tKw703TpGRzQFWZtyhfWYitcK4FpcaRZJa7y1UJOEiqaI6UAYAn8CbOfuNzxVlEzc6o432As/s1600/red-wax-begonias.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVqMjVcB26BkJKoCBKPgJDvtlKFnXV8d9LfWjsAo1jIa7puygFXu-hqpgIS1zDurwxR11tKw703TpGRzQFWZtyhfWYitcK4FpcaRZJa7y1UJOEiqaI6UAYAn8CbOfuNzxVlEzc6o432As/s200/red-wax-begonias.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b><i>Red Wax Begonias</i></b></span></div>
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Well, that's it for now! Keep those letters coming, and make sure to visit the <a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/pkfridley" target="_blank">Peter's Puppets Etsy Shop</a> for the best deals on Peter's Puppets!</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11246992079020036311noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2515326954376555192.post-70403202600007614642013-08-03T11:46:00.001-05:002013-08-03T12:48:20.040-05:00The Peter's Puppets Hand-Made Puppet (Virtual) MuseumMy stash of hand-made (not by me) puppets is getting pretty ridiculous. This weekend's garage sale haul has already added to it quite a bit. If I was a well-organized "collector" I'd have these all in glass cases, displayed nicely, etc. But that's probably not going to happen. So let's consider this the virtual Hand-Made Puppet Museum, curated by me. Like <a href="http://peterspuppets.blogspot.com/2012/07/peanuts-statues-in-twin-cities.html" target="_blank">my Peanuts Statue post,</a> I'll add to this one as new acquisitions are made.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZtdG49OvBrKqf1ARuLW5Db5mLt49VsliwD9caiCz6p3-gcEJEd6NHJMUzWge-vvu8wJlxglVYgsHKtbzZ4KT2VVcPemWfn8lkroiaJkb-rUfR-lympFoS5BOXZu_IYWUXIcKtmSqoj6k/s1600/P1050514.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZtdG49OvBrKqf1ARuLW5Db5mLt49VsliwD9caiCz6p3-gcEJEd6NHJMUzWge-vvu8wJlxglVYgsHKtbzZ4KT2VVcPemWfn8lkroiaJkb-rUfR-lympFoS5BOXZu_IYWUXIcKtmSqoj6k/s320/P1050514.JPG" width="277" /></a></div>
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<i>Vegetable Gnome</i></div>
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(discussed in <a href="http://peterspuppets.blogspot.com/2012/02/vintage-puppet-vegetable-gnome.html" target="_blank">an earlier post</a>)</div>
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eBay purchase from years ago</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfQp1n-QtjNk3jRs2-0SlZxqurh6mUg6jMDxRR-q7mMJEtbqwsiDyPBLK7kgmG1WAXxnu_agMEfTdEjdQxpXUs2yvQ6MeBu4jgc8Lk8wsCBj5TMCUM6My3Xx_v2GbjIoN9nK5wPIkVipA/s1600/P1050964.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfQp1n-QtjNk3jRs2-0SlZxqurh6mUg6jMDxRR-q7mMJEtbqwsiDyPBLK7kgmG1WAXxnu_agMEfTdEjdQxpXUs2yvQ6MeBu4jgc8Lk8wsCBj5TMCUM6My3Xx_v2GbjIoN9nK5wPIkVipA/s320/P1050964.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i>Nightmare Army Jacket Man</i></div>
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(discussed in <a href="http://peterspuppets.blogspot.com/2012/03/vintage-puppet-nightmare-army-jacket.html" target="_blank">an earlier post</a>)</div>
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eBay purchase from years ago</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOJPX4B0LQ4RBaD-JZxUCs9NrMFP4TVi-Yd9tnpNZZAE3gOGaXB3k8_TIqBSENy0ZQgx80WoBRfE7BhyphenhyphenaTVjJ-Y_QJju22LmvZfPk8hEt0h8v2s_lHnAsjFZjwFwM8N9sa1_2VdFTnPbA/s1600/P1130507.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOJPX4B0LQ4RBaD-JZxUCs9NrMFP4TVi-Yd9tnpNZZAE3gOGaXB3k8_TIqBSENy0ZQgx80WoBRfE7BhyphenhyphenaTVjJ-Y_QJju22LmvZfPk8hEt0h8v2s_lHnAsjFZjwFwM8N9sa1_2VdFTnPbA/s320/P1130507.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i>Kermit</i></div>
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(discussed in <a href="http://peterspuppets.blogspot.com/2013/05/vintage-puppets-handmade-sesame-street.html" target="_blank">an earlier post</a>)</div>
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Etsy purchase 2013</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCFd3KOYtOmLbVITFR2TwgWL_WWVY8vvkTNj6FVMjpijJPqW1HY6DvqLJLSR99fjnNLqeL9VxdNrHRbjxekdodzSloIYsuGExUuQ1ipbXcGQQ4H0ZAzcxNxSQErqkptON3ReI93K7T98c/s1600/P1130512.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCFd3KOYtOmLbVITFR2TwgWL_WWVY8vvkTNj6FVMjpijJPqW1HY6DvqLJLSR99fjnNLqeL9VxdNrHRbjxekdodzSloIYsuGExUuQ1ipbXcGQQ4H0ZAzcxNxSQErqkptON3ReI93K7T98c/s320/P1130512.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i>Oscar the Grouch</i></div>
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(discussed in <a href="http://peterspuppets.blogspot.com/2013/05/vintage-puppets-handmade-sesame-street.html" target="_blank">an earlier post</a>)</div>
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Etsy purchase 2013</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinCr1HaQT-r420iWAT1Hs-mOMQXElI7LZU6YLq71BzQaPqvX1nzSz023396-U2NH5JkBeI1NAjELMR4pNdjdmD08V8UiXUfj5vWSBFxsaOtyrlTSIjlShxsqsU61Rk_SHflskQ96KN1mM/s1600/P1130518.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinCr1HaQT-r420iWAT1Hs-mOMQXElI7LZU6YLq71BzQaPqvX1nzSz023396-U2NH5JkBeI1NAjELMR4pNdjdmD08V8UiXUfj5vWSBFxsaOtyrlTSIjlShxsqsU61Rk_SHflskQ96KN1mM/s320/P1130518.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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<i>Count von Count</i></div>
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(discussed in <a href="http://peterspuppets.blogspot.com/2013/05/vintage-puppets-handmade-sesame-street.html" target="_blank">an earlier post</a>)</div>
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Etsy purchase 2013</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEoTkGiYdsZV8ndPC629kcO54hhAJrxXRvVDQmB3mEfWrM26kzv6xgH40TylNSAcwgPTJm5NF2rZZl_ScxhBxfSuegHnez3Otn5uXRb_bnbslIa26MhxLmYDnZlysXUSAZA38FSbKFYI8/s1600/P1140667.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEoTkGiYdsZV8ndPC629kcO54hhAJrxXRvVDQmB3mEfWrM26kzv6xgH40TylNSAcwgPTJm5NF2rZZl_ScxhBxfSuegHnez3Otn5uXRb_bnbslIa26MhxLmYDnZlysXUSAZA38FSbKFYI8/s320/P1140667.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i>Freddie the Frog</i></div>
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knitted</div>
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garage sale purchase 2013</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj9MJ4KcQtbdf3g0y3_SKjU6yCXfSxwxQtG5PY2jqQsJqAkkZI61i-xcBvcFrC2Mi0DE5QP_wjceJSxQkTBTQyZXa2-Ro_d1EJV8N-kuVfErv30hIOHlW8u_ji47PyaTrI6fQ-z_E3DTQ/s1600/P1140669.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj9MJ4KcQtbdf3g0y3_SKjU6yCXfSxwxQtG5PY2jqQsJqAkkZI61i-xcBvcFrC2Mi0DE5QP_wjceJSxQkTBTQyZXa2-Ro_d1EJV8N-kuVfErv30hIOHlW8u_ji47PyaTrI6fQ-z_E3DTQ/s320/P1140669.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i>Alligator</i></div>
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knitted</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbrKbZrcgndXhIIxZ2F2wsJdohDJSCLOnsSHZV3Ckp6kfxphVQLjCAEWCfaZ8u8BKzIHfSuYUeDZhom9XtcKBiIK5KkIgOnOOwkTINrLkOPjzuxah45qwdBvl96CGFlM3ZcSvqTmZRqA0/s1600/P1140671.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbrKbZrcgndXhIIxZ2F2wsJdohDJSCLOnsSHZV3Ckp6kfxphVQLjCAEWCfaZ8u8BKzIHfSuYUeDZhom9XtcKBiIK5KkIgOnOOwkTINrLkOPjzuxah45qwdBvl96CGFlM3ZcSvqTmZRqA0/s320/P1140671.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i>Cookie Monster</i></div>
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At first glance, this seems like a mass-manufactured, store-bought puppet. And, yes, I believe it once was. But while I was repairing a rip along the side-seam, I noticed that the fabric was going the wrong way (against the "straight of goods"), it was sewn with some kind of fishing line or something, the mouth seemed odd, and there were little felt "claws." I think that the original puppet fell apart, and someone recycled the eyes and mouth to re-create a Cookie Monster puppet.</div>
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garage sale purchase 2013</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNL3tIdyz-p9dPd_S19lXGGoS44rXr3b7mI0IQIQgZzpJsQFOQtF-UfTBHUXMbFg7im-Aus8kke0k3-5lCPx0G2gaTypYH3inBVhBbecjxg8rko61JhtRX48Q-xHcHEp-VFAiYRuNnkiU/s1600/P1140672.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNL3tIdyz-p9dPd_S19lXGGoS44rXr3b7mI0IQIQgZzpJsQFOQtF-UfTBHUXMbFg7im-Aus8kke0k3-5lCPx0G2gaTypYH3inBVhBbecjxg8rko61JhtRX48Q-xHcHEp-VFAiYRuNnkiU/s320/P1140672.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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<i>Prince</i></div>
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made by fellow Etsy seller/Puppetsian Agnes Abraham at <a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/AgneShop" target="_blank">AgneShop</a></div>
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Etsy purchase 2012</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2erj869gVGT4otQ6HxSlIXuFg-an7rAuoXJJz0dtRPlNxie4eSEzbu3vMQWl53g6hCNbFSVNiAKQHHscjPTqbWR44RhxzvOfeYD1XeMCsi639RTjhUxXQCxq7bb9wdHTPYIX-Oc6cQAU/s1600/P1140673.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2erj869gVGT4otQ6HxSlIXuFg-an7rAuoXJJz0dtRPlNxie4eSEzbu3vMQWl53g6hCNbFSVNiAKQHHscjPTqbWR44RhxzvOfeYD1XeMCsi639RTjhUxXQCxq7bb9wdHTPYIX-Oc6cQAU/s320/P1140673.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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<i>Kindly Dragon?</i></div>
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papier mache head</div>
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eBay purchase from years ago</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_EnUlHl2l2I2AItYFzqGovCEvGmfeevhi603_OtaAIRgurgyZZAxqvd14gBkyqeptY9TJ-msmPscF705vCIvLpBHsXtLjK4Pul0fV5j0rD9C2D4aqOOx7tgoVpqoZl_oiuO0FV_Wd2iU/s1600/P1140674.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_EnUlHl2l2I2AItYFzqGovCEvGmfeevhi603_OtaAIRgurgyZZAxqvd14gBkyqeptY9TJ-msmPscF705vCIvLpBHsXtLjK4Pul0fV5j0rD9C2D4aqOOx7tgoVpqoZl_oiuO0FV_Wd2iU/s320/P1140674.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i>Monkey</i></div>
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papier mache head</div>
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eBay purchase from years ago</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsDeoiyTr23R32iYE77Mfz3RipuUPhWw_bl3wCV2Db4jMZQiNL1xLbMzQSnhfmKs_lU4SjfB81RPgh-33RoKspNSjLx2GEC8up7atjodcVyEF5cY3taGW3QtFTCYN9cMft5HZe_5llisc/s1600/P1140676.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsDeoiyTr23R32iYE77Mfz3RipuUPhWw_bl3wCV2Db4jMZQiNL1xLbMzQSnhfmKs_lU4SjfB81RPgh-33RoKspNSjLx2GEC8up7atjodcVyEF5cY3taGW3QtFTCYN9cMft5HZe_5llisc/s320/P1140676.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i>Gnome</i></div>
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carved wooden head</div>
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purchased in Paris 2001</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKFm1dZIZKa1XnYTqy1-1wnz0stJAkl87V92vebG_fEH_2XN2jNiTSXzhoQW65yTNz091_7_x7WIOG-NLOPBvmiLI-6qgHAMRrgP0gZy-RMNIVM9RvLhP47iaaoR6k5qpFlupWROOoikg/s1600/P1140677.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKFm1dZIZKa1XnYTqy1-1wnz0stJAkl87V92vebG_fEH_2XN2jNiTSXzhoQW65yTNz091_7_x7WIOG-NLOPBvmiLI-6qgHAMRrgP0gZy-RMNIVM9RvLhP47iaaoR6k5qpFlupWROOoikg/s320/P1140677.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i>Elephant</i></div>
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garage sale purchase 2013</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11246992079020036311noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2515326954376555192.post-43362290559342342582013-06-30T18:41:00.000-05:002013-06-30T18:42:46.317-05:00Minnesota Travels: Jeffers Petroglyphs and End-O-Line Railroad Park<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmXA05vd9j6m_4SmDTJiq4HfUetoKsudFQ6uh-OOfWUpBD2wi1QKxEBOaoUdxncmsOBW47dd1VJwpeLtEYFFD46V3sd6KUaTbILzKOfXKYPiwET4HKhaoKNA60scS88F6AqRuOqH4Xo0A/s1600/P1140202.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmXA05vd9j6m_4SmDTJiq4HfUetoKsudFQ6uh-OOfWUpBD2wi1QKxEBOaoUdxncmsOBW47dd1VJwpeLtEYFFD46V3sd6KUaTbILzKOfXKYPiwET4HKhaoKNA60scS88F6AqRuOqH4Xo0A/s320/P1140202.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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We took a family minivan vacation this weekend in Southwest Minnesota. Neither of us was familiar with the area, or any of our destinations, and there was very little critical information available on the interwebs -- travel plans were made on a "this sounds good" basis. Since I've got this blogging platform, with a demographic of hip parents with young kids, I thought I'd put in my (positive!) recommendations for this SW-MN weekend tour.</div>
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Our chosen destinations -- <a href="http://jefferspetroglyphs.com/" target="_blank">the Jeffers Petroglyphs</a> and <a href="http://www.endoline.com/site/index.php" target="_blank">the End-O-Line Railroad Park and Museum</a> -- are both within reasonable driving distance from <a href="https://maps.google.com/maps?q=New+Ulm,+MN&hl=en&ll=44.320655,-94.459419&spn=0.09997,0.220757&sll=44.280604,-95.064697&sspn=1.600559,3.532104&oq=new+ulm&hnear=New+Ulm,+Brown,+Minnesota&t=m&z=12" target="_blank">New Ulm.</a> Twin Citians will appreciate New Ulm for being "the closest thing to civilization" in this area of Minnesota. Alternatively, we stayed at <a href="http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/state_parks/fort_ridgely/index.html" target="_blank">Fort Ridgely State Park</a> and had a great time; <a href="http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/state_parks/lake_shetek/camping.html" target="_blank">Lake Shetek State Park</a> is technically much closer though. And since I assume you got your State Parks Permit when you donated to <a href="http://contribute.publicradio.org/contribute.php" target="_blank">Minnesota Public Radio,</a> your parking fee will be covered at either place.</div>
