So, I just had a very random/weird idea. People like to make Muppet characters in Blender and other 3D software to be non-muppets by giving them legs (or utilizing their canonical leg design when sitting) and making them do things that muppets can’t do due to limitations of the physical reality muppets have. But in doing so, they lose their mannerisms and characteristics in motion that make the muppets charming. Working with those limitations is part of the whole appeal of puppet shows. So I got to thinking, what if I did the opposite? Make my own muppets and have them act as muppets? Give them rigs that simulate being on an arm, give them hinges in their arms to move with IKs the way muppet arms are moved by rods? Being a major fan of Jim Henson and his work, it would be amazing to do something in 3D that mimicked the greatness of his understanding of puppetry, but fusing it with the wonders of Blender and the possibility of computer animation.
So… spur of the moment beginning to muppets in Blender. Here’s what I have so far on this burst of inspiration:
