PUPPET BUILDING

Many places sell foam: fabric shops, camping supply stores, military surplus stores. Most will have only urethane foam. Be careful when purchasing urethane foam. It has a life of about 5 years before it starts to dry out and turn into powder. The foam may be dark yellow or tan around the edges. That is normal. If it is dark all over or if you get a powdery residue when you rub your hand across it, it has probably been on the shelf for quite some time and whatever you make out of old foam won't last very long. The best place to get urethane foam is Bob's Foam Factory in Fremont, California, USA. You need to ask for Crosslink Foam by name when you order because they don't list it on their web site. If you're not near Fremont, California, don't worry; they'll ship foam anywhere... I began my puppetry career building high quality puppets for use in live theater, television and video performances. The only puppets I build now are for my own projects.