I volunteered to make some puppets recently for our Sunday school department for a puppet show they were planning to have during a Wednesday night service.  I opened my mouth and told the director of the department that I had read somewhere on how to make Muppets.  As a result of my big mouth and an over active imagination I embarked on a mission that would take several weeks and cost me a couple layers of skin to my finger tips from a close encounter with the hot glue gun.

I started out with those green Styrofoam balls like old ladies use to make flower arrangements.  I bought the next to the largest size they make.  The characters had to be two dogs and a cat.  But in the story line the cat had to transform from a mean nasty looking little cat to a nice loveable kitty. 

I used smaller Styrofoam balls for eyes and glued plastic craft eyes onto them.

The heads were carved and shaped with an exacto knife and sand paper.  I traced my hand to the bottom of the head and cut away a notch for my hand to operate the mouth.  I used card board to make the inside of the mouth, covered with felt and glued into place.

Felt was glued unto the head and the eyes were traced onto the felt and cut out od the felt.  The Styrofoam was craved out for the eyes to rest into.

The hand and the body are sew together and stuffed like a pillow.  The neck is made from scrap felt being sandwiched between the  the cardboard mouth and another piece of card board.