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For your convenience, here's a map of the area with the various locations I've mentioned highlighted:</div>
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<iframe frameborder="0" height="500" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="https://maps.google.com/maps/ms?msa=0&msid=217857279802734972985.0004e065e7f9fbc464df0&hl=en&ie=UTF8&ll=44.261231,-95.074903&spn=0.386744,1.231202&t=m&output=embed" width="600"></iframe><br /></div>
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<small><i>View <a href="https://maps.google.com/maps/ms?msa=0&msid=217857279802734972985.0004e065e7f9fbc464df0&hl=en&ie=UTF8&ll=44.261231,-95.074903&spn=0.386744,1.231202&t=m&source=embed" style="color: blue; text-align: left;">SW-MN weekend vacation</a> in a larger map</i></small>
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As far as eating lunch, it doesn't matter what your tastes are -- there simply aren't that many towns to stop at in the area. We saw a place called <a href="http://local.yahoo.com/info-63979301-loose-moose-restaurant-westbrook" target="_blank">The Loose Moose</a> in Westbrook, but didn't go inside. Pack a picnic.</div>
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So, first off, the <a href="http://jefferspetroglyphs.com/" target="_blank">Jeffers Petroglyphs</a> are thousands of Native American drawings carved in the quartzite rock on the ground, each anywhere from 7000 to 250 years old. Apparently any one carving has a temperamental ease of viewing; time of day, level of sunlight, and weather have an effect on what you'll be able to see. We got there shortly after the Interpretive Center opened at 10 A.M. (by the way, it closes at 5 P.M. -- but signage on the premises suggests that you're trusted to view the site whenever you want) and received nearly the entire spectrum of Minnesota summertime weather while we were there:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHl4b1PPtbM3KJ5iI_M-CPXp3NpG6VbEFKJ8lyAzdNVcUVuBqUtSJRv-nTKHUTbmFYVwLHWjxiFREiHPINWh2pX7QFxHbdb-GXBD-OnIAeWB0IdYcu5Qc5U5DN5KYgytQf2206_wB4o_Q/s1600/P1130987.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHl4b1PPtbM3KJ5iI_M-CPXp3NpG6VbEFKJ8lyAzdNVcUVuBqUtSJRv-nTKHUTbmFYVwLHWjxiFREiHPINWh2pX7QFxHbdb-GXBD-OnIAeWB0IdYcu5Qc5U5DN5KYgytQf2206_wB4o_Q/s320/P1130987.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">11 A.M.</span></i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5R4V9-wm3Cj0g0BGLQyUqp0hv8f4jMpE8jdqtpN2OKBDUufyV8beXve-x6cxWbJJw8_q86TxUgZMy2qZo7URBUnXby7wB5OMW_kV1_xkCDIk2BxX5BlJywAyZb_dWwoealWTdoQIx0k0/s1600/P1140024.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5R4V9-wm3Cj0g0BGLQyUqp0hv8f4jMpE8jdqtpN2OKBDUufyV8beXve-x6cxWbJJw8_q86TxUgZMy2qZo7URBUnXby7wB5OMW_kV1_xkCDIk2BxX5BlJywAyZb_dWwoealWTdoQIx0k0/s320/P1140024.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">11:30 A.M.</span></i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihbZyNif4bGIVO46xuGC6adkBeIVlLr1ZO5x_Ljwfpxl7bTmpz03do3iUUKraClXxzwyr2Ojoy9ceChKUgv390fbP_s6Wmd05-Oq32VOOQAbnOnpeqPs-ol8oe42e6tOsvUaeQJ2yVIKg/s1600/P1140069.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihbZyNif4bGIVO46xuGC6adkBeIVlLr1ZO5x_Ljwfpxl7bTmpz03do3iUUKraClXxzwyr2Ojoy9ceChKUgv390fbP_s6Wmd05-Oq32VOOQAbnOnpeqPs-ol8oe42e6tOsvUaeQJ2yVIKg/s320/P1140069.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Noon</span></i></div>
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Your guide will happily point out many of the notable carvings, but the ones you remember will be the ones that pop out at you on their own. I found a "cyclops" man that, according to my son, looks like my tattoo (the tour guide said that the round head with a single, central eye signifies "wisdom"):</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP1LWXvcfVOV-r61xI8ibwDDrlHA3bFnuEcrCERb9W9uNvdiH8LgVvWlwJdXn9pmH80iXTy8cPKP-tSnxMKeqKDHiDMHta6CMoIX2WfxbW3nv1Ue1BnMSY1vKFNqA4bZl6sFhDM-NUKk0/s1600/P1130997.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP1LWXvcfVOV-r61xI8ibwDDrlHA3bFnuEcrCERb9W9uNvdiH8LgVvWlwJdXn9pmH80iXTy8cPKP-tSnxMKeqKDHiDMHta6CMoIX2WfxbW3nv1Ue1BnMSY1vKFNqA4bZl6sFhDM-NUKk0/s320/P1130997.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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There was another cyclops in a busy scene of other figures; the guide suggested that the whole image may be the recording of an inner spiritual drama in which a man "kills his boy spirit so that his man spirit may survive":</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT6Khyphenhyphen-6z2mbbLpwo5CA8RNmJVmeX1HhG_JbW77PU4WhN7IWZiejsg5HSEUzm3WvnqQ26DNffwRDtqocsJQ8Zg6zmqEw2n9iK0l30um9GTnxsWBu8vR6rMBA3sD_48qOa55Cmloav934E/s1600/P1140068.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT6Khyphenhyphen-6z2mbbLpwo5CA8RNmJVmeX1HhG_JbW77PU4WhN7IWZiejsg5HSEUzm3WvnqQ26DNffwRDtqocsJQ8Zg6zmqEw2n9iK0l30um9GTnxsWBu8vR6rMBA3sD_48qOa55Cmloav934E/s320/P1140068.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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OR, according to the sign, it's a celestial chart:</div>
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This turtle was so clear that even a four-year-old could (and did!) see it:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgD4SG7gBsy-Lm-F5wjn-9F8oqfPYsnET6lRmgQ7ANxu9UOJsztmGnwa0xE5y0H5qfR_HfmRlPb_4PgFhJ3xUw36UTTVPXBjshWqTdTjGu99SwdvmgsQfMTCkCMB-PpDN9MgtSjNm5J0I/s1600/P1140045.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgD4SG7gBsy-Lm-F5wjn-9F8oqfPYsnET6lRmgQ7ANxu9UOJsztmGnwa0xE5y0H5qfR_HfmRlPb_4PgFhJ3xUw36UTTVPXBjshWqTdTjGu99SwdvmgsQfMTCkCMB-PpDN9MgtSjNm5J0I/s320/P1140045.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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But Ez's favorite petroglyph animal was the Thunderbird. This carving (below) was pretty clear. You'll see an arrow coming down from its neck and pointing to its heart; the guide said that this was an indicator, that could be put on any animal, to communicate that the artist considered that animal to be his/her spirit guide.</div>
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So, before we left, Ez had to get some Thunderbird bling:<br />
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Next up: the <a href="http://www.endoline.com/site/index.php" target="_blank">End-O-Line Railroad Park and Museum</a> in Currie. I honestly can't remember how I found the website for this place, but I marked it as a "maybe/probably" on our itinerary. From now on I'd mark it as "we're goin'." </div>
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If End-O-Line was anywhere near the Twin Cities, we'd put it along with <a href="http://www.smm.org/" target="_blank">the Science Museum</a> and <a href="http://www.comozooconservatory.org/" target="_blank">both</a> <a href="http://www.mnzoo.com/" target="_blank">zoos</a> as a guaranteed fallback plan for weekend activites. I even like it better than the <a href="http://www.lsrm.org/Home/index.html" target="_blank">Duluth train museum</a>; rather than feeling like you're creeping around in somebody's grandpa's basement, you're out in a very well-maintained park, hopping from one "old-fashion" (Ez's new favorite term) building or train car to the next. </div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">End-O-Line is a staunch preserver of hobo culture</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Ez as old-fashion schoolteacher</span></i></div>
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The whole "museum" forms a circle of buildings (including a schoolhouse, a church, a general store, and a mill) around a picnic area and train-themed playground: so if you've run out of steam well before your kid, you can just sit down and let him entertain himself for a while. The extremely non-mopey teenagers that staff the place are even willing to give your kids a spin on the replica turntable.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJfWmYo6r4TZYDRCZVIEciOxHGNdgo-yxyhQkYL388FbhZ_sdVRpi07XUu7hS4rNnwfgNwSuMs4nnmtjb1h5aPleWr2Vx6RuN_teS7Rp5EOoBdL4Yzp1_MLwLIxmfVXbqxyMyKOee3NjQ/s1600/P1140125.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJfWmYo6r4TZYDRCZVIEciOxHGNdgo-yxyhQkYL388FbhZ_sdVRpi07XUu7hS4rNnwfgNwSuMs4nnmtjb1h5aPleWr2Vx6RuN_teS7Rp5EOoBdL4Yzp1_MLwLIxmfVXbqxyMyKOee3NjQ/s320/P1140125.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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So, there you go -- an exhaustingly full Saturday of family activity in an area of Minnesota that hasn't (yet) had much in the way of online reviews. <br />
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By the way, while you're in the area you'll notice Historical Marker signs pointing you to <a href="http://sites.mnhs.org/historic-sites/harkin-store" target="_blank">Harkin's General Store</a>, just northwest of New Ulm. We checked it out. It's not worth it. I can't imagine a single scenario in which the $5 per person admission fee won't feel like a total rip-off. If you're <i>really, really</i> into "living history" general stores, set up to look like they did in the days of Minnesota's early statehood, you've already seen one at End-O-Line.<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11246992079020036311noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2515326954376555192.post-4770674674554495912013-06-05T22:10:00.001-05:002013-06-05T22:11:46.612-05:00Marvin the Martian Puppet<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRuhJVDZMfpiyRINLMzMwYFaNvIfCK7bgsIN_cauxrgrZAQFuVWn0fFgH6CWzLsClU8seSeX4VzgxBfyTnl7Z8yG9CTCU3XPfTX_l1dvL13SIIpp-CggWdBB7ei87g-WtKPY092jbFVTk/s1600/P1130819.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRuhJVDZMfpiyRINLMzMwYFaNvIfCK7bgsIN_cauxrgrZAQFuVWn0fFgH6CWzLsClU8seSeX4VzgxBfyTnl7Z8yG9CTCU3XPfTX_l1dvL13SIIpp-CggWdBB7ei87g-WtKPY092jbFVTk/s320/P1130819.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN">He ambles into my 10' x 10' canopy tent at the craft fair and has a quick
look around at the puppets. If this were
anywhere in, say, California, he might say, "You might remember me from
last year. I'm the guy that collects
Marvin the Martian things. I know it's a
one in a million shot, but if you've happened to have made a Marvin the Martian
puppet in the last 365 days, I'd really like to purchase it." If this were New York, I might have heard,
"I really like your puppets. But I
can see you making a really cool Marvin the Martian puppet -- you know, just do
a head like these owls, but with a green Roman helmet and angry cartoon
eyes. White hands, red shirt. Do you think I could commission you to do
that?" But this is Minnesota, where
we all know that it could start snowing if we stand around talking for too
long.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN">"Still no Marvin the Martians?" he asks.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN">"Maybe next year," I reply.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Well, I was so tickled by this conversation that I couldn't make another puppet until I finally made a Marvin the Martian. <br />
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I'm planning on giving it to him next year at Johnstock, but I think it would be pretty cool to get it to him before then. Could he be reading this? Or anyone who knows him? It's also entirely possible that he's actually some sort of <i>genius loci</i> of "Ol' Nordeast" itself, who <a href="http://rock.rapgenius.com/Led-zeppelin-achilles-last-stand-lyrics#note-918753" target="_blank">slumbers like Albion</a> in Grain Belt soaked bliss, only to arise once a year to talk to crafty hipsters about Looney Tunes characters. Well, if you happen to know an older man in the Northeast Minneapolis area who's really, really into Marvin the Martian, let me know. If I can't get this puppet to him somehow, <i>I shall be very, very angry indeed!</i></div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11246992079020036311noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2515326954376555192.post-21248917904086770262013-05-11T16:27:00.000-05:002013-05-11T17:28:32.216-05:00Vintage Puppets: Handmade Sesame Street CharactersI'm a puppetmaker, not a businessman. That might explain why my "business strategy" (such as it is) for selling on Etsy doesn't make any sense. I blog about other people's puppets I buy, I discuss characters in TV shows and movies that I have no intention of making into puppets to sell, and -- strangest of all -- I made a <a href="https://www.etsy.com/teams/14359/puppetsy" target="_blank">Team on Etsy, called <b>Puppetsy</b>,</a> with the sole purpose of showing and promoting <i>everyone else's puppets</i> that are being sold on Etsy.<br />
