How to make a foam puppet & what kinds of foam to use

Like my post on human puppets or what materials to use when making a puppet, there’s no hard and fast rules as to what to use when building a puppet or even how to build it. Most people equate foam puppets with muppet-type puppets, but actually foam puppets can really be any type of puppet - foam is light and easy to use, so it can be used for marionettes, rod puppets, and so on. Before I explain what types of foam to use when building puppets, first I’m going to discuss a couple of myths; and at the bottom I give some suggestions as to where to find foam near you.

Common myth: foam puppets = muppet-type puppets

As you can see, it’s not so much about the use of foam of the puppet that matters, but the method of operation. Any puppet can be made out of foam: but not every puppet will suit your performance styles or techniques. Many marionette builders even use foam as a basis for their puppets, and foam can be great for rod or table-top puppets, or the basis of blacklight ones; foam can be dyed or painted, as well as covered in fabric. Well-known American puppeteer, Hobey Ford, has some of the most fluidly moving foam rod puppets I’ve ever seen; check out his site and look for the whales.

Trying to use "foam puppets" or "how to make foam puppets" as a search term will not give you very specific results because of the above reasons. What you’re most likely looking for is information on making muppet-type puppets, which are often called "foam puppets" in order to avoid copyright infringements. So, if you want to make a foam puppet, first figure out what type of puppet you want to use. Here’s a list of puppet types, which link off to their explanatory posts.

Foam is often used in puppet building because it’s light, easy to obtain, easy to work with and can provide the basis for a myriad of characters. And there are many ways to build with foam, whether it’s with sheet or blocks (explained below). This post mainly deals with what kinds of foam to use, and I will likely add other posts in order to deal with various building methods.

Common myth: polystyrene or "styrofoam"

You’ll often see a lot of websites touting styrofoam (it’s actually polystyrene or packing foam that they refer to, like the stuff that comes in computer boxes or is used for foam cups) as a good material when making puppets. There’s a very valid reason why puppet makers don’t use it often: it’s not durable. Carving polystyrene is near impossible, as the foam breaks apart too easily. For the same reason, when in use, any puppet made of polystyrene will wear out too quickly - or break apart on first use. So leave polystyrene alone, and use one of the other, better foams out there¹.

What foams to use for puppets

Puppet makers mostly recommend "reticulated foam", "polyfoam" or by the brand name, "Scott foam". However, I’ve found that most people who supply foam don’t know what I’m talking about when I use the word reticulated. So let’s use the official language of the people who make foams. Doing research for writing this up, I discovered that it’s hard to pin down the name: suppliers I’ve talked to or read have called one foam one thing, whilst another supplier calls it something else, and likewise amongst the puppeteers. Not knowing anything about foam, I asked around and got a fabulous response from Andrew at PuppetVision (I added some links for clarity):

This confused me for years, but after learning from some chemists and talking to companies that actually manufacture foam, I think I can give you a pretty definitive answer. Really, there are only two types of foam - open cell foam and closed cell foam. Every type and brand of foam fits under one of those two categories.

Open cell foam has an "open" structure and is usually very soft and pliable. One characteristic of it is that it contains pores that can be filled with a liquid (like water) or gas (like air). For example, synthetic dish sponges are made from open cell foam, which is why they can absorb water. Open cell foams are reticulated, which just means they are structured like a web or a net. What is commonly called "reticulated foam" in puppet building circles is actually industrial filter foam that is usually manufactured to make filters for air conditioners as mentioned above. What’s often called "Polyfoam" (short for polyurethane foam) is the type of foam rubber that couch cushions and mattresses get made from. Technically speaking they are both open cell foam and therefore reticulated foam.

Closed cell foam does not have pores and is usually stronger and harder than open cell foam. An example of a closed cell foam is L200/400/600 foam, which is known to many people as "craft foam" or "Foamie" when it’s sold in thin sheets [I use Foamies in my muppet-type puppet patterns here and here as the basis for mouth plates]. As I think Shawn mentioned, closed cell foams are typically used for marine applications because it floats and does not absorb water because of it’s "closed cell" structure. Pool noodles are manufactured from closed cell foam and it’s also used to make life jackets.

EVA stands for Ethylene-vinyl acetate, which is used to make lots of things like wetsuits, hot glue, and even body bags. It’s a type of polymer (technically, it’s a copolymer) that can be used to make foam, so all "EVA foam" means is that it’s a foam made from EVA. All of the EVA foams I’ve ever seen are closed cell foams, although it’s probably possible to manufacture an open cell foam using EVA, which might explain the confusion.

