From: Widerman-AT-aol.com
Date: Fri, 15 May 2009 18:27:43 EDT
To: puptcrit-AT-puptcrit.org
Subject: Re: [Puptcrit] Where do Puppets come from?


I have an original Dopey latex head I keep in my shop that is from the  
puppet I had as a child. The costume is long gone, but the latex head is in  
excellent condition It is a fine sculpt which inspires me when I'm working in  
clay.
 
     -Steven->



In a message dated 5/15/2009 5:24:57 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time,  
alangregorycook-AT-msn.com writes:

Mass  produced stuffed toys, animated toys, and toy puppets cut costs in 
many ways.  An animated Pinocchio I bought at OSH/Orchard Supply Hardware one 
Christmas  was so popular that it was returned to sales floors the following 
year, but  with a cost-cutting smaller display base.
At the same price, I might  add.

It went through R & D, the costs of which were spread out to  mere cents or 
mils per puppet. For a one-of-a-kind puppet, all the research,  
development, design, material costs, and time required is part of the  cost.

Many modern  mass-produced toy items have a short shelf life  and wear out 
fast.

Today I received in the mail two Disney Hand  Puppets, c. 1938-39, made by 
Crown Toy Company. One is Ferdinand the Bull, the  other is Dopey, the funny 
dwarf from Disney's SNOW WHITE.  I still have  the heads of those same 
characters which I got when the two films were first  released, but the costumes 
wore out about 60 years ago.  The  puppets  in today's mail cost $75 each 
($150 total), just so I could have  the original, cheap-fabric costumes.

In addition to my original Dopey  head, I was given another 5 decades ago 
(sans costume as usual) which as made  in Japan, and got another made with 
Disney approval in Canada. One more I  acquired as a gift which had been 
repainted dark brown by somebody unknown but  none had the cloth body any more. 
So RARITY also drives up prices, and what is  more RARE than a custom-built 
ONE-OF-A KIND puppet.

If you explain the  RARITY aspect, a few clients will get that, but most of 
the time, it is an  uphill effort to educate the ignorant. To learn, a 
person needs to WANT to  learn.


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