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Am I goofy? Well, the truth is, I just <b>like</b> vintage/handmade/weird puppets. More often than not, I like other people's puppets better than my own. I notice all the little imperfections in my own puppets that I don't notice in others'. Ideas for puppets that have struck other people seem way more creative than my own ideas. This all leads to the magical formula that operates in theoretical PayPal money: I send people a puppet or two when they put money into a PayPal account which is used to order puppets from other people. (The same thing happens with "Spoondollars" in my <a href="http://www.spoonflower.com/profiles/pkfridley" target="_blank">Spoonflower account;</a> I refer to this imaginary money as "Chuck E. Cheese tokens.")<br />
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This is all a prelude to the story of a puppet-purchase that got me remarkably jazzed recently.<br />
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I happened to see the above image while surfing Etsy; the Listing was titled:</div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/128830693/vintage-1980s-sesame-street-inspired" target="_blank">Vintage 1980's Sesame Street inspired character puppets (one per price)</a></span></h1>
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Nice! These puppets were vintage, handmade, <i>and</i> sufficiently off-model enough to be called "weird." I bought three of them. As of today, I see that someone else has also bought Ernie. If you'd like to own Bert, Cookie Monster, Grover, or Big Bird -- each one a handmade brother to the ones I now own -- you'd better click on the above link as soon as you can!</div>
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So, here's some photos of the three I bought.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC8KJi7SgkXZPsQ901QPr13PHMWfrxb_9a68Bi42jLzr-pGRsXTlZLi4EX3JJeQqx2C7Z2xnu7aPbMKmCZDR5J3zbGzexpqgW2RjiwjhaiDG6r4_CaxY0eYlj03S3Z7rXKW9VN2a_4Fx8/s1600/P1130507.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC8KJi7SgkXZPsQ901QPr13PHMWfrxb_9a68Bi42jLzr-pGRsXTlZLi4EX3JJeQqx2C7Z2xnu7aPbMKmCZDR5J3zbGzexpqgW2RjiwjhaiDG6r4_CaxY0eYlj03S3Z7rXKW9VN2a_4Fx8/s320/P1130507.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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First of all we have Kermit, who must have been made earlier than later in this puppetmaker's Sesame Street project. He's a wee bit too small -- he'd work really well as <a href="http://muppet.wikia.com/wiki/Robin_the_Frog">Robin.</a> I like the simplicity of his styrofoam eyes.<br />
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A neat feature of each of these puppets is the shoulder-pad sewn into the head. This might be something I have to try with my own puppets.</div>
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Next: Oscar the Grouch!</div>
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This super-70's shaggy green fur fabric is totes cool. These puppets were listed as "1980's," but I suspect a late 70's creation date. This barf green fur is way too hirsute to be readily available in the clean-cut 80's. I'm also intrigued by Kermit being considered a Sesame Street character. Sure, he had the <a href="http://muppet.wikia.com/wiki/Sesame_Street_News_Flash">News Flash</a> segments all throughout the 80's, but Kermit sitting on the steps of 123 Sesame Street became a rare occurence after <i>The Muppet Show </i>became popular.</div>
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Last but certainly not least, this puppetmaker's <i>piece de resistance:</i> Count von Count.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikz_5yxhmYindo4rktgk8wvJJYU0hlioYqpBYd-1fjHo_xaimUpYuyllcztrjNUmJy8g-E2JwgBcWieAiTTHTRm381hQXqwRnwaE_iod_YsWdDdBhOKhGBXyna2tqygp2FM_lheyW3bSA/s1600/P1130515.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikz_5yxhmYindo4rktgk8wvJJYU0hlioYqpBYd-1fjHo_xaimUpYuyllcztrjNUmJy8g-E2JwgBcWieAiTTHTRm381hQXqwRnwaE_iod_YsWdDdBhOKhGBXyna2tqygp2FM_lheyW3bSA/s320/P1130515.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Even in the jumbled-up pile of puppets in the Etsy Listing photo, I could tell that this Count puppet was going to be something special. No level of detail was too much for the puppetmaker to attempt: the fangs, the widow's peak and goatee, the monocle...<br />
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The bow tie, the satin-y shirt with yellow and red stripes, the cape... <i>my God, the cape!</i><br />
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Awesome. Be sure to <a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/128830693/vintage-1980s-sesame-street-inspired">check out the Etsy Listing</a> to see if any more of the characters are available. Let me know if <i>you</i> are now the proud owner of a handmade Sesame Street puppet or two!<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11246992079020036311noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2515326954376555192.post-83579599803727510992013-04-25T17:36:00.000-05:002013-04-25T17:36:07.865-05:00How to Make Walking Turkey Finger Puppets<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlz7qpAvp8MLSNXhsZtpZ6PjhiiCGFdSXM2UKJPl332yr1FrdGbUyJ2o6QKLqZ4jSmCIGaKpldCCXmF2rwlHdHAuJh2wuA0WzmD4ZUISkv4cuk5tWiA_9OMt7CX4IB0VHL-XgwM3fBNHI/s1600/P1130492.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlz7qpAvp8MLSNXhsZtpZ6PjhiiCGFdSXM2UKJPl332yr1FrdGbUyJ2o6QKLqZ4jSmCIGaKpldCCXmF2rwlHdHAuJh2wuA0WzmD4ZUISkv4cuk5tWiA_9OMt7CX4IB0VHL-XgwM3fBNHI/s320/P1130492.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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Last Saturday night I noticed that the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Northeast-Minneapolis-Turkeys/233751133306204?ref=ts&fref=ts" target="_blank">NE Minneapolis Turkeys</a> -- a flock of wild, dinosaur-like creatures that <a href="http://www.sidewalkfinds.com/post/42875091372/the-ne-turkeys-give-exactly-zero-fucks-that-youre" target="_blank">don't seem to care</a> that they've inhabited an urban environment -- had paid a visit to our backyard.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi355M5frPONl8h7ZaKmmyNp_vbZQar9k2BqumybaAO_Bu-7mi2mop0SrYIaDINduUxduKALr0YmQNJLlybHBtT9txePYha3n4oXhyxDbNtimQ70uA78spz9R63n3p3ZjwcZ3NRYVG3ezo/s1600/P1130449.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi355M5frPONl8h7ZaKmmyNp_vbZQar9k2BqumybaAO_Bu-7mi2mop0SrYIaDINduUxduKALr0YmQNJLlybHBtT9txePYha3n4oXhyxDbNtimQ70uA78spz9R63n3p3ZjwcZ3NRYVG3ezo/s320/P1130449.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>turkey tracks: my hat for size reference</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>(and yes, this picture was taken mid-April in Minnesota)</i></span></div>
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Concurrent to this was my brainstorming over finger puppet ideas. I'll be a vendor at <a href="https://www.facebook.com/johnstock29?ref=ts&fref=ts" target="_blank">Johnstock</a> again this year, and I wanted to offer some kind of smaller item to sell for $5 or so. With those footprints, puppet inspiration struck! It was almost too obvious, since the folks behind Johnstock itself have incorporated the famous fowl into their 2013 poster:<br />
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<a href="https://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/73371_528088427242938_1277641659_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/73371_528088427242938_1277641659_n.jpg" width="242" /></a></div>
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I spent an inordinate amount of brainpower on Sunday designing a turkey finger puppet pattern. Of course, there's easy ways to do it, but I wanted these puppets to look slightly better than what might be found in my son's take-home school folder. I also wanted the puppets to be able to "walk," since that's what the Northeast Minneapolis turkeys do in Northeast Minneapolis.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5OXQoa-lJMzuCQJ6rjcgL_U3KtmTlsguyZvqNZM3JRLVgNT0QmTeqlsKTH48EZ58AR6dE1kgxj99_SRQWI623GvtHwzBFahBpwPGtAyycbgynE8hzg2JoZZ12KZi3S_xu3iBt9EcVxHw/s1600/P1130491.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5OXQoa-lJMzuCQJ6rjcgL_U3KtmTlsguyZvqNZM3JRLVgNT0QmTeqlsKTH48EZ58AR6dE1kgxj99_SRQWI623GvtHwzBFahBpwPGtAyycbgynE8hzg2JoZZ12KZi3S_xu3iBt9EcVxHw/s320/P1130491.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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So, here's the fruits of my labors! I'll make as many of these as I can, and have them available for purchase at Johnstock on June 1st. In case you can't make it, or you'd rather just make a turkey or two yourself, here's the patterns and instructions.<br />
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<i>You'll need:</i><br />
<b>felt</b> -- red, yellow, and three different shades of tan or brown (or whatever color you want)<br />
<b>googly eyes</b> -- I used 8mm, but anything 7-12mm will probably be fine <br />
<b>stuffing </b>-- poly fill, cotton, small beans, whatever works<b> </b><br />
<b>Tacky glue</b><br />
<b>hot glue</b> (recommended but not absolutely necessary)<br />
and your <b>sewing arsenal </b>of scissors, thread, needles, etc.<br />
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The following two images are the patterns. I designed them on 8.5 x 11" templates, so you <i>should</i> be able to just print them out:<br />
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The first thing to do is to sew the two body pieces together. There's no need to "turn" the pieces, so have the best sides facing out. <i>Make sure</i> <i>to leave about an inch open on both of the legs.</i><br />
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Now stuff the turkey. Alternate between putting a little into each leg until it's evenly stuffed. You don't need it to be bursting at the seams, because then it won't "walk" -- a nice, even fill that keeps the turkey from drooping over is all you need.<br />
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Next, decide which side looks worse, and that'll be the back of the turkey. Line up the pocket onto the turkey's legs, and sew it on, l<i>eaving the entire top of the pocket (the long, straight line) open. </i>Keep in mind that you're now sewing the <i>bottom</i> of the legs closed, so a few extra tight stitches along there will help prevent the stuffing falling out.<br />
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The body's sewn! Now you'll work on the face. <i>Make sure to flip the turkey over,</i> so that you're putting the face onto the front (non-pocket) side. With Tacky glue, glue the red waddle on there, and then glue on the yellow beak, slightly overlapping the waddle if you can. Glue two eyes (or one or three, depending on how eccentric your turkey is) where the eyes go. Plug in your hot glue gun right about now.<br />
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Put down the turkey and get those big circles you cut out of complementing shades of felt. With Tacky glue, glue the smaller of the two onto the center of the bigger one.<br />
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Get the turkey and flip it over so that you're looking at the back (pocket) side. As neatly as you can, put a line of hot glue along the back, from a little above the pocket to the middle of the turkey's head. Center the big circles on there -- <i>making sure the smaller circle is facing out to the front</i> -- and smush it onto the glue. Unplug your hot glue gun.<br />
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Put your fingers into the pocket and take your turkey for a test drive, because <b>this turkey is done.</b><br />
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If you've made a walking turkey finger puppet, be sure to let me know! If you send pictures and permission to use them, I'll add them to this post.<br />
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<i>(C)opyright 2013 Peter Krueger. (Just be cool, folks -- you can make these puppets at home or with kids at
school or church, you can link to this post from your own blog or site, but I'd rather not see these instructions for sale in a
