HAMBONE HAMBONE HAVE YOU HEARD?

Our marionette version of Sandy Becker's HAMBONE.

(you can see his carved arms & hands, legs & feet in post below)

PUPPETS ENROUTE TO PUPPETS

SAMMY DAVIS Jr. IN CLAY

Thought it'd be fun to post pictures of the puppets and marionettes in various states of almost there.

HAMBONE'S CARVED WOODEN PARTS

ROUGHED-IN, CLAY-HEADED, BOWL-WEARING MOE HOWARD

OFFICIOUS GATE-KEEPER LESTER PERSON

JOE BLOW, MODERN ROCKER/EGOCENTRIC JERK

THE PLVNIKS

(Back right is the body we made for SOUPY SALES)

HOW ABOUT A LITTLE ROOTIE KAZOOTIE?

And BEHIND-THE-SCENES, too. That's my puppet-makin' mentor, PAUL ASHLEY, in the bow-toe on the right.

HEY MICHAEL SPORN!

A big THANK YOU! to top animator MICHAEL SPORN for giving the "Sandy Becker Reimagining" such a great shout out on his blog (which is a smart and vital site featuring the art, animation, and work of the artists working at Michael Sporn Animation. Check it out.)
And we're in good company, too. Along with exciting info about a new POPEYE film, and an update on the latest TIM BURTON project, Michael also remembers Sandy.
Read all about it here:
http://www.michaelspornanimation.com/splog/?p=2190

It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas (Carol)

Hi everyone,
As you know, we're trying to launch a labor-of-love by reimagining. . .

. . . as a DVD for the 21st Century.

We hope that you will pass this info onto everyone you know, and come and join the PUPPET PARTY.

Here is a link to the website:
http://bit.ly/c3HeYf

We just had a big boost with this cool PRESS RELEASE:
http://www.prweb.com/releases/sandy/becker/prweb3758634.htm

And lest we forget, there's the Sandy Becker Christmas Carol FaceBook page:
http://www.facebook.com/CraigMarin#!/pages/Flexitoon-Presents-Sandy-Beckers-Christmas-Carol/331001101212?ref=ts

The more eyes that learn about this project, the greater it's chance of success. The DVD will have something for everyone: heart, style, nostalgia and lot's of laughs. We hope that you will pass this info to friends and family, and mucho thank youse for being part of making it happen!

SANDY BECKERS CHRISTMAS CAROL PROMO

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/jeffpickens/flexitoon-presents-sandy-beckers-christmas-carol?pos=1

GEEBA GEEBA und ME

The Exciting GeebaGeeba Rebirth Continues!
Look here and join the party:
http://flexitoon.blogspot.com/search/label/Sandy%20Becker%27s%20Christmas%20Carol
And come back this week-end for the launch of a new trailer!

ABANDONED PUPPET

Here's a head I sculpted from clay, destroyed before casting, presently lamenting.

FIRST BROCHURE

Right after the Psychedelic Madness of the MARKO PUPPET THEATRE jaunt, my (then) partner Holly Smith and I moved from Northern California to New England.We now dedicated ourselves to Children audiences, and began a heavy but wonderful touring schedule of schools and theatres, while also breaking into commercials and making guest appearances on local television shows.
We called ourselves THE PUPPETEERS and by the time we did puppets on the WGBH series "ALL ABOUT YOU". . .

. . . we had accumulated quite a large puppet family. This is our first brochure.
For more on THE PUPPETEERS, clicketh here:

http://flexitoon.blogspot.com/2009/08/puppeteers-on-parade.html

PUPPETS AT A FLEXHIBITION

From the gallery installation "ART THAT MOVES - - THE WORLD OF FLEXITOON"

Bendheim Gallery/Greenwich Arts Council

CARTOONY VISION

VENTRILOQUIST UNCOVERED!

PAUL WINCHELL was the first artist to get me to fall in love with puppetry. I learned to talk without moving my mouth when I learned to talk.
There have been ventriloquists since the beginning of time. It was vents who were the SHAMANS that made the STONE IDOLS talk. Great trick that.
My friend and legendary Kids-TV Producer CHET DOWLING (Chuck McCann Show, Let's Have Fun, Zacherle) has recently sent me some WOW from his collection of memorablilia. Below is a ventriloquist I never heard of. . .

Here's CHET:
(This is) a very rare Vaudeville ad from around 1900. It is for a Vent named Ver Valin. His specialty was Animatrons. His Father was a Clock Maker and built these life-size characters that were used in the Act. The pictures are amazing when you zoom in on them. I understand they actually got wound up and walked onstage. It must have been incredible back at the turn of the (last) Century to have a five foot four figure walk out on stage with one leg and a pair of crutches. I've been checking to see if any other collector has further info on old Ver Valin.

If anyone has any fill-in-the-blank stuff, please let us know.

Chet sent some other great "ventamabilia" which I'll post soon.

Want to help make this happen?

it's easy!

All you gotta do is click here:

http://bit.ly/c3HeYf