I haven't had a chance to put them up on my website yet and I can't upload all of them here, but I'll put one anyway for you guys to see....

Ok, they're all up on my website now... index (http://www.freewebs.com/perrynoia)

My favs are: the black and white one with the red nose and the one where you are holding up a parachute!

My favorite is the one with you and the two puppets. I think it would even make a great business card by changing the background to black and then adding information in colorful lettering.

I like the one where the parachute is in the air, and the one with you and the two puppets, that one should surely be used for more promo stuff, it's very cute!

They Look great, Noia! Very nice work.

cute... colorful... and classy

These are wonderful.

Thanks guys! I'm really happy with them... I'll be sure to ask her to do some for me again in the future!

I also vote for the one with the two puppets (at the end), but they are all marvelous!

One word of paranoia caution: Not sure about this one but can we as professional clowns use famous and licensed muppets in our advertising without risking copyright infringement? It's always best to check with the legalities before you incur the expense of making business cards and other promotoional materials and then deal with more legal expenses.

Anyone on the forum know more about this?

Good point Artsy! Maybe someone on the forum has legal connections and can find out the details.

This is an on going Debate I have seen going on for years…… First at clown camp. Then threw coai…… I have had one gig that someone asked or said something to me, that was not a clown, and it has been so long I even forgot what it was he was complaining about. But realize I was doing my own production and not working for anybody what so ever. But I know my response to said person, It was so….. All response while in make non confrontational where, so……. Even gave a card to person if the wanted to talk…… talking to Lawyer friend the first thing I would have got if I got anything would be a seius and desist request to make it legal… and if I would have I would might change, Now when I working a mall right in front of the Disney store I do a mouse that looks a little like Mickey…. And I do a disclaimer with every one I give out this is not mickey mouse… it is a mouse that sort of kind of looks like mickey but want you all to know it is not mickey I call him Fred the mouse, so don’t call him mickey…. Nothing ever happened.
A topic that really gets dealers stewed up it’s like the topic of selling bootleg DVDs and video, in clowning and magic and comedy that is wrong…. Money passing hands. For profit. And my lawyer friend is great in this topic; we talked and played devils advocate on this subject for a week and our argument and interputation of copyright law.. For instance 6 people for an example that all clown, do comedy and or comedy magic. Each person allocates 100.00 a year to buy 2 new state of the art DVD, at that point he owns it, since he owns it because he bought it, and he backs it up and makes a copy for his own use only. Then he give the originally to his friend and sends it to him, and so on. As per the Law, at the time the copy was made the owner backed up his own property, which he owned and is legal no money was every passed to his friend, no copy was ever sent threw the mail it was an original DVD in case, and at that point ownership was exchanged. And by going threw the copyright laws that would be legal. Now as for the Intent of the law that is a different. But this topic of copy comes up for years..

It might be different circumstances if we used Axtell puppets or generic puppets that are used expressly for our own auxilliary puppet entertainment.

I cannot speak for clowning issues, but I know in my cake decorating business, I can't use any "licensed characters" in my cakes unless I am using a kit I bought from a distributor. I cannot reproduce a Mickey Mouse cake or a SpongeBob cake, or I could get fined (and the fines are very hefty, like $25,000 I've heard). I've also heard from cake friends that they don't give you a warning, either. It's the fine, straight away.

You look adorable. There are some problems with use of natural lighting: sun directly on face making your face look washed out, and shadows across half your face. Also the parachute would have looked better if it had been ironed. The composition of the photos and your playfulness are excellant though.

Well, they sell the puppets and they are good puppets... as far as I'm concerned, I own the puppets. I didn't recreate them or anything, I bought them. If anyone calls me on it, fine I'll stop although in the grand scheme of things I doubt if Jim Henson productions will particularly care all that much.

I wouldnt be too worried about it either. i'm sure they have alot bigger fish to fry. Have fun and the pics look great you silly clown. LOL.

I'm only telling you these things as a helpful clown sister.

Try to remember that even professional entertainers are not permitted to wear and advertise to appear as licensed costumed characters unless they are paid royalty fees on the use of their copyrighted material. And these fat cats HAVE in the past gone after the small fry numerous times and they DO win in court.
I'm only telling you these things as a helpful clown sister.

If you really want to keep your puppets simply make a few changes to them so that they cannot be considered the original character. Check into the requirements but in order to be consider a copy of a trademarked character there is a percentage of likeness that must be met. I would change the eyes on the frog because it is the eyes on that particular character that define him and keep the hair. Some eyes with long eyelashes would look great to me.

That's an idea... I could probably hot glue some felt eyelids onto the eyes or something...

I was gonna say crazy glue some fake lashes on and take white-out or white paint and make the eyeball round (get rid of the extra line on either side).

Great pics tho.

Noia, your pictures are great! I love that b/w one especially!

I do know that the Muppet characters are highly protected. My husband is a photographer for a large national (think "news network") and recently they shot a show at the Center for Puppetry Arts (Center for Puppetry Arts_Home (http://www.puppet.org/)). They were not allowed to photograph ANY of the Muppets.

I love the idea of adapting your froggy friend! I can tell you are creative and will make him (or her) really cute!

i love the pics!

button eyes might be cute.....keep the frog, change the features.