crafting book/website without my participation in its publication.)</i><br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11246992079020036311noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2515326954376555192.post-31648902237570721362013-03-16T17:41:00.003-05:002013-03-16T17:46:39.665-05:00Movie Review: A Family Circus Easter<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhASy38zW9Yl-ldiFIyXYlw7fcoZBOrLESTunXZjya-0FVXorjQHEBm2zY1FxNmMHGwMr4keO-8QKxPhV4hPL9jbjaJIt9KKg_2fN0dscLpU-XmuQOEpoLOcwtVPs6HzMELX5quK4eMf_Q/s1600/01title.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="237" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhASy38zW9Yl-ldiFIyXYlw7fcoZBOrLESTunXZjya-0FVXorjQHEBm2zY1FxNmMHGwMr4keO-8QKxPhV4hPL9jbjaJIt9KKg_2fN0dscLpU-XmuQOEpoLOcwtVPs6HzMELX5quK4eMf_Q/s320/01title.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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With the Easter holiday nigh upon us this March, I thought I'd take a look at 1982's <i>A Family Circus Easter,</i> a TV special that my brothers and I watched about a kajillion times when we were kids, and that I've now introduced to my son via YouTube (currently available in two parts, <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EejAmq634fg" target="_blank">here</a> and <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-T9uhL2gzA" target="_blank">here</a>). The only reason we're not watching it on VHS is that our VCR makes everything sound like it's underwater. I <i>still have</i> the old tape with which my dad recorded the special off of broadcast TV:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIWRprC4OAkml7ealT2Y39Y6eHIAsvjM3Sgv4W4N8DaLp7tjNET3Ey7aPD0Nu-xcidP9_fytVM7mt157rAeUoD_6ucTHH6y2GzPOKgDIy-IIQG8A-BUm78zzLporGgsUao6UoPBzHqBKs/s1600/P1120830.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIWRprC4OAkml7ealT2Y39Y6eHIAsvjM3Sgv4W4N8DaLp7tjNET3Ey7aPD0Nu-xcidP9_fytVM7mt157rAeUoD_6ucTHH6y2GzPOKgDIy-IIQG8A-BUm78zzLporGgsUao6UoPBzHqBKs/s320/P1120830.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">videotape with <i>[A Family] Circus [Easter],</i> in my dad's handwriting</span></div>
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<i>A Family Circus Easter</i> features the entire Family Circus gang, leaping from newsprint to animated TV screen: Mommy, Daddy, Billy, Dolly, Jeffy, PJ...</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">!!!!!!!!</span></div>
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Could you possibly guess who it is?? No, it's not Mama Cass, Batman, or even a Harlem Globetrotter. The short answer is kind of a let-down: (SPOILER) it's the Easter Bunny.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgae3JE8gdMsCtT3bwLBKYv3BCjT1ICCduR5ZfH0y8KQ5UvPKiC8lPQTvf_x68f8qz2MO7ECpwLgM67-vEAoUqmaoXh9Vlf76GqoEkxxO1Hg3mHL6mOjOL3pmr3k9tpbA4mmglFyChci8Y/s1600/03bunny.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="244" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgae3JE8gdMsCtT3bwLBKYv3BCjT1ICCduR5ZfH0y8KQ5UvPKiC8lPQTvf_x68f8qz2MO7ECpwLgM67-vEAoUqmaoXh9Vlf76GqoEkxxO1Hg3mHL6mOjOL3pmr3k9tpbA4mmglFyChci8Y/s320/03bunny.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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The more involved answer is actually pretty surprising: the Easter Bunny is voiced by none other than Dizzy Gillespie. This obscure fact gives some major cultural cred to this otherwise fairly shoddy TV special.</div>
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The Easter Bunny dominates the last few minutes of the show, transporting the children to an imagination-fueled Easterland and singing a ridiculously catchy circus/jazz (jircus? jircus-core?) song about the merits of discovering the answers to your questions for yourself. This song will unrelentingly stain your mind like Easter egg dye and melted chocolate for hours after hearing it.</div>
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Up until viewing it for the first time in decades this past week, this was really the only part of the show that I remembered, so it must have been my favorite part as a kid. But as an adult, there's a scene -- buried deep in the slow, mundane part of the plot -- that struck me a lot harder. I'll have to back up a little bit to explain what happens.</div>
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First of all: yeah, <i>AFCE</i> is strange (in awkward, not interesting, ways), and not extremely well done. The voice casting is noticeably odd. Mommy's voice comes off as stiff and professional, and never attains a maternal warmth. Daddy and Jeffy are fine but unremarkable. Billy, though -- for some reason they cast a kid with a really strong Brooklyn or Boston accent. (I can't tell for sure, my ears and lips being more attuned to the vowel-stretching cadences of Minnesooooooooota.)</div>
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Nothing against the accent -- it's just strange that none of the other family members has it. I guess Billy spends most of the year at an East Coast boarding school.</div>
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No, the real turd in the voice pool is Dolly, who bursts into a nausea-triggering musical number <i>not once, not thrice, but <b>twice.</b></i> I involuntarily wince every time she lands on one of her clumsy rhymes, sung with the annoying gusto of a professional musical theater ass. If that girl on <i>Glee</i>'s hero is Barbra Streisand, Dolly's hero is Ethel Merman. </div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Why don't you make it simple -- forget about surPRISE</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Why aren't your hiding places right before our EYES</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Why not in our pockets? Why not in our SHOES?</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>We think we could solve the mystery if we had some other CLUES.</i></span></div>
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And, just to rub the vinegar into your ear canals, the incidental music playing in the background of most of the show weaves her melody into endless permutations, assuring you of no relief from the memory of her child actor nastiness. </div>
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Alright, so Billy, Dolly, and Jeffy are wondering why the Easter Bunny has to be so tricksy about hiding Easter eggs. Mommy's Zen-like non-answer establishes an undercurrent of the show: "No one has ever asked that question before." The kids deftly avoid the ramifications of Mommy's <i>koan</i> by waking up before sunrise to hide the eggs themselves, out in the open, where tot PJ will successfully find them.</div>
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They then set about <i>capturing</i> the Easter Bunny, so that he won't re-hide the eggs in difficult places. They actually do capture a random rabbit, who eventually makes his way into the house, and then chases their dog Barfy (yes, Barfy) throughout the yard. This bit is <b>by far</b> my son's favorite part of the show.</div>
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The only problem with the kids' scheme is that there's no greater power in the universe than a toddler's power of obliviousness. Even when Jeffy doesn't steal the eggs from right under PJ's nose, PJ utterly fails at obtaining even a single egg.</div>
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Something interesting happens here. It gets to the heart of the theme of the show -- that it's better to confront and pursue the answers to mysterious things yourself than to simply be given an easy, pat answer -- and it also rings true with "kid-ness," in a surprisingly nuanced way. Even the <i>Circus'</i> comic strip neighbor, the laudedly "real" mopey kid Charlie Brown, rarely hits these notes so correctly.</div>
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When the three older kids see PJ weeping over his empty basket, they rally 'round and fill his basket with their own findings. </div>
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You really expect this to be the happy ending to the conflict. In any other cartoon -- even a <i>Peanuts</i> special -- it'd be obvious that PJ would suddenly beam with joy and hug his siblings in gratitude. But that's not what happens. PJ does the thing that his unexpectedly illogical toddler-logic compels him to do:</div>
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I, for one, was pretty surprised. Like I said, the scene rang true with genuine "kid-ness" in a way that the rest of the show didn't prepare me for. What's also interesting is that -- following the theme of "no easy answers to difficult questions" -- PJ's sad tantrum doesn't immediately get resolved. The three older kids are left hanging on to loose threads of good intentions and disappointing results.</div>
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And even though the plot eventually gets resolved by the end of the show, you're still left with the nagging oppositions that <i>AFCE</i> calls into play: mysteries and explanations, belief and logic, the difference between the fantastical Easter Bunny and a real backyard rabbit, the easy way and the road less traveled. You have to wonder: like Thomas insisting on touching Jesus' wounds for himself, is <i>A Family Circus Easter</i> asking us to question our own "easy answers" about Easter, our beliefs, and our own path through life? </div>
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Who knows?</div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11246992079020036311noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2515326954376555192.post-56267588747910740732013-03-08T17:07:00.004-06:002013-03-11T17:53:56.040-05:00Daniel Tiger Trolley Fabric for Pajamas<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCk7zYcL5qXIdlYuxe6U4jW0qOFbRHFzvyJIUDTNcBqrgcl5xQun7OT235sU8JCBJYsFOLV73gcehm4GPMnsTOLnaM5hlnAV6W1_c1mIFLVyiCKCPZEiK-J2JRmGHyynrSN_1-lF054lM/s1600/trolley10x10+-+Copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCk7zYcL5qXIdlYuxe6U4jW0qOFbRHFzvyJIUDTNcBqrgcl5xQun7OT235sU8JCBJYsFOLV73gcehm4GPMnsTOLnaM5hlnAV6W1_c1mIFLVyiCKCPZEiK-J2JRmGHyynrSN_1-lF054lM/s320/trolley10x10+-+Copy.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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"Where to purchase Daniel Tiger trolley fabric," you users-of-Google ask? Well, as of today, you can order <a href="http://www.spoonflower.com/fabric/1853605" target="_blank">this red trolley on blue background fabric at my Spoonflower shop!</a> </div>
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I assume that many of you would like to make Daniel Tiger pajamas, much like he wears on <i>Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood.</i> I've made a fabric design that <i><b>closely resembles</b></i> the print on his pajamas, without being an exact copy. Until The Fred Rogers Company decides to license its own line of Daniel Tiger pajamas, I'm pretty sure this is as close to what you're looking for as you'll ever find.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmMbxJBu-s2qNEjf9IqFPZk8t7BgV0VcjcsbLmVtyEB-SdcU_59whSWSYo3jH9Df9uJFXZ6xHx3peeVS-u06vdnuQTw_n_NcS0ipQAWJdNNmM42ZqNaUnfInP-83_FNoygctZVJv83_7M/s1600/P1120589.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmMbxJBu-s2qNEjf9IqFPZk8t7BgV0VcjcsbLmVtyEB-SdcU_59whSWSYo3jH9Df9uJFXZ6xHx3peeVS-u06vdnuQTw_n_NcS0ipQAWJdNNmM42ZqNaUnfInP-83_FNoygctZVJv83_7M/s320/P1120589.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">8x8 swatch sample from </span></i><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i><a href="http://www.spoonflower.com/fabric/1853605">www.spoonflower.com/fabric/1853605</a></i></span></div>
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Needless to say, if you've ordered the fabric and made pajamas (or anything else) out of it, please feel free to contact me! I'll gladly add pictures of your projects to this post.</div>
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And finally, for those who may have missed it, be sure to check out my tutorial on <a href="http://peterspuppets.blogspot.com/2012/10/how-to-make-mister-rogers-cardigan-for.html" target="_blank">how to make a Mister Rogers cardigan for a Daniel Tiger fan.</a></div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11246992079020036311noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2515326954376555192.post-80845214068775951012013-02-10T16:09:00.001-06:002013-02-10T16:10:36.541-06:00Vintage "Puppet": Handmade Elf on the Shelf<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoZ9C3B995P98eVuX40HIKkXj61vWeQMphNBDcvhOG92xP1vDQhybxIWeuYAUHn5DZbOV1zCkT9RP6gwA78obsZhfv7O0nm3rWsXMVvQsYXH6ZWelBU4Ae6NcY538KCoEUSrziou3aSVk/s1600/P1120386.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoZ9C3B995P98eVuX40HIKkXj61vWeQMphNBDcvhOG92xP1vDQhybxIWeuYAUHn5DZbOV1zCkT9RP6gwA78obsZhfv7O0nm3rWsXMVvQsYXH6ZWelBU4Ae6NcY538KCoEUSrziou3aSVk/s320/P1120386.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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Here's one of our recent thrift store finds: a vintage, handmade elf-on-the-shelf. Button eyes, hand-stitched facial features, corduroy pants, and stiff rayon ears make this elf too precious to resist its $4.99 price.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFPSqsPlQZXkEUFrX5gkzOiRhNxmm9OOLHhal9DpDxUTR-EucV5XpQXo6trS7Q5UeqW67B5ovYFAu5yvh9ayTTBGEBx9kV_7NOdnvMwxf1mhJQBYVxDn1fSF13qhoON1IBj81kMgEARoI/s1600/P1120382.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFPSqsPlQZXkEUFrX5gkzOiRhNxmm9OOLHhal9DpDxUTR-EucV5XpQXo6trS7Q5UeqW67B5ovYFAu5yvh9ayTTBGEBx9kV_7NOdnvMwxf1mhJQBYVxDn1fSF13qhoON1IBj81kMgEARoI/s320/P1120382.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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Who made this elf? When? How did it end up at a thrift store? Surely this elf has a story to tell, but that impish grin ain't talkin'. The whole "elf-on-the-shelf" mythology hasn't really been a fixture in our house; I think between gingerbread houses on Thanksgiving night, celebrating Saint Nick's Day (December 6th), watching basically every Christmas special ever made, and just generally being Buddy the Elf bananas all the way through December leaves little room for the EOTS. But this elf -- with his gingham and corduroy -- is more "Happy Holidays" than "Merry Christmas." I think he can hang out all through the year, don't you?</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVu2J1UMAkrAgTl3gKb5SsEZD5Y2tr3zXFe04gxDIwfVXvYBPyV-ngp1Cr80JLS0fqV_REkWPwl1K_Mxkam72kCxIh8GqRyyCNVGbD8wfwi3aTMLNxrGs1PazjycvVQpXqedvy_498hG8/s1600/P1120384.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVu2J1UMAkrAgTl3gKb5SsEZD5Y2tr3zXFe04gxDIwfVXvYBPyV-ngp1Cr80JLS0fqV_REkWPwl1K_Mxkam72kCxIh8GqRyyCNVGbD8wfwi3aTMLNxrGs1PazjycvVQpXqedvy_498hG8/s320/P1120384.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11246992079020036311noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2515326954376555192.post-78362937709972013722013-02-08T17:07:00.000-06:002013-02-08T17:10:32.844-06:00DJAK's "On the Radio" Featuring Peter's Puppets<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX0spjJeJUVJArJ7XtIalNpstc309mUe6O6_3hjU_-TCP3TbmT6tBtYbAu64yk756pmLVlgUrF1tvc1jFowPMnzcWa_uFRiV7RC6SWSm9E61AclZx-NxU2EOLL9KKJhnJttkJgDuBQXHI/s1600/trolldjak.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX0spjJeJUVJArJ7XtIalNpstc309mUe6O6_3hjU_-TCP3TbmT6tBtYbAu64yk756pmLVlgUrF1tvc1jFowPMnzcWa_uFRiV7RC6SWSm9E61AclZx-NxU2EOLL9KKJhnJttkJgDuBQXHI/s1600/trolldjak.jpg" /></a></div>
