I’m an independent filmmaker and puppeteer in Toronto, Canada who blogs about puppetry and film.
Plato is a little blue alien created to promote Sony’s Walkman brand. “Plato” is a blue alien character created for a series of Sony Walkman ads (watch them here and here). It’s always a little hard to tell watching heavily compressed video on YouTube, but I’m pretty sure he was realized as a Bunraku-style puppet....
This commercial is another interesting (odd?) use of puppetry from Japan. Badly performed puppets starring in a commercial for zero calorie gelatin in Japan (I have no idea). Via Japan...
Burger King Germany’s “99ers” campaign features marionettes. This is a new commercial for Burger King in Germany that features marionettes. The puppets in the ad were built by Hornet Inc. and performed by James Godwin, Tim Lagasse and Steve...
Black/White is a stark, monochromatic video that blends shadow puppets and animation. To promote their spring and summer collections this year, Gap commissioned five original songs based on a specific color and a corresponding video for each. My favourite of these is Black / White, which features a song by Danish post-punk duo The Raveonettes...
Bunraku puppets are used to sell bug killer in Japan. When trying to invent ways to sell bug killer I’m not sure that Bunraku puppets would be the first thing to jump in to my head. Then again, I don’t live in...
This stain from Tide To Go’s popular “Talking Stain” commercial was performed by Flexitoon Puppets. When I first saw this talking stain commercial for the “Tide To Go” stain remover last year I mistakenly assumed it had been done with CG. It wasn’t. Turns out it was good `ol fashioned puppetry by Flexitoon Puppets (you...
A marionette shopping for a laptop? Just another day at Best Buy apparently. This is Best Buy marionette commercial was made back in 2004, but I only recently discovered it. Does anyone know who did...
A monster puppet stars in a recent commercial for Weight Watchers’ Momentum Program. I love Hungry, the mascot of the Weight Watchers’ Momentum Program. We’re seeing a lot of this kind of thing in commercials and music videos and I think that this style of performing is probably the future of puppetry in film and...
Puppets dance and sing to promote cable TV services in a recent commercial for Optimum. This is a great TV commercial for Optimum, which is a regional cable company that serves the New York/tristate area if I’m not mistaken. It that features some really nice Bunraku-style puppetry, but I can’t help noticing that several of...
Brains – from the classic British series Thunderbirds – is featured in a new viral ad for Drench bottled water in the UK. One of the latest viral sensations on YouTube is an ad for Drench Bottled Water in the UK featuring Brains (one of the characters from Gerry Anderson’s classic Thunderbirds TV series) dancing...
A chicken puppet gets Photoshopped for Foster Farms. Foster Farms: Transformation cleverly promotes Foster Farm’s “Fosters Imposters” campaign by spoofing the famous Dove “Evolution” ad. The chickens in the ad were created by The Character Shop. Special thanks to Paul for the...
Puppets appear in a television commercial for Taco Bueno. Taco Bueno – a chain of Tex-Mex-style Mexican restaurants that operates in the southern U.S. – produced this cute puppet...