Naming Your Puppets

Ok here's the deal. I think it's kind of lame to give your puppet characters a name thet BEGINS with the same letter as the kind of animal he/she is. E.G Leo the Lion, Charlie the Chimp, Chris the Crocodile. I know that it is a tried and tested formula but I still think it sucks arse. It shows a complete lack of imagination and above all isn't really releasing any comedy potential or for that matter any creative thinking from your audience at all.

When the audience hears you say a name like Percy the Parrot they just accept it and move on to judging you on what they are about to see. They say to themselves. "yea percy has nothing to do with a parrot, it's not funny, ergo this character isn't going to be funny..let's hate him! This ventriloquist has simply thought of the first name that begins with the same letter as the sort of animal his puppet represents...let's hat him too as he spends no time or thought on his characters at all.

So try and give your character a funny, cutesy, organic, congruent albeit alternative name like Fetch The Dog.

Leo the Lion...Give me a break.


Having said all of that I do have a character called Cuddles the Clown. This name in relation to the character however is a humorous contradiction to the chracter itself and is therefore forgivable.