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This is a big deal, you guys.</div>
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I sent three of my puppets to Charlie Mars in France, who had plans to feature them in a music video.</div>
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The video's done.</div>
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And it's really, really good.<br />
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So watch it now!</div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/Vk70GsIzDt0?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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I would have loved the video anyway, but it turns out that DJAK is awesome! I would recommend checking them out. <a href="http://www.facebook.com/DJAKtheband" target="_blank">This is the link to their Facebook page,</a> and they have a few recordings up on Spotify, too.</div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11246992079020036311noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2515326954376555192.post-75171334937793629942012-12-31T09:00:00.000-06:002012-12-31T14:34:18.989-06:00Makin' a Puppet: Obama Bear<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
If you 'Like' me on Facebook (<a href="http://www.facebook.com/PetersPuppets" target="_blank">which you should!</a>), you've already seen this "Makin' a Puppet" series as it unfolded in real-time this weekend. For those who might stumble upon this blog from a Google search or whatever, I've summarized the whole thing here for posterity. My sister-in-law got me this awesome Obama fabric, so I thought I'd make an Obama bear hand puppet -- or at least a hand puppet wearing an Obama shirt.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz9iTi7_7cKqrqtqgbtkLKxPixviuoN-thlO_x6b_AZRvQorFnfNgd9jZ_wdab1Yqf8wOZmPDyvvyyVdRd_kalBcnzfVoOZnswCoXkh5RxvnNhsHPu3lNhb3UvrxoCONU3Sk1xZtNa4Ns/s1600/P1120140.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz9iTi7_7cKqrqtqgbtkLKxPixviuoN-thlO_x6b_AZRvQorFnfNgd9jZ_wdab1Yqf8wOZmPDyvvyyVdRd_kalBcnzfVoOZnswCoXkh5RxvnNhsHPu3lNhb3UvrxoCONU3Sk1xZtNa4Ns/s320/P1120140.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Step 1: Cut out the pieces.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha3H_YDxabZixJYq3Gbi5xrUa4pR73Qk06Pgn4Kt9aQkPlElxsP6IUJQwhTGb9T3VQ48IL5ES6E0zjG_1SWxHMDukd252LWPlccWBs2iF2FBV-zhejhQZ_NdxaY3NjNe0oa9duUxYDzh0/s1600/P1120144.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha3H_YDxabZixJYq3Gbi5xrUa4pR73Qk06Pgn4Kt9aQkPlElxsP6IUJQwhTGb9T3VQ48IL5ES6E0zjG_1SWxHMDukd252LWPlccWBs2iF2FBV-zhejhQZ_NdxaY3NjNe0oa9duUxYDzh0/s320/P1120144.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Step 2: Sew the ears, sew them to either side of the head, and sew the head.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgnvTZe5VGzBlIE5uERUP_-zUXV6T7JkRHcy3ufkycYUF7CSMHaF-xIem1RmVR2jwRdT0p1SGrRSm0lcBUTnVzhwq2dSoTJDeedgKlHkSsnB2aoTApitP0zCCFK8YBp8TEvWSo-cNR5Ts/s1600/P1120146.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgnvTZe5VGzBlIE5uERUP_-zUXV6T7JkRHcy3ufkycYUF7CSMHaF-xIem1RmVR2jwRdT0p1SGrRSm0lcBUTnVzhwq2dSoTJDeedgKlHkSsnB2aoTApitP0zCCFK8YBp8TEvWSo-cNR5Ts/s320/P1120146.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Step 3: Sew the hands to the arms, sew the arms, and STUFF THEM.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiudoe-4dcv-6E0a335m0aQ0Xp6VpK0RByyQl_m4J3Fq3ip_AfTTsHgLyhX6KK2WnqgFKYwvLNRSrZezrf2EuoV9PYY8v1iYFpEI7uiCo_dAeftLcvV3ph05ATmt8mmSonM-Ltux3OKfBA/s1600/P1120147.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiudoe-4dcv-6E0a335m0aQ0Xp6VpK0RByyQl_m4J3Fq3ip_AfTTsHgLyhX6KK2WnqgFKYwvLNRSrZezrf2EuoV9PYY8v1iYFpEI7uiCo_dAeftLcvV3ph05ATmt8mmSonM-Ltux3OKfBA/s320/P1120147.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Step 4: Sew the arms to the front of the shirt.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlXwClek2bLY6OwnTv1ApwjM6JUrm1ovv_D54f5_xryyRNo9Muma32RQmgAz6Ozgkj96UPBO84P6oTyA3NKH7iQoXiWtnVJ7Ag6mkLvxyvPENmCqUkfehv7TumJAoxJSnZDjo7u3LAzXo/s1600/P1120148.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlXwClek2bLY6OwnTv1ApwjM6JUrm1ovv_D54f5_xryyRNo9Muma32RQmgAz6Ozgkj96UPBO84P6oTyA3NKH7iQoXiWtnVJ7Ag6mkLvxyvPENmCqUkfehv7TumJAoxJSnZDjo7u3LAzXo/s320/P1120148.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Step 5: Sew the back of the shirt to the front of the shirt</div>
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(creating the patented "Peter's Puppets Puppet Pita")</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidsIVpoA4Y1GdFUJJs8gUlbJsgWun3zZnhg_2fYSYlaq_lUErITEgZDrcp2TMEzUeK4wBluyqpolYNyKHwHbfEkjPR7mKQiN4ougudj2Sm4RZnXOIjA5QVmkN-f1DtjpOto0kW4XfbUyg/s1600/P1120149.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidsIVpoA4Y1GdFUJJs8gUlbJsgWun3zZnhg_2fYSYlaq_lUErITEgZDrcp2TMEzUeK4wBluyqpolYNyKHwHbfEkjPR7mKQiN4ougudj2Sm4RZnXOIjA5QVmkN-f1DtjpOto0kW4XfbUyg/s320/P1120149.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Step 6a: Stuff the head from Step 2 into the other end of the Pita, and sew all around the neck. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNSgL_Qd2PzTfY3OV1ti-Pg2sa8NU3Dln93ZtrcZ-eoFqlbsaXIyspc8mfDL1ZgiUkVeZPq4bCqC6CTPTm25sX775p8mErmgkbC6SbkN8-uVapZeADN8t_rieaLr-PrGTeLXbWLH7N4qI/s1600/P1120150.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNSgL_Qd2PzTfY3OV1ti-Pg2sa8NU3Dln93ZtrcZ-eoFqlbsaXIyspc8mfDL1ZgiUkVeZPq4bCqC6CTPTm25sX775p8mErmgkbC6SbkN8-uVapZeADN8t_rieaLr-PrGTeLXbWLH7N4qI/s320/P1120150.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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Step 6b: Unfurl the Pita and it's starting to look like a puppet!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLtuDrUu8Na-W6Tpt2IdxEd-H8WCcXTbl6e-LoahM1P8r6wjTA4a6H8qDjDs8TYtW3ZsPYT2ErcJx075xAkPa3vpoMkNjEf831ttmVZDSzRiVZ-93jlUSJCKkmpllLRCksK-uCPYJh_hc/s1600/P1120151.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLtuDrUu8Na-W6Tpt2IdxEd-H8WCcXTbl6e-LoahM1P8r6wjTA4a6H8qDjDs8TYtW3ZsPYT2ErcJx075xAkPa3vpoMkNjEf831ttmVZDSzRiVZ-93jlUSJCKkmpllLRCksK-uCPYJh_hc/s320/P1120151.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Step 7: Install the "cranial accessories."</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-A2UDaRc77f0ld-w41V3QvWTQm3uOOKFEvlfNQQ2wjOcXZH81quG4LUu0qy_w_yFQWlb6Yz5r65XJnZhyphenhyphen3RIr3xfFocjbG3kS0d7yquB5Tzkdu084v2wDvUKoKT6kwRDCcR-FLuRkuKw/s1600/P1120154.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-A2UDaRc77f0ld-w41V3QvWTQm3uOOKFEvlfNQQ2wjOcXZH81quG4LUu0qy_w_yFQWlb6Yz5r65XJnZhyphenhyphen3RIr3xfFocjbG3kS0d7yquB5Tzkdu084v2wDvUKoKT6kwRDCcR-FLuRkuKw/s320/P1120154.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Step 8: Glue in the mouthpiece and you're done!</div>
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Step 9: List the puppet <a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/119148672/grey-bear-in-obama-shirt-and-tie-hand" target="_blank">for sale on Etsy.</a></div>
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Clearly this is a broad overview of how I make puppets, but it's enough to show you how it's done. My process has evolved in the couple years I've been making these, but there's still two basic influences that survive:</div>
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1) The "Blue Boy" Pattern that had been floating around the Internet years ago, and has been (at least as of this writing) <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20060103083620/http://members.aol.com/bocashouse/MG/BlueBoy.html" target="_blank">archived here.</a> It's very simple, and gives you a great place to start making puppets. There's also a <a href="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1037/563798893_5ddd0852fc.jpg" target="_blank">scan online of an old article in <i>Good Housekeeping</i> or something,</a> which ostensibly shows a basic Muppet pattern from the Jim Henson archives. It <i>looks</i> like a Muppet/Henson artifact. But it also looks horribly complicated for something that should be pretty simple.</div>
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2) The style of sewing puppet bodies given in Peter Fraser's book <i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Punch-Judy-Peter-Fraser/dp/071342284X" target="_blank">Punch and Judy.</a></i> This is a great book overall, and (if it hasn't been weeded) seems to be a pretty popular resident in libraries' puppet book collections. But don't take my word for it!</div>
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...So, there you go. I got a pretty good response from this on Facebook, so I'll plan on doing a few more of these "making a puppet in real-time" photo series. <a href="http://www.facebook.com/PetersPuppets" target="_blank">Follow my Facebook page</a> to stay tuned!</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11246992079020036311noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2515326954376555192.post-63938435008543106052012-12-22T22:33:00.000-06:002012-12-22T22:53:46.432-06:00Naughty or Nice: Rating the SantasWith the holidays upon us, and another Christmas movie queued up in the DVD player or on Netflix as soon as the last one ends (at least in this house), I thought it'd be time to rate several of the most notable portrayals of Santa Claus in movies and TV specials. The big man from the North Pole has had quite a few incarnations: some nice, some not-so-nice. This list runs the gamut. I'm only considering the roles in which <i>Santa himself</i> is the character. People briefly dressing up as, or assuming the role of, Santa don't count, so you won't see the Grinch's anti-Claus on this list, for instance. I'm generally going from best to worst here, with 10 Sacks of Toys as the best, and 0 as the worst.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDqAL0nvuRiSYDus-_rXzfkwSyo0Roi8gCf9-UWG9-xaMSwU0zTyOhJxoS6AVvjBhgF7fEn8iSWsgKeWK6LNvPcB9x8OA-j8Lw8eCzebRDYNaQMqPT8l7kz-1OpTKUrbWb7jQiyHiTATc/s1600/Miracle-On-34th-Street-w-paper-christmas-movies-2392855-1593-1994.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDqAL0nvuRiSYDus-_rXzfkwSyo0Roi8gCf9-UWG9-xaMSwU0zTyOhJxoS6AVvjBhgF7fEn8iSWsgKeWK6LNvPcB9x8OA-j8Lw8eCzebRDYNaQMqPT8l7kz-1OpTKUrbWb7jQiyHiTATc/s320/Miracle-On-34th-Street-w-paper-christmas-movies-2392855-1593-1994.jpg" width="255" /></a></div>
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<i>Miracle on 34th Street</i> (1949): Edmund Gwenn</div>
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Let's face it, this one has got to top the list. Gwenn's portrayal of Kris Kringle is so subtle, charming, and authentic that you'd think he was turning a long history of Santa roles on its head, starting from scratch with a renewed outlook on an old character. And yet this was 1949, and the rulebook for "Santa in the movies" hadn't even been written yet. This one gets the full <b>10 out of 10 Sacks of Toys.</b></div>
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<i>Elf </i>(2003): Ed Asner</div>
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The modern classic. True to the character in every line and gesture, yet alive with modern touches that keep Santa fresh without confusing the youngest believers with pop-culture irony and out-of-canon goofiness. Only the test of time will prove whether or not this Santa will beat his current rating of<b> 9 Sacks of Toys.</b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaqX_Rj-9PvzsYIr4LrGTfKPAtg4Z9WHHtWqyeEq-vovUhqeZpKNowYU-Su0dxvyt7sdJDDCQGBglu56tKe2FOhMMx1LHlIJ0GbIdeRKxL1vPKOSYOGObT1OtdYLuPWa0iAvW-hJCekgQ/s1600/santa-claus-coming-town4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="233" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaqX_Rj-9PvzsYIr4LrGTfKPAtg4Z9WHHtWqyeEq-vovUhqeZpKNowYU-Su0dxvyt7sdJDDCQGBglu56tKe2FOhMMx1LHlIJ0GbIdeRKxL1vPKOSYOGObT1OtdYLuPWa0iAvW-hJCekgQ/s320/santa-claus-coming-town4.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i>Santa Claus is Comin' To Town</i> (1970): Mickey Rooney</div>
