We've Moved! (New Site and Blog)

Thistledown Puppets now has an all new website and blog! So go check it out at here. That's where all the action will take place from now on. There is a lot more information about Thistledown Puppets and be sure to take a look at our Services!

Junior the Purple Raccoon

Meet Junior. He is a purple raccon that I recently built for Garrett Hughes of AML Studios in Mobile, Alabama. He was so much fun to build and I know he will get a lot of use.



Here is the design that I was given. It was done by a company called Wacky World in Tampa, Florida. He is definitely the most colorful character I have built. Below are a few more images:

New Logo and Website...Coming soon!

I am pleased to announce that Thistledown Puppets is undergoing a bit of a facelift. I have a new logo and soon there will be a new website--both designed by the amazing Pasha Romanowski of Project Puppet. The new site will be much more informative and much more of a visual feast than the current site. I'm so excited to see Thistledown Puppets grow and I'll keep everyone informed on when the new site goes up!

More Mr. Toad

Here are a few more photos of Mr. Toad in progress:


Here's our man being fitted for his dapper vest.




I built up his "eye sockets" to give that bulgy feel to his eyes and then used different sized pupils to capture that slightly obsessive look.

We've Got A Finalist!

I just found out a little while ago that Thistledown's very own Mr. Toad made it as one of the 10 finalists in the Project Puppet Once Upon a Puppet contest! He was so fun to build. I'll post some more photos of him soon. He is up against some amazing puppets. Congratulations to all the other finalists! You can go and vote for your favorite puppet here.

Christmas is Coming!

Believe it or not, Christmas is coming around the corner and will be here before you know it. It's my absolute favorite time of year. I am excited because Thistledown will yet again be performing our Christmas Carol show outdoors in Downtown Roanoke at the Dickens of a Christmas festival. The festival takes place every Friday night in December, and there are lots of vendors from street performers to roasted chestnuts to horse-drawn carriage rides. Last year we nearly froze to death one night, but it was worth it--all of those smiling faces watching our show was priceless.
The photo above is of Scrooge's door with the Marley knocker. Yes, Marley is played by a goat, as are most of the characters. We've stayed fairly true to the story with a couple of minor deviations, for humor of course. Below is another shot from the show.


Here Scrooge is talking to Mr. Cratchit(a sheep). This year, however, the old Scrooge is retiring, and a new Mr. Scrooge will make his debut!

Back Home

Well after a long week I am back at home, refreshed and ready to get back to work. I couldn't completely take my mind off of things so I made a sculpture of Francis, my pig puppet, relaxing in the sand. Note his book and something even more important for a pig with fair skin--a bottle of sunblock. It's great to be home and I'll post more project pics in the days to come!