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Jobs – Administrator position

| Mari Jones

We are hiring!

Title: Picture to Puppet Administrator

Hours: 20 hours per week, ideally over a five day week. 

Permanent position pending successful completion of 6-month probation period

Salary: £10286 per annum (£18000 pro rata)

Start date: Negotiable

Location: A flexible blend between our studio in Leith, Edinburgh, and working at home

How to apply: Send a CV and cover letter to mari@picturetopuppet.co.uk with “Administrator Application” in the email subject. 

Short Description:

Picture to Puppet is looking for a highly organised administrator with knowledge of sewing and textiles.

Roles and Responsibilities: 

  • Keeping on top of a busy inbox of customer and communication
  • Keeping track of each commission from the start of the process to the end
  • Sourcing appropriate materials for each unique commission
  • Logging order details using our project management software Asana
  • Monitoring queue of orders and liaising with repair staff to ensure orders are dispatched in a timely manner
  • Invoicing and tracking payments
  • Logging transactions through our accounting software Quickbooks 
  • Keeping records of receipts, tying them up with transactions
  • Managing petty cash
  • Updating the website
  • Ordering office supplies
  • Working with other staff to continually improve internal processes and procedures

Person Specification

The successful candidate will: 

  • Be highly organised, and have a high level of attention to detail. The job requires you to be able to juggle priorities, working efficiently, keeping on top of your own task load and monitoring the task load of staff. 
  • Have administrative and/or project management experience
  • Have some sewing experience. 
  • Have a knowledge of textiles and fabrics
  • Have very strong interpersonal skills. You will be the central point of communication across the business, and main point of contact for customers. 
  • Be diligent in following finance procedures.
  • Have strong computer literacy and a willingness to adapt to using new software. 
  • Be able to adapt to change in a growing business. 
  • Use initiative to improve internal procedures. 

Picture to Puppet is a small business making high quality custom puppets and soft toys to order. We offer a highly personal professional service and pride ourselves on the diversity of our portfolio. Have a browse through our website www.picturetopuppet.co.uk for more about us.

Pet Soft Toys

| Mari Jones

Everybody knows that their pampered pooch or fluffy feline is a total one off and no other face is quite as cuddly! So, what could be better than that loveable pet immortalised as a plush soft toy! Perfect as a present for kids to dress up giving your puppy a well-earned rest.

Here at picture to puppet we can capture the features of your individual pet. Even if it is a bit more unusual like a snake or a parrot! we can use soft plush fabrics and luxury long furs. You can send us pictures of your beloved animal and we will create a bespoke likeness you can treasure forever.

Perhaps you have a picture of a childhood pet you long to hug again. Maybe you simply want to make a copy of your dog to give to a friend or relative as a gift. How about a personalised nametag for it too? Here at picture to puppet, we love using our puppetry skills to take the features and markings of a particular pet and building a cute soft toy version. We can add the same colour eyes, the same familiar markings and colourings, even down to their quirky traits. Like a bent ear, snaggy tooth or missing paw!

We can use weighted bean bags or soft fluffy stuffing to give a realistic weight and feel to the toy. If necessary we can also ensure that all the materials used can be child safe. We can use safety eyes or embroider features to ensure they are pet friendly too.

Have a look at our gallery of lookalike toys on our website to check out some cute pets we have already made for some grateful animal lovers.

Toys from Children’s Drawings

| Mari Jones

Puppet and Soft Toys from Children’s Drawings

Looking for a personal present? Or looking to design your own stuffed animal? One of the most heart-warming things a parent can receive is a drawing to pin on the fridge. Now imagine your child’s drawing is brought to life made into a three-dimensional toy with all the detail of the original sketch! This is something that can capture a precious moment in a child’s life. Alternatively, it could simply bring a smile to a relative and remind them of someone close to their hearts. Here at picture to puppet we can develop your children’s drawings so that you can appreciate them for years to come!

Often our handmade toys from children’s drawings become childhood favourites that stay with their owners as treasured mementos as they grow up. Children’s drawings are full of individual style. Everybody loves those portraits of family members with spiky hair and big grins! We can use lots of different materials to produce a toy as simple as a printed cushion. Alternately, we could make a detailed embroidered rendition of the child’s drawing in full 3-D. 

