38" Silly Monkey, Wrap Around Waist, Ventriloquist Style Puppet

The media could not be loaded. This is my first ventriloquist puppet. I don't know a lot about them, but I feel like this is made very well and it was extremely easy to learn how to articulate the Puppet in a lifelike way. At first it was hard for me to open and close his mouth properly because the bottom jaw has no rigid parts. So I cut a thick piece of cardboard out in the shape of the lower jaw and slid it in side the puppet so my four fingers rest on the upper jaw and my thumb controls the lower jaw and it moves perfectly now with a piece that the thumb can grasp onto oh, if that makes sense. This is the first time I've used a pop it like this but it's been a blast as you can see in my video! Yeah, I'm no Jeff Dunham, but I know I will have years of fun ahead of me when me and my son play with this Puppet. Highly recommended!

I much prefer this monkey (38" Silly Monkey) over one I purchased earlier (and returned - The Puppet Company - Medium Primates - Chimp Toy, Black). The Silly Monkey has a humorous face and the long arms and legs attach around your body to give the monkey a very realistic look. I had one of these decades ago and was glad I could find another to entertain my granddaughter.

Mostly pleased with this puppet. My first grade students really enjoy when I use "Pat." I likev how I can move his soft mouth in different positions to show emotions better than many puppets that have flat hard mouths. I think that the metal rod controlling the hand is glued on at the wrong angle. It makes waving "bye-bye" very awkward! :-P

My nine-year old grandson included a ventriloquist doll on his wish list for Christmas. This monkey is not your ordinary doll! "Mr. Bananas" was a hit! The way his legs connect with Velcro made it easy for a young, aspiring entertainer to manage. Absolutely adorable!

Ordered this for my daughter who loved it. Well made and easy to use.

Yes, the monkey does seem to be very slightly cross eyed. But I think it gives it character.The fake fur is a lovely golden brown and overall well made. I did a bit of vent work before my stroke and I believe this puppet will help me enjoy doing it again. Very pleased.

SECOND UPDATE: I purchased two more so we could do a group project. The newer ones were not as good and had very crooked eyes, and uneven faces (eye brows, eye sockets mis-matched). No reply from seller when I asked for a trade. Did some modifications so they work good now.ORIGINAL REVIEWIt's described as 38-inches, which is technically accurate, but the body of the puppet is the same size as a much smaller puppet, it just has disproportionately long arms and legs. Also, the arms and legs have no stuffing, just the fabric, so they hang like a limp noodle, making if very hard to use the arm wand to get any articulate movement. Other than that, the sewing is great, and the face has great character that is a lot of fun to work with.Pros-Great face-mouth is firm enough to be easy to operate, but flexible enough to put some expression into. (I later added some reinforcing to the inside of the mouth to give it more structure).Cons-short body, only covers about 3/4 of my forearm.-no stuffing in arms making it look baggy and hard to manipulate or pose.-pupils on eyes are a bit crooked, making it hard to tell where it's looking.UPDATE: I successfully added some strips of foam to the arms and legs to give them a little more heft, and now he gestures great with the arm wand. I also spliced in an extra piece of fur to his neck to make him a bit taller to cover my arm, and it gives him great head movement. I took off the painted black pupils and glued on 5/8" doll eyes.

Snappin' Grannies do original music and videos and this little guy will be a star! I have really become attached to him!