Ventriloquist Figure Clothing

Posted on December 18, 2009 by Webmaster

Tis the season for purchasing dress clothing for your ventriloquist figures. There are only two holidays during the year when I know for sure that you will find complete suits for your figures and those are Christmas and Easter. Well right now in The stores like TJ Max, Marshalls, Kohls, Target and JC Penny you can find suits that actually have a coat and not just a vest. They all seem to sell them in size 2T through 5T which are the sizes that most of the ventriloquist figures wear.

Once you have your new suit you have to then decide if you are going to put your hand under the clothing or through same. I myself have no problem cutting through a new suit but if the apparel happens to be vintage then I won’t cut it up.

If you are going to cut, then one item you will want to get ( rob your wife’s sewing box ) , is a pinking shear. This is a scissors that cuts the cloth in little triangle shapes along the cut. This keeps the fabric from fraying. After making the cut which should be centered to the vent figures body you can then fold the fabric in and either hand bast with needle and thread or you can glue using fabric glue. This keeps the cut nice and neet. The length of the cut can be around 8″ long and if centered will give you perfect ease to the conrol stick.

Sometimes the sleeves are a bit too long and I have found that if you pull up under the arm, some of the fabric and then use a safety pin to hold it, the sleeve will look right and you need not actually cut and have to re hem the sleeve.

The length of pants are very easy to adjust as well. from the bottom rolled under and again fabric glue works really well or you can roll the waistband. It is hidden from the jacket so you won’t see the roll.

Just a few tips I have found in dressing the figures in the Ventriloquist Central Collection.

Dan
www.ventriloquistcentral.com

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Dan Willinger is a ventriloquism enthusiast and ventriloquist figure collector. He has been collecting for over 25 years. He created the Ventriloquist Central Collection. It now has over 100 ventriloquist figures and over 50 of them are Frank Marshall figures. Because of his love for the art of ventriloquism, Mr. Willinger created the website Ventriloquist Central. For more information about the website, go to: http://www.ventriloquistcentral.com

Copyright 2009 by Dan Willinger

NOTE: You may use this blog article provided you run it with the bio box intact. Please email a copy of your publication with the blog article in it to: webmaster@ventriloquistcentral.com

Posted in Ventriloquism/Ventriloquist, Ventriloquist Central, Ventriloquist Figures | 1 Comment

Coming Soon to Ventriloquist Central Collection

Posted on December 17, 2009 by Webmaster

Hanukkah is almost over and I have not received a figure every day as I had hoped and also as requested I did not give out ventriloquist figures but I will admit that after the holiday is over I will be sharing some fine acquisitions that have been made for the Ventriloquist Central Collection.

I am always hunting for those gems and I did decide that the pieces I received were a must. I know it isn’t fair for me to talk in unknowns but until I have everything photographed and the write ups done I really didn’t want to say much. I will tell you that there will be another full page added to the tribute pages because of these acquisitions and that alone makes me happy.

Suffice it to say there seems there is always something arriving here at the Ventriloquist Central Collection and soon you will see some great additions. Stay tuned.

Dan
www.ventriloquistcentral.com

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Dan Willinger is a ventriloquism enthusiast and ventriloquist figure collector. He has been collecting for over 25 years. He created the Ventriloquist Central Collection. It now has over 100 ventriloquist figures and over 50 of them are Frank Marshall figures. Because of his love for the art of ventriloquism, Mr. Willinger created the website Ventriloquist Central. For more information about the website, go to: http://www.ventriloquistcentral.com

Copyright 2009 by Dan Willinger

NOTE: You may use this blog article provided you run it with the bio box intact. Please email a copy of your publication with the blog article in it to: webmaster@ventriloquistcentral.com

Posted in Dummy Collecting, Ventriloquism/Ventriloquist, Ventriloquist Central, Ventriloquist Figures | 2 Comments

Silence That Ventriloquist Mouth

Posted on December 16, 2009 by Webmaster

OK that is not you, the ventriloquist, it is meant for the clacking sound that we sometimes hear when a ventriloquist is performing with his figure and the mouth is banging and making noise.

Sometimes this happens because the spring is very tight but for the most part it is a matter of learning how to control the movement of the palate. You really have to find the sweet spot of the throw of the lever so you don’t make the mouth clack.

A good remedy if you find this hard to do is the use of a buffer inside the mouth. You can purchase white felt pads that are sticky on one side, paint it to match the color of the inside of the mouth and that will usually buffer the sound.

Of course the old statement is always best ” Practice Makes Perfect”.

Dan
www.ventriloquistcentral.com

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Dan Willinger is a ventriloquism enthusiast and ventriloquist figure collector. He has been collecting for over 25 years. He created the Ventriloquist Central Collection. It now has over 100 ventriloquist figures and over 50 of them are Frank Marshall figures. Because of his love for the art of ventriloquism, Mr. Willinger created the website Ventriloquist Central. For more information about the website, go to: http://www.ventriloquistcentral.com

Copyright 2009 by Dan Willinger

NOTE: You may use this blog article provided you run it with the bio box intact. Please email a copy of your publication with the blog article in it to: webmaster@ventriloquistcentral.com

Posted in Ventriloquism/Ventriloquist, Ventriloquist Central, Ventriloquist Figures | 3 Comments

Puppets On TV – From Bob Abdou

Posted on December 15, 2009 by Webmaster

Once again, Bob Abdou (Mr. Puppet) has sent us more information:

 

THE PUPPETS TAKE OVER ON THE 1000TH EPISODE
OF “THE LATE LATE SHOW with CRAIG FERGUSON,”
TUESDAY, DEC. 15

Milestone Episode Features Interviews with Kristen Bell, Maria Bello and
Jason Schwartzman, Plus a Television Debut Performance by Jason Segel (“How I Met Your Mother”), His Puppet Dracula and The Broken West

Wavy Is Host of The Show But Where Is Craig Ferguson?