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The already-impish Mickey Rooney voices the titular role in this wonderfully humanizing portrayal of Kris Kringle, fleshing out the bare-bones character with his own backstory and mythology. My only major gripe is Kringle's insistence that kids never cry or pout; I feel like the movie should have a disclaimer from Mister Rogers, telling kids that "it's OK to have bad feelings sometimes." My son's personal favorite. <b>8 Sacks of Toys.</b></div>
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<i>The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe</i> (2005): James Cosmo</div>
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This cameo appearance of Father Christmas is so brief that it almost doesn't deserve to be on the list, but it's such a favorite of mine that I couldn't resist. Bubbling with the very stuff of Christmas magic, this Santa perfectly submits himself to the religious backdrop of his character -- and shines all the more brightly for it. You really feel like this is the<i> for-real Father Christmas,</i> making a guest appearance from the place in which dreams live. Only its brevity keeps it from surpassing its <b>8 Sacks of Toys.</b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3iGmcrae3wCG62G_yBvGMjR8ZkJ6cmDH2NhInfHiCKDQ6k6dab62dYObmd0aJ233lUcNJOYKz4cVdOx4lDNhmTnM0OLF6C8ijgjT-6IhXRNGBa27phtH8TPT_m3WqYBgGbojb8Vksu_8/s1600/santa_frosty.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3iGmcrae3wCG62G_yBvGMjR8ZkJ6cmDH2NhInfHiCKDQ6k6dab62dYObmd0aJ233lUcNJOYKz4cVdOx4lDNhmTnM0OLF6C8ijgjT-6IhXRNGBa27phtH8TPT_m3WqYBgGbojb8Vksu_8/s1600/santa_frosty.jpg" /></a></div>
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<i>Frosty the Snowman</i> (1969): Paul Frees</div>
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A perfectly fine Santa: dusty with magic, wise and kind, dispensing soul-thawing moralizing and good cheer. If only he didn't exist simply as a <i>deus ex machina</i> for the bind the plot wound itself into, he could have easily outpaced his <b>7 Sacks of Toys</b> in a more cohesive role.</div>
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<i>The Santa Clause</i> (1994): Tim Allen</div>
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A funny, enthusiastic performance, perhaps only marred by its weirdly 1990's out-of-canon mythology that confuses the hell out of my son. Oh, and the third movie might have dragged the franchise out a little too thin. Tim Allen's hearty Midwestern Santa would be too modest to accept anything more than his honest <b>6 Sacks of Toys.</b></div>
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<i>Snow</i> (2005): Tom Cavanagh</div>
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I'm sure Ed is fine in this TV movie, but I've been in the room when it's been on about an infinity of times and I can never pay attention long enough to remember what's going on. He gets <b>4 Sacks of Toys</b> (I think?).</div>
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<i>Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer</i> (1964): Stan Francis</div>
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As beloved as this TV special is, this Santa's got issues (at least with me). The supposedly all-seeing-one has no clue what kind of reindeer-hazing is going on in his yards; and, once he does get a clue, he vigorously encourages it. He spends the rest of the show not eating like a petulant toddler, and then finally gets around to delivering presents when Rudolph's nose makes it less inconvenient for him. But make sure to watch how half-assedly he delivers those presents! During the credits, you see the process. One of his elves grabs a toy out of the sack, gives it an umbrella, and shoves it off the side of the sleigh. No chimney-sliding for this Santa: he can't even be bothered to stop driving. Only the silliness of seeing a skinny Santa gives him his <b>2 Sacks of Toys.</b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDX-BML_FXOZ4aw_027M6dyhb8FaNrOSQ_pUm6fPX8nOE2O9oFSXlyJAaH5qM2qTGdK172nHYFcxltK29zTM6nDQ31EOvPBD32Uqs_sRBmcPN4ITxXXlF8O5D8jdm8HEceWxl-TMoLV3s/s1600/77664882-jpg_174736.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDX-BML_FXOZ4aw_027M6dyhb8FaNrOSQ_pUm6fPX8nOE2O9oFSXlyJAaH5qM2qTGdK172nHYFcxltK29zTM6nDQ31EOvPBD32Uqs_sRBmcPN4ITxXXlF8O5D8jdm8HEceWxl-TMoLV3s/s1600/77664882-jpg_174736.jpg" /></a></div>
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<i>Finding Mrs. Claus</i> (2012): Will Sasso</div>
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We're starting to scrape the bottom of the barrel here. Tim Allen's Santa may have warped the Santa-canon, but this TV movie seems completely unaware that it exists. I'm sure Will Sasso is otherwise a decent human, but a newly-arrived space alien pretending to be a human would have more social skills than this Santa (who supposedly keeps such a close eye on each of us that his moral compass allows him to accurately judge if we're naughty or nice). His shifty elf has to continually butt into situations in which this hapless clown might reveal himself to be Santa. Oh, and by the way, <i>he couldn't even be bothered to look at least a little bit like Santa</i>. I'm in the Christmas spirit, so I'll give him <b>1 Sack of Toys,</b> as long as he doesn't trade it for magic beans on the way to the market.</div>
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<i>Santa Claus</i> (1959): Jose Elias Moreno</div>
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Have you ever thought about why Santa laughs "ho ho ho," and not "ha ha ha"? My theory is that it would be too creepy to have a huge, red-faced old man barking "HA HA HA" at small children. The Santa in this strange Mexican movie would have no qualms about barking "HA HA HA" at small children. Perhaps only viewable via its <a href="http://mst3k.wikia.com/wiki/Santa_Claus_(episode)" target="_blank">MST3K treatment in 1993.</a> <b>10 Sacks of Broken Toys (to be delivered to residents of Hell, Mordor, and Bizarro-World).</b></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11246992079020036311noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2515326954376555192.post-26126821272975463452012-12-15T15:59:00.000-06:002013-01-04T17:06:35.924-06:00Photos of Elf Village at Macy's SantalandHappy (early) Christmas! For mechanical puppet fans -- especially those who enjoyed the photos of <a href="http://peterspuppets.blogspot.com/2012/09/ellas-deli.html" target="_blank">Ella's Deli in Madison</a> -- here's photos of the downtown Minneapolis Macy's annual display of Santaland.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX9_Db-mfSGEzeiCScS2mZqoK5l7Gb1AGIkEM4yVTv2XiTBUYEJrvaSTtom6kVlqZ5LNz1RHhxx7R0puivV9r8dxmKBr9YzLrBdnHAzeIrNx333vEoBqSQau7VtoduPC9Qi2Xb7Su5t8s/s1600/P1110828.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX9_Db-mfSGEzeiCScS2mZqoK5l7Gb1AGIkEM4yVTv2XiTBUYEJrvaSTtom6kVlqZ5LNz1RHhxx7R0puivV9r8dxmKBr9YzLrBdnHAzeIrNx333vEoBqSQau7VtoduPC9Qi2Xb7Su5t8s/s320/P1110828.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrL-pMVkoHL4hNei_phKRmcH2yRL4_Cf5xiRfvOfaAeu5U6Ft4g4i3caXdMVd7LuKRe0oaKBjt7kYYLQ5lPt8Mp3d8-DthHuCGY6jD9jEBXNttnAAK0NfANBQep9eVe3TdVl0cUaBQztU/s1600/P1110830.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrL-pMVkoHL4hNei_phKRmcH2yRL4_Cf5xiRfvOfaAeu5U6Ft4g4i3caXdMVd7LuKRe0oaKBjt7kYYLQ5lPt8Mp3d8-DthHuCGY6jD9jEBXNttnAAK0NfANBQep9eVe3TdVl0cUaBQztU/s320/P1110830.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i>Elves tending Santa's reindeer stable</i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja7joZXT9wVvr7uOYs1gg8Y2VM-gmNpnQO85gav8GRxyGIvLgj3BbWgUdBM2jt8kp4iRLvfp7jziJ1eQ2arZB-enCWsbzkQ8vaBtKrnWFGH2TwJlJtZ8njLG5MKfRGDMY9yjiiMoyqg1o/s1600/P1110833.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja7joZXT9wVvr7uOYs1gg8Y2VM-gmNpnQO85gav8GRxyGIvLgj3BbWgUdBM2jt8kp4iRLvfp7jziJ1eQ2arZB-enCWsbzkQ8vaBtKrnWFGH2TwJlJtZ8njLG5MKfRGDMY9yjiiMoyqg1o/s320/P1110833.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i>The Christmas panda</i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXK1UVg0DI1mUqRhsnqsbbQGAvZ9l50U3fLbN1jt_DeaOyS3-0iGkwAMtaa3pI8I8QWfTGyYNaDnl1wVTB61L4ubPQH90M8GVqQo7cuseHR0h5qqBqn8Cq-mbhX4MPd3IVozmiRqKVYjU/s1600/P1110836.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXK1UVg0DI1mUqRhsnqsbbQGAvZ9l50U3fLbN1jt_DeaOyS3-0iGkwAMtaa3pI8I8QWfTGyYNaDnl1wVTB61L4ubPQH90M8GVqQo7cuseHR0h5qqBqn8Cq-mbhX4MPd3IVozmiRqKVYjU/s320/P1110836.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i>The elves' bakery</i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTYa584LsJwimqcZdP956xkBlgPPBYwETpWCFCXm3zNdZwSwkoKKVPogrqnNgGyzJPl_EM56Kcu2pXpHdRh3XeMkSNMITdqLZwho_5c8ZrWLaKeWT-kwGP_6JtAfD1_78LyHCzMdD5Pkc/s1600/P1110842.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTYa584LsJwimqcZdP956xkBlgPPBYwETpWCFCXm3zNdZwSwkoKKVPogrqnNgGyzJPl_EM56Kcu2pXpHdRh3XeMkSNMITdqLZwho_5c8ZrWLaKeWT-kwGP_6JtAfD1_78LyHCzMdD5Pkc/s320/P1110842.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i>The toy workshop</i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxg4bkLd2s_wc_sAy3TMbnLmMrsoAO6PZJi14u5-7e9wBaOfoMQG7LWDaPwyQ8j19dSu2I64TbeSsbUd0AAu_ELc4qWu30_CXRTkXbSeRiTGUHDAPxhA7_QyDQAssjzOeEVo-030rdvj4/s1600/P1110853.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxg4bkLd2s_wc_sAy3TMbnLmMrsoAO6PZJi14u5-7e9wBaOfoMQG7LWDaPwyQ8j19dSu2I64TbeSsbUd0AAu_ELc4qWu30_CXRTkXbSeRiTGUHDAPxhA7_QyDQAssjzOeEVo-030rdvj4/s320/P1110853.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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<i>We brought the elf in the foreground ourselves</i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSvVm2aekePtNg_7OarHG_umR9n4_5_60ctCJr7IJ4quTGlWzX7PaZJjeTK4OGrHcSWSCthVvBpfnQYqV7HPsvT9GGM3X9I85e9okIAR6KOCHlSCqIc2FizOim9cCIqxSRGP-QiXnfw_Q/s1600/P1110859.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSvVm2aekePtNg_7OarHG_umR9n4_5_60ctCJr7IJ4quTGlWzX7PaZJjeTK4OGrHcSWSCthVvBpfnQYqV7HPsvT9GGM3X9I85e9okIAR6KOCHlSCqIc2FizOim9cCIqxSRGP-QiXnfw_Q/s320/P1110859.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDBBLpOppBMVrjd_n1zlPwOnQRI-lV6MPzl8Eby1qdMtgTer4YiZom8kF2_0Xcw9Q58qi1L_rjepraexYTK-AhHtkLBN_GyFnNeRRQrjWHtj4oBlme1RjW4oNzJMzwWc7YayLf1t7G_oY/s1600/P1110862.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDBBLpOppBMVrjd_n1zlPwOnQRI-lV6MPzl8Eby1qdMtgTer4YiZom8kF2_0Xcw9Q58qi1L_rjepraexYTK-AhHtkLBN_GyFnNeRRQrjWHtj4oBlme1RjW4oNzJMzwWc7YayLf1t7G_oY/s320/P1110862.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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<i>A rabbit conducting Treant Christmas tree carolers</i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1yrhvoNLhZoobKI-nNnAX69riUgOrNx1HhQXCfI1X-HlBubvFuNjE_kbWkqm1GOfYSHOZQStf1bwc-toGcNx_RMVbEhUoTp5WNg3gVA95YwAfqK276CaSCZisNQL_kDFsi_z9ZrEHlsA/s1600/P1110866.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1yrhvoNLhZoobKI-nNnAX69riUgOrNx1HhQXCfI1X-HlBubvFuNjE_kbWkqm1GOfYSHOZQStf1bwc-toGcNx_RMVbEhUoTp5WNg3gVA95YwAfqK276CaSCZisNQL_kDFsi_z9ZrEHlsA/s320/P1110866.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i>Elf school</i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1mUCTxu5SEyXSWM4A_Rs1mWdshD62L0RFzLY-_CDNKSvEVWbekN_PxT7nQvoRE-B3Vc05kMzPlQRRwbzg9ShuPp8auXS0CFV170VZyGrdfxJgXFccUnhSBQt75PQbKATp1vKqF9rL0vk/s1600/P1110869.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1mUCTxu5SEyXSWM4A_Rs1mWdshD62L0RFzLY-_CDNKSvEVWbekN_PxT7nQvoRE-B3Vc05kMzPlQRRwbzg9ShuPp8auXS0CFV170VZyGrdfxJgXFccUnhSBQt75PQbKATp1vKqF9rL0vk/s320/P1110869.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i>Dinner tables</i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBOHnQkFO3qBAuRIC_i4pWHvRHKfSY0lssFXrOyK3C-dXlkcJp4EG5JuDn05vedq0N2fRsPR56KEDvbDieYgLznSxFb7QM1Nky5OIlTJoGcc18Y3bq-2QocumpBNBmXaafGmBH8AvB9z0/s1600/P1110870.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBOHnQkFO3qBAuRIC_i4pWHvRHKfSY0lssFXrOyK3C-dXlkcJp4EG5JuDn05vedq0N2fRsPR56KEDvbDieYgLznSxFb7QM1Nky5OIlTJoGcc18Y3bq-2QocumpBNBmXaafGmBH8AvB9z0/s320/P1110870.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i>Elf barracks and hijinks, with a sleeping mouse in the corner</i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtg87H2EpSZGaqihsYcDGp05epiWgYyY4xPuOGF26uCu80Tp9cxf6tbDFsv89218Km0J7LxAjQTqV8aj7aVNDPEwpVgS7Vcom12WURUYxOddHefDKtu7Tr_hyphenhyphen0EmaavN0-gpZWDD2uA3c/s1600/P1110875.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtg87H2EpSZGaqihsYcDGp05epiWgYyY4xPuOGF26uCu80Tp9cxf6tbDFsv89218Km0J7LxAjQTqV8aj7aVNDPEwpVgS7Vcom12WURUYxOddHefDKtu7Tr_hyphenhyphen0EmaavN0-gpZWDD2uA3c/s320/P1110875.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhAZRC0Myknxz6Qtg1phYuCllDavrCxoDCtWMa5ZHy1BlRRnbSiHesHFZclGB1qKmusz2r_kxK1Uxc6NXN48x5CoWPBtB2TWVWgTk2ZpSzBnJRiBBsEAaj9HLUO_gNbB9XjHEbjA_cR58/s1600/P1110877.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhAZRC0Myknxz6Qtg1phYuCllDavrCxoDCtWMa5ZHy1BlRRnbSiHesHFZclGB1qKmusz2r_kxK1Uxc6NXN48x5CoWPBtB2TWVWgTk2ZpSzBnJRiBBsEAaj9HLUO_gNbB9XjHEbjA_cR58/s320/P1110877.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i>The animals (including a Christmas walrus) decorating a Christmas tree</i></div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11246992079020036311noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2515326954376555192.post-12636078968211703272012-11-23T10:55:00.001-06:002012-11-24T08:13:27.430-06:00A Muppet Family Christmas Super Quiz<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