Custom Soft Toys

We take note of the individuality of the scribble from a three-legged purple cow, or perhaps a spaceman with an alligator’s tail? Perhaps there has been a competition at school to draw a yeti. Wouldn’t it be amazing if the first prize was to make the winning design into an actual cuddly yeti! Or looking to design your own stuffed animal? Here at Picture to Puppet the children’s drawings are one of our favourite things to bring to life! In fact we originally set the business up to produce these special toys in 2012.

Take a look at our examples and you will see how diverse and fascinating a child’s eye see’s the world around them. 

Free those imaginations from the fridge magnets and set them free to have adventures your kids will remember forever. All children love to have their own special friend, what better than one from their own imagination!

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Custom Mascot Costumes

| Mari Jones

One of the largest types of character costumes we make are the full-body custom wearable mascot costumes. Which an adult or child can wear over their entire body and head to depict all sorts of brand identities. Our professional custom mascot costumes can be made to order in any size and any character. Whether it is a school mascot, a cartoon character or simply an animal costume such as a bear. Our mascot costume makers can provide cunning ways to build an amazing three-dimensional foam structure covered with fabric. They’re a great way to represent your design.

If you would like us to come up with some tried and tested design ideas, just get in touch. Our mascot costumes can be made to order in any size and any character. Our mascot costume makers can send design sketches to help you visualise your mascot costume to the full.

Whats it’s like to wear

People often ask “Is it hot wearing a mascot costume?” They can take a bit of getting used to, but we ensure that a mesh covered area is included in the head section to give breathability and cool down the wearer. We can also use semi opaque panels to help with visibility for the actor.

Custom Mascot Costume - A giant blue owl
Custom Mascot Costume - Yellow Lion with an Orange Tummy and Mane

Cost

How much does a custom mascot costume cost?  This all depends on the complexity of the design and the type of materials used. We can guide you through the process by producing an initial design and fabric samples for a minimal design fee giving you a chance to tailor your mascot outfit to your budget. Once you are happy to go ahead and invest in a finished mascot suit, our team will hand build the framework and use a wide range of techniques to realise your mascot creation!

We also offer advice on aftercare such as storage and washing tips to keep your mascot costume in the best condition possible.

Why hire a generic wearable mascot costume when you can buy a unique professional mascot costume from us that you can use to promote your charity or business for years to come.

What is the difference between a hand puppet and a glove puppet?

| Mari Jones

A very common question we are asked is “What is the difference between a hand puppet and a glove puppet?” 

Here are some of the main differences between hand and glove puppets. Please note that all our puppets are unique, and these features are a general guideline – there are always exceptions to every rule! Contact us to chat about the type of puppet you would like.

If you’re looking for a different type of puppet, just ask – we make all sorts!

Our Hand Puppets:

  • Can be any size, but are usually 50-85cm tall
  •  Have an internal foam structure and a stuffed body
  • Have a reinforced movable mouth
  • Can be gently hand washed
  • Can have a very wide variety of shapes
  • Can have added extras such as moving eyebrows, arm rods, moving ears etc
  • Also known as talking puppets, ventrioquist puppets, muppets, moving mouth puppets. 

Our Glove Puppets:

  • Are usually 25-35cm tall
  • Are flatter and less structured
  • Have a movable head and arms that you move with your thumb and fingers
  • Can be machine washed on a gentle setting
  • Have a basic glove shape

Examples

Here are some examples showing hand puppets and glove puppets of the same characters.

A Custom soft toy.
A hand puppet- 85cm tall
A Custom Glove Puppet Cave Troll
A Glove Puppet - 35cm tall
A Hand Puppet - 80cm tall
Custom Glove Puppet Pirate wearing a purple jacket and a black hat
A Glove Puppet - 40cm tall
Hand Puppet and Glove Puppet Comparison

Find out more about our hand puppets and glove puppets here:

For more information about different types of puppets, here are some great books!

Picture to Puppet on Steph’s Packed Lunch

| Mari Jones

Yesterday we were lucky to have a spot on Steph’s Packed Lunch, in the unique business market feature. I surprised Steph McGovern with a likeness puppet of herself wearing her favourite red jacket! 

Steph McGovern Puppet on Steph's

I had 2 days notice to get ready, so my Steph McGovern puppet was a bit of last minute effort and a very late night! But it was worth it to see Steph’s face when she saw it. I talked about Picture to Puppet and Leith Toy Hospital, my toy repair service.

It was all a bit of a whirlwind, and especially strange after staying in the house so long in lockdown, but it was really interesting to see how live TV shows are made, and everyone I met there was lovely! 

