Check out this little guy built by Larry Merrill. We really liked the simple style and the back story for this character.

“TrillBee The Troll lives beneath the bridge between HereanNow and ThereanThen. He was the runt of his litter - much smaller than any of his seven brothers - so his mother babied and coddled him and never taught him the rough and rowdy ways of typical trolls. Guarding the passage of his bridge, TrillBee demands one thing from those passing by - they MUST make him laugh! Be it a funny joke, silly slapstick or a goofy face, if TrillBee so much as cracks a toothy smile, the toll is paid.”

As mentioned previously, we received 28 entries total for this year’s contest. Everyone did an excellent job, and hopefully had some fun in the process. There were so many great characters, some receiving votes from one or more of the judges, that didn’t make it to the final round. We’ll be sharing some of those entries right here on the blog during the voting period…starting now!

Meet Lisa Reyna’s version of the Troll from The Three Billy Goats Gruff. The description reads:

“Clip-Clop, Clip-Clop”
How I wish that noise would stop!
How I hate those billy goats,
I’d like to turn them into coats!
Every night and every day,
Across my bridge they run and play.
Just as sure as the evening falls,
Those goats come runnin’ out them stalls.
To graze on the grass on the other side.

Lisa’s troll received two out of five votes from the judges. Great work Lisa!

At last, the judges have cast their vote and have narrowed the 28 entries for the “Once Upon a Puppet” Contest down to the top ten. Now it’s your turn to vote for your favorite!

The voting period will end in three weeks (October 14, 2007) so spread the word! In the meantime, be sure to check back on the blog. We’ll be posting pictures of some of the other entries to the contest. We received lots of great characters and would to like to thank all who participated this year. So what are you waiting for…

GO VOTE!

Last, but certainly not least, we are glad to welcome James Wojtal to the panel of judges for this years contest. James is an outstanding talent as both a puppet builder (hand puppets and marionettes) and performer (not to mention many other skills) and he has the experience to match! Just a brief look at his resumé and you’ll see names like Avenue Q, Bear in the Big Blue House, Crank Yankers, Saturday Night Live, Sesame Street, and the Muppets. He’s currently working with Monkey Boys Productions.

Take a look at a sampling of James’ work on his portfolio website. You may also find this interview with James interesting as well. James talks a bit about the steps of his puppet building process in Part 5 of the interview, surely a subject of particular interest if you are reading this blog. You can also check out his YouTube page with some fantastic behind the scenes videos and much more!

James built and performed the chicken puppets for several Ruby Tuesday commercials like this one.

James working on Nim Nim from Sesame Street Egypt.

Thanks again to James for helping out with the Once Upon A Puppet Contest!

To keep everyone updated, we’ve received votes from three of the judges so far. The judges have even taken the time to comment on some of the entries. We’ll be sharing the judges’ encouraging comments (via email) with the creators of each character, once the top ten finalists are posted.

For now, however, we’d like to thank yet another fantastic puppet performer and builder that has returned as judge for this years contest, Sean Johnson.

If you want to see one the best puppet shows west of the Mississippi, look no further than Swazzle! The stories are entertaining, the puppets are awesome, and the puppeteering is top-notch. Why? Because there is a great group of talented folks behind Swazzle, one of which is Sean Johnson. Sean began building puppets and performing shows at age 13. Professionally he has trained with Kevin Clash and former Muppeteer Michael Earl.

In 2006, Sean built puppets for the Jim Henson Company under the guidance of Muppet builder Jane Gootnik for the new puppet improv show Puppet Up. Pictured above is Herman, one of the characters built by Sean and appearing in the show. Sean also performed for Puppet Up. Check out this clip to see Sean in action.

Phil Fletcher is a fantastic puppet builder and puppeteer from the UK, and has graced us once again with his presence as a judge for the contest this year. Phil has been building puppets for nearly 20 years and his experience certainly shines through. He is a full-time puppeteer and the man behind The Gluvets, touring the UK and performing shows in amusement parks and theaters.

Phil has also recently started posting video of his puppet characters in action. His performances are truly inspiring! He not only builds great characters, but knows how to bring those characters to life through his performance. Check out Phil’s videos on YouTube. If you are in the market for a puppet character, and want a well-crafted puppet packed with personality, Phil takes commissions! Take a look at his original characters as well as some great Muppet replicas here.

Project Puppet is also glad to have Canadian builder and puppeteer Kanja Chen return as judge for this year’s contest. Kanja is a great puppet builder and an exceptionally talented puppeteer. He has a wonderfully impressive resumé and has been very involved in the puppetry community for the past few years.

Maurice (built by Kanja) seen here on the set of Avenue Q. Read more here.

In 2003, Kanja built two puppets and performed for CTV’s The Eleventh Hour. He’s worked on a host of other projects, including a few TLN commercial spots and, more recently, on the set of the Nickelodeon/CBC Television production of Mr. Meaty. You may also get a glimpse of Kanja’s work online at dotBoom, an online puppet web series (not for the kiddies), where he puppeteers characters Mojo and Dostoyevsky.

Besides all that, Kanja owns his own company, Chensational Productions, and is founder of the international puppetry news blog Puppet Buzz. He is also currently working on ChimpTV, which is scheduled for an official launch the first of next year.

While the entries are being narrowed to the final top ten of the Once Upon A Puppet Contest, we thought it would be a great time to talk about the absolutely fantastic panel of judges this year, a truly stellar group of very talented “puppet people”.

First on the list, Jarrod Boutcher! Jarrod is a wonderful puppet builder and performer from Australia. We are delighted to have him return as one of the judges this year. Jarrod really knows how to, not only build a puppet, but create a character, and has been doing so for as long as he can remember. He has been selling his creations for the past twelve years through eBay auctions (check out jbpuppets) or direct commissions (see this post). He was also commissioned, in the not too distant past, to build two puppets for the producers of the Broadway musical Avenue Q for a Broadway Cares auction.

Being self-taught, Jarrod is certainly an inspiration to first-time puppet builders and professional builders alike. Check out Jarrod’s site - Jarrod Boutcher Puppets. His original characters are great, not to mention some of the best Muppet replicas on the planet! Not only that, but he also briefly shares his building process.

Be sure to visit our contest sponsor - Puppeteers Unite!

As you know August 31, 2007 was the entry deadline for the Once Upon A Puppet Contest. We received 28 entries from around the globe. We were glad to see some returning participants (from last year’s Glorified Sock Puppet Contest) as well as some new puppet builders submit their fairytale themed characters.

The entries have been prepared and have been sent to the five preselected judges, Jarrod Boutcher of Jarrod Boutcher Puppets, Kanja Chen of Chensational Puppets, Phil Fletcher of The Gluvets Puppet Workshop, Sean Johnson of Swazzle and the Puppet 101 Blog, and James Wojtal, Designer, Puppet Builder, and Puppeteer.

Once the judges have voted, the top ten finalists will be posted on Project Puppet for the public to vote.

Thanks to all those that submitted their creations for the contest and also to the panel of judges. We’ll keep you updated!