Those incorrigible bags o’ fun, THE LATE LATE SHOW puppets, will take over the show for the 1000th episode of THE LATE LATE SHOW with CRAIG FERGUSON on Tuesday, Dec. 15.

Wavy, the crocodile puppet, will serve as the host of the show as he welcomes guests Kristen Bell, Maria Bello and Jason Schwartzman. The musical guest is a performance of “Dracula’s Lament” by Jason Segel with his puppet, Dracula, from the film “Forgetting Sarah Marshal” and the band The Broken West.

THE LATE LATE SHOW with CRAIG FERGUSON regularly airs weeknights (12:37-1:37 AM, ET/PT) following broadcasts of the “Late Show with David Letterman” on the CBS Television Network. THE LATE LATE SHOW is executive produced by Peter Lassally.

 

Thanks, Bob for letting us know.

 

Dan
www.ventriloquistcentral.com

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Dan Willinger is a ventriloquism enthusiast and ventriloquist figure collector. He has been collecting for over 25 years. He created the Ventriloquist Central Collection. It now has over 100 ventriloquist figures and over 50 of them are Frank Marshall figures. Because of his love for the art of ventriloquism, Mr. Willinger created the website Ventriloquist Central. For more information about the website, go to: http://www.ventriloquistcentral.com

Copyright 2009 by Dan Willinger

NOTE: You may use this blog article provided you run it with the bio box intact. Please email a copy of your publication with the blog article in it to: webmaster@ventriloquistcentral.com

Posted in Puppetry, Ventriloquism/Ventriloquist, Ventriloquist Central | 2 Comments

Perceived Value

Posted on December 14, 2009 by Webmaster

One of our regular contributors, Bob Abdou (Mr. Puppet) sent this in a couple of years ago and I thought it was well worth repeating.

 

Perceived Value
By Bob Abdou

A man wants to go into the shoe business, so he buys shoes for a $1.00 and sells them for 50 cents. He can not keep the shoes in his store long because everybody wants them, he is constantly buying more shoes for $1.00 and keeps selling them for 50 cents. One day, an accountant walks in and says to the man “how can you stay in business when you buy shoes for $1.00 and sell them for 50 cents?”. His reply was “VOLUME”!!

This story can be applied to performing full time or even on a daily basis if you have another job besides entertaining. Many ventriloquists ( I am using ventriloquist since this is a vent website story) think that lowering their cost will get them more work. That is true, folks do book by cost but not many. In my years of doing vent I have found that the quality of the show and getting to the gig early is what customers really want. There are a few vents that boast about how busy they are only because they are charging way below standards. Yes, they are busy, Yes, they are making money (some money) Yes, they are getting the art of ventriloquism out there for all to see. BUT, yes there is a downfall to this and the wording is Perceived Value.

If you are the cheapest in town then you are not known for being a great vent, you are known as being “the cheap performer”. Cutting costs and lowering your price just to get work will eventually drain your pocketbook/wallet, It will drain you physically but it will also drain you emotionally. Once a vent runs out of gas emotionally, well………you will always be tired and have terrible lip control. Now you are known as “the cheapest performer with terrible lip control”

Here is a thought on Perceived Value…if you charge a client $150 for a show, you will carry your own bags into the building. If you charge the client $500, the client will carry your bags in for you. No it does not make sense but this is what happens in the real world. Respect for the art of vent is not just doing every show that is out there.
Vent does not fit into EVERY situation. A real pro will know what works and what doesn’t. If you have to ask yourself will vent work for this situation, it usually means it doesn’t and you are trying to fit a square peg into a round hole. Trying to force ventriloquism into every situation will only “disrespect” the art and make it a mockery. Now you are known as “the cheapest performer with terrible lip control and a doofus”

How does a person like this stay in business??? VOLUME!!
Bob Abdou
www.mrpuppet.com

Thanks, Bob for a great article.

Dan
www.ventriloquistcentral.com

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Dan Willinger is a ventriloquism enthusiast and ventriloquist figure collector. He has been collecting for over 25 years. He created the Ventriloquist Central Collection. It now has over 100 ventriloquist figures and over 50 of them are Frank Marshall figures. Because of his love for the art of ventriloquism, Mr. Willinger created the website Ventriloquist Central. For more information about the website, go to: http://www.ventriloquistcentral.com

Copyright 2009 by Dan Willinger

NOTE: You may use this blog article provided you run it with the bio box intact. Please email a copy of your publication with the blog article in it to: webmaster@ventriloquistcentral.com

Posted in Ventriloquism/Ventriloquist, Ventriloquist Central | 4 Comments