Ihave been in contact with a young man now for several months. He entertains for his Church and has been working with me getting a stage figure ready for him.

He was shipped out on Tuesday and will probably receive him today. Malcom is making the transition from conversion figure to stage figure. He is planning on entertaining large groups and wanted several animations. We put together this fellow for him. Blinkers and raising eybrows have been added over several different contacts with him, so this guy has morphed into what he is now. I hope he is everything you want him to be Malcom. Keep in touch!

critics

I go through these "forums" occasionally to see what these "professional ventrioloquists" are talking about. Some of them are great, they share information, help each other out.

One in particular likes to berate people. When people just starting out ask what they should buy, they are met with "don't buy a converted toy" you'll develope bad habits"

They just don't get it. Alot of people don't have 500 dollars to shell out to buy a "professional figure" (a term I get a kick out of) They want something they can practice with and even suggest themselves about getting a conversion figure. They are met with "don't waste your money" buy from this guy. No thought at all to the newbies who then, in cases I have seen right on the blog, disappear off the radar.

These "professionals" do a disservice to their community. Conversion figures are the best to start with. If you are entertaining friends and family, they go over great. I have used them for years in my act and the kids love them. Little kids are afraid of the larger figures. I own 20 stage figures(the larger ones) six of which I made myself. When you entertain on a stage, you need a stage figure. (the proper terminology for the larger figures)

It's not everyone on that forum, just several "know it alls" who have put it upon themselves to be judge and jury of what is right and what isn't.

Do yourself a favor, don't listen to anyone. Get what you like and what you can afford. They are all good figure makers. The conversion figure makers and the "professional" figure makers.

Ventriloquism is a great form of personal as well as audience entertainment. It brings happiness to the lives of the sick or lonely, it is a great teaching aid and it is a great accomplishment when you master it.

Enjoy the art, and don't get caught up in this holier than thou stuff on these blogs. As I have said before, a community that diminishes it's own, diminishes period!

Anyone needing help in this art, figure making or repairs, feel free to email me anytime at gepettosworkshop@yahoo.com I am here to help. Not to criticize. I am also easy to talk to and will not intimidate like the forum I am talking about. Thank you for the questions and comments . Keep them coming!

Be the best person you can be

My wife tells me we are in a retrograde Mercury. For anyone that doesn't know what that means, it is an astrological term and basically (at least to me) means whatever can go wrong, will go wrong. So far it has.

I have been trying to get orders finished and my wife and I both came down with something. Needless to say I am behind in my work.

I had someone tell me the other day " I'm a Christian, so I'll wait till tomorrow to say what I want to say". I still haven't been able to figure that one out. I guess he didn't want to yell at me which is something Christians aren't supposed to do. He wouldn't give me a chance to resolve the problem we had between us which is something else Christians do.

True Christians work out their differences. They don't need to threaten to get their point across AND..... Christians are forgiving. Christian means Christlike.

So all you "Christians" who use this phrase, try being like him not using his name to get a point across! If you have something to say by all means say it! That is another Christian trait. Honesty!

Sorry, I had to get that off my chest. I am not a miracle worker and sometimes make mistakes. If I say it will be done and it isn't, it is something I couldn't help. If there is an issue, I will gladly take care of it. Just give me the opportunity. I try to follow in his footsteps the best I can. That's what we are all supposed to do.

I have a Charlie tribute on ebay this week as well as a Jerry Mahoney. The Charlie was a special order and the person had a family emergency and couldn't pay for him SOOOOOOOOO he is now on ebay. I don't plan on making another one, so he is it.

The emails have been slowing up lately so I just want to remind everyone why I started this blog. I have been a ventriloquist and figure maker for many years and I am here to help anyone with any questions they might have pertaining to figure making, ventriloquism or figure repairs.

I look forward to helping any and all from people becoming interested to fellow veterans. my email address is gepettosworkshop@yahoo.com Hope you all have a great week!

Dr 90210

I finished the repair on Mr. Horn's Selberg. Apparently, he got in a staring contest with the dog and lost.....

His hands and nose were pretty chewed up as the pics show. Here he is with his new nose. Unfortunately, I forgot to take a picture of the hand after i finished it. Maybe Mr. Horn will be able to send me one for my file. Thanks for the photos Tony. Much appreciated.

Here is a picture of Tony with his Selberg.

Nose job

I recently did a repair on a Selberg figure. Tim's work is absolutely amazing. The mechanics inside his heads look like they were designed by an engineer. This guy had all the bells and whistles. blinkers,winkers,cross eyes,raising and lowering eyebrows.... unbelievable!

His figures are top of the line and his prices reflect that. The amount of work that goes into a figure like this is mind boggling. Here are some pictures of the inside of his head.

All of othe mechanics are rod operated. No strings. These figures are built to last forever.

I have seen the inside of many figures heads over the years. This one amazed me.

My wife and I have been busy filling orders this past week. The only down side of that is missing some of this beautiful fall weather. My father came over Saturday and broke us away for dinner at Applebees. The side tracking dinner was just what we needed to get back into the swing of things and get a fresh start Sunday. It was great spending the afternoon with family. Isn't that what it's all about anyway?