Ok, now we know what kinds of foam we’re talking about. But there’s a bit more detail to this: whatever foam you get, you can most likely obtain it in two forms, sheet or block. And this is not to mention that other kinds of foam can be used too (see below, ‘block foam’).

Foam sheet is cut and glued together to form the puppet’s body.

Sheet foam

There are many reasons why you might want to use sheet foam. However, it’s most commonly used with muppet-type puppets. What do I mean by sheet foam? Why, exactly what it sounds like! Sheets are often anywhere from a few millimetres to centimetres (0.1 inches to an inch or more) thick. It can also be in large sheets, or small ones, depending on your supplier. This means you can cut out pieces of foam, glue them together, and create three-dimensional forms; leaving a hollow space inside to make the puppet lighter, or for room for hands to manipulate the puppet. For instance, Jim Henson used what’s known as a ‘three-piece’ method of building puppet heads. Three pieces of sheet foam are cut out; then they are glued together along the edges. It’s exactly the same method I use in my muppet-type puppet patterns here and here. As you can see from the picture on the left, you can also use it to make bodies, arms, legs, and so on. Any shape can be made, think of it like origami but using foam instead of paper - you can even improvise making puppets with foam using a ‘nip and tuck method‘. Before I continue, here’s some basic stats:

• Most puppet makers prefer 1/4 to 1/2 inch thickness for sheet foam
• You can get the foams in different densities, measured in pressure per square inch (PSI)
• No matter what you choose, density/thickness/type of foam, puppet makers have their own preferences, and they do vary

Block foam

As with sheet foam, the name says it all. Block foam is simply blocks of foam! Puppet makers prefer using block foam when they want to use complicated mechanisms (ie. blinking eyes), because it’s easier to rest/house a mechanism on a block of foam rather than figuring out a way to attach it to a hollow sheet-foam head. They may also simply prefer the process of carving. (On the other hand, it is messy to carve foam) It’s also fairly easy to find, because you can buy blocks of foam for pillows, beds, etc. via your local craft/fabrics store. (As with sheet foam, you can get it in different densities, etc) But there’s another potential downside, and that is you can get more facial expressions and movement out of sheet foam, since it is more flexible.

However, that’s only in discussing muppet-type puppets. Block foam can be incredibly useful for a range of other puppet types, such as rod or table-top puppets, marionettes (cover foam with papier mache), or use in blacklight (foam can be dyed or painted; although foam does deteriorate over time faster if left uncovered, as foam oxygenates and turns yellow). I took a workshop in 2009 with Fratello Marionettes where floral styrofoam was used as the basis for marionette, although closed-cell foam can also be used.

Where to get foam

Although mainly aimed at Americans, Puppets and Stuff has an excellent forum area with lists of foam suppliers. (P&S also have a foam Q&A section, manned by a foam company!) If you’re not from that country, you can ask there (or other puppet forums) for suggestions. Many puppet sellers also offer supplies, so it could be easier to find a puppeteer who sells foam. Australians can find my list of recommended stores for puppet supplies here. No matter where you are, looking up industrial manufacturers of foams will turn up some useful people to contact.

Now that you now what foams to use, let’s talk about glues. [link to be added]

¹Shawn Sorrell from Puppets and Stuff commented that this section isn’t quite correct and I kind of agree with him. As I say in each post on what materials to use, there isn’t one right answer or one correct material to use. There are circumstances when using polystyrene might work for you; however the main aim for this post was to discuss muppet-type puppets, as that’s where/when most people will use foam. This is a large site, and I haven’t even begun talking about more than the basics. If I had to write an article for every material out there, I’d quickly run out of time. I’m not dismissing people just because they use polystyrene or styrofoam, simply suggesting that you have to assess what kinds of materials are best suited to your puppet, as many hobbyists, teachers or parents who write free puppet tutorials are often not aware of the pitfalls of certain materials; at least, not as much as the professional puppet makers are. This myth is more about the general public being misled as to the nuance of puppetry, as it is slapping down someone for using a material that in certain cases is perfectly fine to work with.

This post AKA making puppets from foam, AKA what foam is used to make puppets, AKA Reticulated Polyfoam, AKA free foam puppet pattern, AKA foam puppet patterns