So, you think you know the 1987 one-hour Christmas special <i>A Muppet Family Christmas?</i> Enter your name, take this quiz, and prove it! (There's no spam or anything -- the free online quiz-maker assumes I need to know your name (but I don't).) When you're done, you'll be given your ideal Muppets Secret Santa. Have fun, and let me know who you get!</div>
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<iframe frameborder="0" height="501" id="proprofs" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" name="proprofs" src="http://www.proprofs.com/quiz-school/widget/v3/?id=439817&bgcolor=ffffff&fcolor=000000&tcolor=000000&w=420&h=295&ff=1&fs=medium&pplink=1&socialmedia=0&embedlink=1&showpage=1&btncolor=000000" width="440"></iframe><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd2nZ4tooYgkgUEgr6RAdN_He_kQqCDGcW4Hx8fDWqGNQai0o_jeM979Hh-teBXySTkLN6YAJ4tK0mkWx0TKgQDmMhOq6-QXlXor5Ig2lhwlnkFG9trISxpenhLxBicZzKpSrOmvXqsBU/s1600/67104902286699657.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd2nZ4tooYgkgUEgr6RAdN_He_kQqCDGcW4Hx8fDWqGNQai0o_jeM979Hh-teBXySTkLN6YAJ4tK0mkWx0TKgQDmMhOq6-QXlXor5Ig2lhwlnkFG9trISxpenhLxBicZzKpSrOmvXqsBU/s1600/67104902286699657.jpg" /></a><br />
<div style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10px;">
<a href="http://www.proprofs.com/quiz-school/story.php?title=the-muppets-family-christmas-superquiz" target="_blank" title="A Muppet Family Christmas Super-Quiz">A Muppet Family Christmas Super-Quiz</a> » <a href="http://www.proprofs.com/quiz-school/browse/?category=Fun+Quizzes" target="_blank" title="fun quizzes">fun quizzes</a></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11246992079020036311noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2515326954376555192.post-68887197327507112362012-11-01T11:47:00.004-05:002012-11-20T17:39:44.916-06:00Oh, the Places These Puppets Have Gone!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIRwuAqLA17yNlBBLvP8YEihhKUrUVmySt40vSn9L9TRjfoC-T4cylnsHIEakVlf__OSBcYZSV_OHm0YcWc8vyWexZAfgLmvDlwBntgZYuFlle3m__SwC_KDx6g9M2cy8xq3zn_1RfO60/s1600/P1100738.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIRwuAqLA17yNlBBLvP8YEihhKUrUVmySt40vSn9L9TRjfoC-T4cylnsHIEakVlf__OSBcYZSV_OHm0YcWc8vyWexZAfgLmvDlwBntgZYuFlle3m__SwC_KDx6g9M2cy8xq3zn_1RfO60/s320/P1100738.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i><a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/113599883/yellow-luck-dragon-hand-puppet" target="_blank">Yellow Luck Dragon Hand Puppet,</a> </i><i>on sale at my <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/pkfridley" target="_blank">Etsy Shop</a></i></span></div>
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Inspired by (i.e. I stole the idea from) fellow Etsy-seller <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/dragonnerd" target="_blank">DragonNerd,</a> I've made a map of all the cities to which I've sent a puppet via Etsy sales. Be sure to add your city to the map by visiting the <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/pkfridley" target="_blank">Peter's Puppets Etsy Shop!</a><br />
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<iframe width="455" height="450" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" src="https://maps.google.com/maps/ms?msa=0&msid=217857279802734972985.0004cd7181cbbc4232b65&hl=en&ie=UTF8&t=m&ll=9.755528,-49.584088&spn=87.577722,145.30151&output=embed"></iframe><br /><small>View <a href="https://maps.google.com/maps/ms?msa=0&msid=217857279802734972985.0004cd7181cbbc4232b65&hl=en&ie=UTF8&t=m&ll=9.755528,-49.584088&spn=87.577722,145.30151&source=embed" style="color:#0000FF;text-align:left">Peter's Puppets' Etsy sales</a> in a larger map</small>
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<small><br /></small>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11246992079020036311noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2515326954376555192.post-32323746703367264622012-10-25T19:29:00.000-05:002013-04-25T13:15:24.208-05:00How to Make a Mister Rogers Cardigan for a Daniel Tiger Fan<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmsOuhRJPS3zvhUzLTDhBu68I6oFUUbZmRPrJsH39-MjXRFlTrP1xbNMWPGefXbJbT-82IxZK-FHTT1DOsPlLTCIpgJhOLBeSxWHbUvVpSGstxBbh5pzeDUcdKz1uO2fUtUiayFhSvEEo/s1600/P1100649.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmsOuhRJPS3zvhUzLTDhBu68I6oFUUbZmRPrJsH39-MjXRFlTrP1xbNMWPGefXbJbT-82IxZK-FHTT1DOsPlLTCIpgJhOLBeSxWHbUvVpSGstxBbh5pzeDUcdKz1uO2fUtUiayFhSvEEo/s320/P1100649.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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Fans that my son and I are of <i><a href="http://peterspuppets.blogspot.com/2012/09/review-daniel-tigers-neighborhood.html" target="_blank">Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood,</a></i> we've noticed that, on some episodes, there are little segments halfway through the show in which kids get to go on a factory tour, just like Mister Rogers himself used to do. During these segments, the kids put on (<i>and zip up!)</i> a Mister Rogers sweater. As far as I can tell, you can't buy cardigans like this anywhere -- regular readers of mine will already know how disinclined the Fred Rogers Company is in licensing their properties to merchandising. So what to do? Check it: you can put together a Mister Rogers/Daniel Tiger sweater just like I did for my stylish son (pictured above). Like most online craft tutorials, this project mostly involves buying stuff.<br />
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<i>(EDIT: The following couple paragraphs are out-of-date. A reader tipped me off that the Heinz Center no longer sells the Mister Rogers patches. <b>But they can be ordered directly from the Fred Rogers Company <a href="http://www.fcistore.org/proddetail.asp?prod=S20" target="_blank">here</a>!)</b></i><br />
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The first thing to do is to head on over to the <a href="http://www.heinzhistorycenter.org/secondary_notout.aspx?id=244" target="_blank">online gift shop at the Heinz History Center,</a> which has a pretty impressive Mister Rogers section. (Get the snowglobe while you're at it. It's awesome.) A little further down you'll see Mister Rogers trolley patches:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ8vheh1jrbkNhoEGss6W7BCbhtstWJxk9LU142d8xLCkIiXgE2Or0dGPWCijybc-fWTfLkPx4JnSkHMsL4SjeBSC8-S9Oi2_n-J_QOZh-9Z3-JLjVVXIdVSNnXXDG5r7J4iHWDNjdoOk/s1600/trolleyorder.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="177" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ8vheh1jrbkNhoEGss6W7BCbhtstWJxk9LU142d8xLCkIiXgE2Or0dGPWCijybc-fWTfLkPx4JnSkHMsL4SjeBSC8-S9Oi2_n-J_QOZh-9Z3-JLjVVXIdVSNnXXDG5r7J4iHWDNjdoOk/s320/trolleyorder.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Order at least one, and when you get it, you'll get a Pittsburgh-themed greeting card thanking you for your purchase, signed by an actual sweet older lady (I assume from the handwriting), and here's what the patch looks like:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyo5TskFR8UHYv-U5CVk9nXpmcVTFbeMWoCbDmiJmeFk0e4eA2FsfLhlpFSloc_EqPNgssRFqWSUKEiBl8RAkw9a8WHcBEeSVSxWZXZFeYPpeXtdPC4yuh93vs2TchLcUOMbo5TgUdCS4/s1600/P1100635.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyo5TskFR8UHYv-U5CVk9nXpmcVTFbeMWoCbDmiJmeFk0e4eA2FsfLhlpFSloc_EqPNgssRFqWSUKEiBl8RAkw9a8WHcBEeSVSxWZXZFeYPpeXtdPC4yuh93vs2TchLcUOMbo5TgUdCS4/s320/P1100635.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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It doesn't have anything to do specifically with Daniel Tiger, but it's got the iconic trolley on it, and that's probably close enough for your little kid. I've turned my kid into such a Mister Rogers nerd anyway that it doesn't matter to him.<br />
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Now you've got to get your cardigan. Mister Rogers sometimes had button-up cardigans, but let's face it, that sweater's gotta <i>ZIP. UP.</i> <a href="http://www.landsend.com/pp/school-uniform-zip-front-drifter-cardigan-sweater~171334_7.html" target="_blank">Land's End has pretty good ones.</a> Locally, we have a Land's End "Not Quite Perfect" store, where I found a returned, monogrammed cardigan for $22 (you'll see that the new ones online are a bit pricier). <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTB5-MJZ2CXiw3HFoKgXdMyjNuMaCsj-Z6xOYBSTVr_EwAHpxLMOR2v97TLmQyAkaC2iRZwMv2JzfHJgbuj3QWklCKF6Hz9SWOb-Sj1CxUrqZ-aYTCJxRYvXn9OSoEGoTTGhiWgoHh6hM/s1600/P1100634.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTB5-MJZ2CXiw3HFoKgXdMyjNuMaCsj-Z6xOYBSTVr_EwAHpxLMOR2v97TLmQyAkaC2iRZwMv2JzfHJgbuj3QWklCKF6Hz9SWOb-Sj1CxUrqZ-aYTCJxRYvXn9OSoEGoTTGhiWgoHh6hM/s320/P1100634.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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It doesn't matter that it was monogrammed, because the patch goes right over it. I dabbed some <a href="http://www.amazon.com/100099-237012-E-6000-Kitchen/dp/B002OJX1GU/ref=pd_sim_ac_1" target="_blank">E-6000 glue</a> on the back of the patch, and over the general area under it on the cardigan, just before I sewed it on, as a little extra adherence to the knitted surface (and because I strangely like the smell of E-6000).<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC97vGYQ0Uv1ysHFvLZVLLwpnyBgobJXjLmdO6esOW3zri4ZCCUuiLziYdZcz1-sdYVcmX_5NyUgyBsHz3V2NUITzJkEZzjNDh0EYCm63u1YFiBdNiWa54BolYATqE5_k_SpWhgvgZJ38/s1600/P1100646.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC97vGYQ0Uv1ysHFvLZVLLwpnyBgobJXjLmdO6esOW3zri4ZCCUuiLziYdZcz1-sdYVcmX_5NyUgyBsHz3V2NUITzJkEZzjNDh0EYCm63u1YFiBdNiWa54BolYATqE5_k_SpWhgvgZJ38/s320/P1100646.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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Guess what? Project's done. Now your kid's rockin' it Daniel Tiger style in his/her own Mister Rogers sweater.<br />
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Have <b>you</b> made your own Mister Rogers sweater? Be sure to let me know if you have! Email pics and permission to post them to p_krue@hotmail.com<br />
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Here's <b>Sarah</b> in her awesome red Daniel Tiger sweater:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJU3FJR9fckxH0LNPjDIXEaAFQlFYLQR5uuTeNFtgcxDoQ6NYdOQQ3E-sT3ZhaBU5vYEjibfQgQvO68lVOl1ew22B04Z-ybiMAkDiDoyyve4omc7W8fsEIQ7ceGJqoRajPVd6ma2Pdh-o/s1600/photo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJU3FJR9fckxH0LNPjDIXEaAFQlFYLQR5uuTeNFtgcxDoQ6NYdOQQ3E-sT3ZhaBU5vYEjibfQgQvO68lVOl1ew22B04Z-ybiMAkDiDoyyve4omc7W8fsEIQ7ceGJqoRajPVd6ma2Pdh-o/s400/photo.JPG" width="266" /></a></div>
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<i>EDIT: Be sure to check out my <a href="http://peterspuppets.blogspot.com/2013/03/daniel-tiger-trolley-fabric-for-pajamas.html" target="_blank">Daniel Tiger Red Trolley fabric print,</a> now for sale at Spoonflower -- perfect for making Daniel Tiger pajamas!</i><br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11246992079020036311noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2515326954376555192.post-53920016554190238472012-10-11T17:55:00.000-05:002013-10-15T19:03:47.435-05:00Phe Peter's Puppets Playlist pon PotifyPi pigured pout pesterday phat pou pan padd pa Potify playlist po pour plog -- popefully pe're pot poing pull pircle pack po PyPace. Panyway, Pi'm puch pa pig pusic puy, pand Pi phink phe pusic Pi pisten po peally pinforms phe pharacters pand personalities phat Pi pake pin py puppets, po Pi phought Pi'd phip pogether pa playlist pailor-pade por Peter's Puppets. Pit's pa pide pange pof ptuff: plassical, pazz, plezmer, punk; pou pet pit pall! Phere's puite pa pew pideas por packground pusic, poo, pif pou're pever putting pon pa puppet play pourself (py pastes pend po pean powards pinstrumental panyway). Po, pif pou're pa Potify puser, please penjoy! Pit's pocated pon phe pight-pand pide pof phis plog, pand pit pooks pike phis:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhADB25mEnkxTr4JGyohOiQgCchc8S7skOnFGB_NkMmjhF2Fu0G8CR4pRUnYofJ4rDU9JPd2gen8Mksp35hPYT2OP5I4RrlHLYIl7wA-kWv7BwWlr3Rdk3jvODWyrgfkT0nZKSMD5AKfN4/s1600/potify.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhADB25mEnkxTr4JGyohOiQgCchc8S7skOnFGB_NkMmjhF2Fu0G8CR4pRUnYofJ4rDU9JPd2gen8Mksp35hPYT2OP5I4RrlHLYIl7wA-kWv7BwWlr3Rdk3jvODWyrgfkT0nZKSMD5AKfN4/s320/potify.jpg" width="250" /></a></div>
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Pet pe pnow pif phere's panything Pi phould padd! Punfortunately Potify poesn't pave pome pof py pobvious phoices, pike Phe Peatles por Prank Pappa, put Pi phink pit's pa pood playlist pas pit pis.</div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11246992079020036311noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2515326954376555192.post-73116208808389232792012-09-20T19:54:00.004-05:002012-10-27T17:38:59.755-05:00Halloween is Coming<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4R5teVDslbnJXYswSXiZrT4vdvaHWX9L1uTA5zK8IjTbu57ygii9bqdTcniHmRV93E9L5V3Ih9gnaSr2JE35ykHF4ZdycDo1PCtDQZV6fDQjV4z3308qrcbyVNXjJSkBwiiJ1rn9Xt9E/s1600/P1090924.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4R5teVDslbnJXYswSXiZrT4vdvaHWX9L1uTA5zK8IjTbu57ygii9bqdTcniHmRV93E9L5V3Ih9gnaSr2JE35ykHF4ZdycDo1PCtDQZV6fDQjV4z3308qrcbyVNXjJSkBwiiJ1rn9Xt9E/s320/P1090924.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Pumpkin Baby Doll Halloween Hand Puppet</span></i></div>
