The Foam Book : An Easy Guide to Building Polyfoam Puppets [Plastic Comb]

Donald Devet (Author), Drew Allison (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 17, 1997

Whether you're a beginner to the world of puppet making or an experienced professional puppeteer, The Foam Book was written with you in mind. This easy guide to designing and building your own polyfoam puppets will take you step-by-step through the creative process.

Along the way you'll pick up tips and tricks to make the puppet building experience as carefree as possible.

The Foam Book is not just a guide to puppet construction but a useful resource of suppliers of hard to find puppet-making materials.

Inside you'll find:
* Two sure-fire methods for making a puppet head.
* A grocery list of features to consider for your character.
* Detailed descriptions for making any body parts imaginable.
* Special sections on creating animals and fantastic creatures.
* Suggestions for materials and coverings.
* Over 100 photos and drawings.

Editorial Reviews

Review

With expanded information and many helpful hits, this book is sure to be a great help to all who use foam in the construction of their puppets. --The Puppetry Journal

About the Author

Drew Allison is the founder and president of Grey Seal Puppets. He is involved in all phases of production including writing, building, designing and performing.

For over twenty years, Drew has performed regularly on television and stage including such venues as The Center for Puppetry Arts, The Smithsonian Institution, The Detroit Institute of Art and The Philadephia Museum of Art.

In 1994 Drew was awarded the President's Award by The Puppeteers of America for outstanding achievement in the art of puppetry. In 1998, his original production of BATHTUB PIRATES was awarded the prestigious UNIMA Citation of Excellence. He has also served on the Board of Trustees of The Puppeteers of America.

Donald Devet is a web producer and freelance writer, producer and performer in New York City.

Product Details

• Plastic Comb: 115 pages
• Publisher: Grey Seal Puppets, Inc. (February 17, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0967857503
• ISBN-13: 978-0967857503
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 7.3 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (27 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #131,575 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Professional Puppets, July 30, 2001

By 

"[e-mail]" (Harrisonburg, VA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Foam Book : An Easy Guide to Building Polyfoam Puppets (Plastic Comb)

Most puppet books do not really go into detail about creating professional looking puppets (i.e. The Muppets Make Puppets); however, since purchasing this book, I have found that it gives a basic foundation for creating the kind of puppets I use on a regular basis. For the puppeteer with a basic general knowledge of puppet building, this book is a wonderful foundation for creating professional foam puppets. I have already utilized much of the covered material and would highly recommend it.

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Foam Book is great!, November 11, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Foam Book : An Easy Guide to Building Polyfoam Puppets (Plastic Comb)

Having been in the field of puppetry for the past 25 years, I have seen just about every puppetry book on the market. The Foam Book is one of the best books on construction that I've seen yet. It's well-written and takes the mystery out of building foam puppets. The wonderful "Real Yellowed Pages" in the back list not only provide a glossary of terms but also addresses for suppliers. This is so helpful for beginners and/or folks who don't live in big cities and have trouble finding all the materials they need. I highly recommend this book for puppet builders of all skill levels. Whether you're new to puppet making or an expert, you'll surely learn something new.

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Too Cool, June 3, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: The Foam Book : An Easy Guide to Building Polyfoam Puppets (Plastic Comb)

This book was worth the money. The author's text was fun to read, and witty. I enjoyed the book very much! The book gives ideas on basic/simple puppet construction, but warns that the sky is the limit! After you get the basics in the back of your head, it's amazing how many ideas start to build off of them! I used the book to help repair an old Church puppet that had seen better days. 'She' looks great with her new face-lift, now her 'brothers & sisters' are in line for repair! The great concepts & ideas from the book really helped the process. I only regret that I didn't have any extra foam lying around the house when I first opened this book! --but then again, those sofa cushions are getting kinda old...