Puppets Magic Studio

Puppets Magic Studio is a design company providing props, costumes and puppets for all areas of the Entertainment Industry. Based in central London, nearby the trendy East end areas of Shoreditch, their team of designers create bespoke props from their dedicated studio.

Often their work is formed from a lightweight material such as foam or latex, allowing flexibility in the facial movements. They then either paint the finished surface to effect or fabricate it in a selection of synthetic furs and fibres. All the work is custom made to high specification provided by the client. At times, the workshop can also design the prop or puppet and at this stage sketches and illustrations are produced, which we later base the three dimensional model on.

The studio's clients and previous projects span a broad spectrum of the entertainment scene, from independent film makers to nationwide broadcasters.

Particular services on offer include:

•     Character design
•     Puppet sculpting and fabrication
•     Props, sets and scenery
•     Mechanical animatronics
•     Puppet consultancy

A puppet can be a useful alternative to other forms of character creation such as animation. Offering tactility in its three-dimensional form, the use of a puppet can offer a greater sense of presence on screen through it’s materiality, particularly when performing alongside an actor. Characters like these can offer an unaffected, naïve personality, which can be an advantageous tool when communicating with sensitive groups like children.

For instance, one project Puppets Magic studio worked on many years ago involved the making of a short film to teach children about staying in hospital and what to expect. They designed a little boy puppet, to talk to one of the nurses and reassure the children about any treatment that may otherwise seem scary. The audience could relate to the friendly, approachable character.

On the other hand, puppets can also target a fresh audience for a commercial brand seeking a new direction. Puppets Magic has recently worked with a company who was marketing an alcoholic beverage. This particular drink was often associated with older people, but the company wanted to rebrand, and target young adults – think festival goers. To this end, they created a furry hand puppet that in some ways seemed naïve and innocent, but in contrast he looked cool and effortless in his design and through the perfomance given by the puppeteer. This character became a mascot for the brand.

Puppets Magic Studio is one of the UK’s leading puppet design companies – check out the website to see a variety of examples and further information.