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Halloween will be here before you know it! Head on over to <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/pkfridley" target="_blank">the Peter's Puppets shop on Etsy</a> to order these creepy cute puppets!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9P7UxEPB6WkhEE1N0cI9v0tt4snbpWM0N7xB08EFg7aV0h1nRbodlUiRj2_lDhNFNdEoRW1vz0dbo5p2wv29c73IMiJgbsyXG7UCM5c4uIXV6jD8ju9vlgQhSNseFasZf2gggy5mrNG8/s1600/P1070437.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9P7UxEPB6WkhEE1N0cI9v0tt4snbpWM0N7xB08EFg7aV0h1nRbodlUiRj2_lDhNFNdEoRW1vz0dbo5p2wv29c73IMiJgbsyXG7UCM5c4uIXV6jD8ju9vlgQhSNseFasZf2gggy5mrNG8/s320/P1070437.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Evil Dragon Demon Hand Puppet</i></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6UOAgcs-e9TZoD5iDgZU1bbySRswxWfzu5HlQzSMem4vCXnRGnVGJPVvGZyFkWMv9g9RFR-PBpA320AVRpsH1YLhyh4qG1THEU__4SAI0zyVT1LkvSh0i4dR8ZnK_YL0uMkdEDhDQ9QQ/s1600/P1060056.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="262" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6UOAgcs-e9TZoD5iDgZU1bbySRswxWfzu5HlQzSMem4vCXnRGnVGJPVvGZyFkWMv9g9RFR-PBpA320AVRpsH1YLhyh4qG1THEU__4SAI0zyVT1LkvSh0i4dR8ZnK_YL0uMkdEDhDQ9QQ/s320/P1060056.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Cute Devil Girl Hand Puppet</i></span></div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11246992079020036311noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2515326954376555192.post-638663016610587872012-09-08T10:06:00.004-05:002012-10-27T17:38:00.578-05:00Review: Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUnF5DN5b2ecR-220Cfu7cMEt2HVwhnQVrc_b8mMojyf9prBgjsJ2DkRDOwntoRVcxuHgQGJqJfUWv-huK8D1ofcck65r4yUsunxa3w6IJ0_0OQKqnoNfblOkPnM_czsBH13YBAwyVDq8/s1600/daniel.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUnF5DN5b2ecR-220Cfu7cMEt2HVwhnQVrc_b8mMojyf9prBgjsJ2DkRDOwntoRVcxuHgQGJqJfUWv-huK8D1ofcck65r4yUsunxa3w6IJ0_0OQKqnoNfblOkPnM_czsBH13YBAwyVDq8/s1600/daniel.png" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://pbskids.org/daniel/" target="_blank"><i>Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood</i></a> premiered this week on PBS, and Ez and I have just seen it for the first time this morning. In <a href="http://peterspuppets.blogspot.com/2012/06/mister-rogers-is-in-garden-of-my-mind.html" target="_blank">one of my posts</a> from a few months ago, I expressed hesitant enthusiasm for the upcoming project, which revives Mister Rogers' Neighborhood of Make-Believe characters in a <i>Blue's Clues</i>-style environment, so I thought it would be good to post my review of the show as a follow-up.</div>
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My rating for <i>Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood:</i> A+++, three thumbs up, and fifty gold stars.</div>
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The magic starts right away. If the voice of the narrator, who reads the standard PBS copy about "This program is brought to you by the Arthur Vining Davis Foundation, etc, etc, and by viewers like you -- thank you" sounds familiar, it's because it's <i>Mister Frickin' McFeely himself.</i> So you know from the start that this show is going to rock.</div>
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Daniel Tiger -- the son of <i>our</i> Daniel Striped Tiger, the timid young clock-dwelling puppet that we adults grew up knowing so well -- begins the show by talking to the audience, changing his shoes, and zipping up his cardigan. He launches into "It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood," and then hops onto the trolley. The trolley takes him through the current day Neighborhood of Make-Believe, as Daniel waves to friends old and new. All our familiar landmarks are there -- the castle, the tree -- and new ones have sprouted up since we've last visited, like Music Man Sam's instrument store. I love it. It's like the Neighborhood is saying, "We're still here. You've grown up, and so have we, but we're still here." All the while, a Jack Johnson-esque vocalist is singing the "beautiful day" song with updated lyrics about Daniel Tiger, and it just hits the right pitch. I'm not a huge fan of the Jack Johnson style on its own, but I thought his songs for the <i>Curious George</i> movie worked really, really well, and hearing a similar style on <i>Daniel,</i> but with the typical Mister Rogers jazz piano music as the instrumental accompaniment, is really nice.</div>
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There's something that hits me so hard when I hear the trolley on <i>Daniel</i> making the same trolley ding-ding noise as it did on the original <i>Neighborhood.</i> It's like the producers are saying, "Yes, this is an updated show for 'today's kids,' but we've left every possible thing we could of the original formula in the show."</div>
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Here's a really cool thing too: <i>our</i> Daniel, the young Daniel's father, has grown up (obviously) and he's dressed just like Mister Rogers. He's wearing a navy cardigan, he's still wearing his watch, and (neglect the fact that he's totally Porky Piggin' it) he comes across as a hipster dad. I'd totally hang out with grown-up Daniel Striped Tiger. I bet he'd want to play bass in a band with me. And it reminds me, very sentimentally, of the coda of Mister Roger's song about growing up: "for a girl can be someday a woman, and a boy can be someday a man." The Neighborhood characters have completed the circle, moving and developing by the same guidelines by which their creator taught.<br />
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And then the father and son tigers give each other ugga-muggas, and I have to resist the extreme, involuntary urge to get misty-eyed over a kids' cartoon show.<br />
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As far as the content of the show, I couldn't be happier. Rather than clumsily trying to teach an awkward curriculum of phonics or whatever, the writers have kept Mister Rogers' overall theme of affective reasoning and development. The episode we saw was all about getting angry, and what to do about it when it happens. The other, probably more important, aspect of the show is that, apart from half the characters being anthropomorphic animals, it's completely devoid of what I think of as "magical interference." Virtually every other current kids' show we watch -- <i>Mickey Mouse's Clubhouse, Wild Kratts, The Cat in the Hat Knows A Lot About That, Barney,</i> even <i>Sesame Street</i> -- constantly rely on a <i>deus ex machina</i> of either fairy dust or robotics (or a combination of both) to solve the problems that the characters face. <i>Curious George,</i> and now <i>Daniel,</i> are about the only current kids' shows I can think of that don't use "magical interference" at all. When Daniel and Prince Wednesday were angry that they couldn't go to the beach because it was raining, they spread a tan blanket next to a blue blanket on the floor to make an "inside beach." Isn't that refreshingly better, and far more honest to a child's experience, than having a magic computer create a virtual beach environment or something? I like to think that Fred Rogers would approve of this direction of the show, because I do.<br />
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So, bottom line: <i>Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood</i> will definitely be a fixture of our television viewing.<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11246992079020036311noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2515326954376555192.post-76181648839362323572012-09-02T06:57:00.000-05:002012-10-27T17:40:08.997-05:00Ella's Deli<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1ipqoXgUh5-cthyJNpZL6F8Bn8UJd14Klt7yg0XLEb6bG3BBXPqdCMFH06r_K0ZKLkej09XxBBxucAvt86JoBR-tbpso7YZhhvUhef6LxPoNcEvV7szzUnRVND9Ekgtw6Lrz9ojZbxOE/s1600/P1080909.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1ipqoXgUh5-cthyJNpZL6F8Bn8UJd14Klt7yg0XLEb6bG3BBXPqdCMFH06r_K0ZKLkej09XxBBxucAvt86JoBR-tbpso7YZhhvUhef6LxPoNcEvV7szzUnRVND9Ekgtw6Lrz9ojZbxOE/s320/P1080909.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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If you're here because you like <a href="http://peterspuppets.blogspot.com/2012/03/vintage-puppet-nightmare-army-jacket.html" target="_blank">weird old puppets</a> (as who isn't), then I can't recommend enough that you check out <a href="http://www.ellasdeli.com/" target="_blank">Ella's Deli</a> next time you find yourself on the east side of Madison, Wisconsin. I had been here once or twice when I lived in the Mad City, but it's hard to appreciate it more than ironically until you've got your own kid with you.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIisMSxSdaTVYSuWqn1veBchmmQ4O6Jlo09xuXrce5-kJdBSqYqR6ioaJ08dt0Cy9BXyO3vkU9uWfZlBLgnQMr7eqt2nqU7Cm2HsH7dLWK0Oy-qrUEH0DTP8o59hoDQdDT3GkSx1sVRjI/s1600/P1080841.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIisMSxSdaTVYSuWqn1veBchmmQ4O6Jlo09xuXrce5-kJdBSqYqR6ioaJ08dt0Cy9BXyO3vkU9uWfZlBLgnQMr7eqt2nqU7Cm2HsH7dLWK0Oy-qrUEH0DTP8o59hoDQdDT3GkSx1sVRjI/s320/P1080841.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNLoAAGPnIkyoxp7gSfDY_GmLWWffCujE-4IwYtOLjpz7nrk6wbfJu1wxy6Hjsg44V7QifI3AJKUYqfG_z8YO3pnixffTDj8vFqMGtX19a38CMdRdOVNUoNtF3ONfoMJElLXf4b9_Rm-U/s1600/P1080853.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNLoAAGPnIkyoxp7gSfDY_GmLWWffCujE-4IwYtOLjpz7nrk6wbfJu1wxy6Hjsg44V7QifI3AJKUYqfG_z8YO3pnixffTDj8vFqMGtX19a38CMdRdOVNUoNtF3ONfoMJElLXf4b9_Rm-U/s320/P1080853.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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The whole place is whirring with the mechanical susurrus of vintage motors, sending papier-mache puppets jostling and careening up the walls and across the ceiling in slow-motion frenzy; every inch of the place is knick-knacked with at least <i>some</i> kind of eerily unauthorized children's pop-culture-induced fever dream. Here's some photos (and videos!) of some of the exhibits displayed at the deli.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi8gDtm8hadC0olwFQ-FucCIV3bH7v0uQCYxVQPdA1sIPZ_R7RnrutPmH0bu9vWYC84OEsGddupy9uRDUuSe7yehxC3gTfHeezuZuDnQaI-LRTXkZHhSae846gOSBBXRwzPZ0RsoZwUhg/s1600/P1080863.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi8gDtm8hadC0olwFQ-FucCIV3bH7v0uQCYxVQPdA1sIPZ_R7RnrutPmH0bu9vWYC84OEsGddupy9uRDUuSe7yehxC3gTfHeezuZuDnQaI-LRTXkZHhSae846gOSBBXRwzPZ0RsoZwUhg/s320/P1080863.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5y6emiDSU0Nw8R_FyYjKvWVQxzagzRhkaYaZyPzOmNUGddiZSrXNy6jWVosKzCZVQKIJxpRPWRsosNkpTyGx8IJqSbsp5MkYqVRywfn8Qqk6N36qkz544hvnfu6rrY6TfZ-Ru_IsfIqs/s1600/P1080873.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5y6emiDSU0Nw8R_FyYjKvWVQxzagzRhkaYaZyPzOmNUGddiZSrXNy6jWVosKzCZVQKIJxpRPWRsosNkpTyGx8IJqSbsp5MkYqVRywfn8Qqk6N36qkz544hvnfu6rrY6TfZ-Ru_IsfIqs/s320/P1080873.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11246992079020036311noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2515326954376555192.post-58733316766053710882012-08-06T17:50:00.002-05:002012-08-06T17:51:23.081-05:00Saint-Saëns' Carnival of the Animals book is done!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Remember <a href="http://peterspuppets.blogspot.com/2012/05/saint-saens-carnival-of-animals-and.html" target="_blank">when I mentioned</a> that I was working on a book of illustrations to accompany Saint-Saëns' suite <i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carnival_of_the_Animals" target="_blank">Carnival of the Animals?</a></i> Well folks, after a solid weekend of working on it, it's all done. <br />
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I'm self-publishing it at Lulu, so <a href="http://www.lulu.com/shop/peter-krueger/saint-saens-carnival-of-the-animals/paperback/product-20315434.html" target="_blank">click here</a> if you'd like to order a copy for yourself. I've added the aviary and the kangaroo illustrations here to the three <a href="http://peterspuppets.blogspot.com/2012/05/saint-saens-carnival-of-animals-and.html" target="_blank">I posted previously,</a> just as a little bonus to my faithful readers. Enjoy!<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11246992079020036311noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2515326954376555192.post-24382100708583839632012-08-03T22:13:00.003-05:002012-08-03T22:14:20.386-05:00Future-Me Sighting<br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;">I went to Half Price Books to dig through the 45's, but Future-Me was ALREADY THERE. I would have said hi, but I've seen enough time-travel movies to know not to upset the space-time continuum.</span>
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<br /></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11246992079020036311noreply@blogger.com0