My Steph’s Packed Lunch Puppet

We can make likeness puppets like our Steph McGovern puppet of anyone – you don’t need to be a celebrity! Even though we have a fair few celebrity clients, we also make lots of puppets for schools, You can see lots of other examples of our likeness puppets here!

Here are some other places you might see our puppets and makers on TV!

 

Our maker Kiaz Trepte on The Loop

One of our fabulous makers Kiaz Trepte was featured recently on The Loop on BBC Scotland recently, telling the story of how she swapped couture fashion for puppet making with Picture to Puppet. 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pdwMtkigxyY
 

Hypothetical Puppets on Dave

James Acaster Puppet and Josh Widdicombe Puppet

Back in 2018 we made puppets of James Acaster, Josh Widdicombe, Romesh Ranganathan, Rose Matafeo, Jonathan and Rachel Parris. Our Romesh Puppet and our James Acaster Puppet keep popping up on TV, so keep your eyes out for them!

New face mask features available!

| Mari Jones

Here at Picture to Puppet, designing different types of face masks has been a really interesting and fun new venture for us. We’ve constantly been refining the design of our masks based on customer feedback. We’re very excited to announce some new customisable features that we hope you’re interested in trying out!

Cocktail masks

Enjoy a drink while wearing a comfortable mask! These masks have a hole in the middle for your straw which is covered by a flap of fabric.

Lip reading masks

Perfect for people who want their mouths to be visible, these masks have a clear piece of plastic inserted into the front.

Reading glasses buttons

A small button on your mask will keep your reading glasses propped up and secure.

The additional features can be incorporated into any size and design of mask.  When ordering, just select the feature you would like at the check out and we’ll do the rest! All of these masks continue to have the standard features that have made them so popular with customers. They’ve got a wire nose bridge to help shape them around your nose, which helps reduce the amount your glasses steam up. They’ve also got very comfy adjustable ear straps. Pockets are included in each mask so that filters can be inserted if needed.

Have a browse through our different face mask designs here!

Where to Buy a Face Mask in Scotland

| Mari Jones

Where should I buy a locally made reusable face mask in Scotland?

From Picture to Puppet of course!

Thanks to lots of positive word of mouth we’ve sold over 2000 face masks! They’re all made in Leith, Edinburgh by our staff and our team of 17 local freelance sewers. As well as wearing them ourselves, we’ve been listening to customer feedback since the start and have been constantly modifying and improving the design. 

Our locally made face masks are stylish, fitted and washable to 60 degrees. They’re available in lots of different fabrics and 3 sizes – large, medium and children’s. They’ve got a wire nose bridge to help shape them around your nose, which helps reduce the amount your glasses steam up! They’ve also got very comfy adjustable ear straps. 

Co-ordinating the reusable face mask project has been an adventure to say the least – dealing with this volume of orders is new territory for us, and it’s been a big learning curve. We’re really grateful to our fabulous team of local sewers for stepping up and helping us!

Where can I get a reusable face mask in England, Wales or Northern Ireland?

As well as offering local collection, we post masks across the UK, including, Wales, Northern Ireland and England. 

Have a browse through our different face mask designs here!

Where else can I get a reusable face mask?

Also try our sister company Leith Toy Hospital, who also make lovely face masks! Find out more about their face masks here.

Puppets for Public Health Videos

| Mari Jones

Our puppets have been busy helping spread the message about how to stay safe during the Coronavirus outbreak. We have had lots of requests to make custom puppets for public health promotion videos and puppet films to engage kids with messages about the Corona virus. 

 

Puppets can be novel and engaging additions to public health videos, as they help get the message across, and keep kids engaged (they also come in any shape, size or style of your choosing!). 

 

We’ve also made a few example puppet public health videos of our own! Take a look at what Dr. Phillips has to say about staying safe.

We love making custom puppets for film, and we feel proud seeing them raise awareness, and help tackle the spread of disease. Puppets can help bring public health promotion videos to life by engaging a young audience with a challenging subject matter.

In your video you can have only puppets, or you can mix puppets and humans together. Either way we tend to find it’s the puppets that steal the show!

It can be difficult to find a fun way to explain Covid-19, but here in the studio we’ve become quite fond of our medical puppets!

For more fun and child friendly Covid advice, visit Leith Toy Hospital’s tips from Nurse Nancy! 

For the latest advice on keeping safe in the Coronavirus, have a look at the WHO’s guidance here.

 

Custom Puppets button
Get in touch about Custom Puppets for Public heath videos

Take a look at the different types of puppet we offer here!

Get in touch to order yours now!