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aguiloj Regular user Orlando, FL 106 Posts |
Today is the last day of free shipping at Jeff's website, so I ordered it. Looking forward to receive it.
Jorge
Learning the Art of Ventriloquism One Step at a Time |
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Dickens & Dave Inner circle North Central Florida 1813 Posts |
I believe you'll be pleased.
(Kind of wish I hadn't been so quick on the trigger to get one, could have saved 18. on shipping - but it's still worth it even with the shipping.) Quote:
On 2012-11-30 17:34, Aussie wrote: I will, I might try to get it in tonight. Truth be told, with other things going on, I actually kind of forgot about it. The booklet was interesting to look through, definitely very concise, but with just that booklet and a lot of practice (of course), a person could learn ventriloquism from it.
http://dickensndave.bravehost.com/index.html
"Oh that I had wings like a dove! for then would I fly away, and be at rest." |
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Dickens & Dave Inner circle North Central Florida 1813 Posts |
Okay, I viewed the DVD, like the book, it was also concise, but also complete in that someone could learn ventriloquism from watching the DVD, it's also entertaining too because he uses his figures, the premise being that he is getting them to learn.
The Vent Haven tour was very brief, some flashes of different things, I was hoping for more of that than there was.
http://dickensndave.bravehost.com/index.html
"Oh that I had wings like a dove! for then would I fly away, and be at rest." |
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Aussie Special user Australia 623 Posts |
Quote:
On 2012-11-30 19:55, Dickens & Dave wrote: Sounds a bit like the Paul Winchell or Jimmy Nelson style would that be right? (hhhmmm I'm contemplating getting it, but might sell Little Jeff ) |
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Dickens & Dave Inner circle North Central Florida 1813 Posts |
Actually, it's definitely Jimmy Nelson - most would recognize it immediately when he gets to the difficult letters, saying to substitute the letter, but think the actual letter, like use D for B, but think B - that's straight out of the old Nelson lessons.
(and I think you will want to keep Little Jeff if you got one.)
http://dickensndave.bravehost.com/index.html
"Oh that I had wings like a dove! for then would I fly away, and be at rest." |
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Miguel Abril New user 99 Posts |
Just ordered one! Witing now
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Fonsy Regular user 187 Posts |
I'm curious!
I have been out of the US for many years now, so I really don't know. Are any Jeff Dunham merchandise items available in local shopping malls or toy stores? Or are they available only online? |
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Dickens & Dave Inner circle North Central Florida 1813 Posts |
When I went to the store to buy his book, they also had some of his merchandise, don't ask me what exactly now, it's been a couple years or so now since then.
http://dickensndave.bravehost.com/index.html
"Oh that I had wings like a dove! for then would I fly away, and be at rest." |
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DougTait Elite user Sebring, FL 492 Posts |
Just received Little Jeff. He comes in his own cardboard suitcase with handle. Dunham's DVD is short and concise, but he covers the basics and is fun to watch as he uses Walter, Peanut and Achmed to teach the fundamentals of lip control.
As for the figure itself, mine needs a bit of tweaking. The mouth makes a loud noise when the mouth control lever is released and the mechanism occasionally binds slightly. I removed the two screws holding the trap on, but can't get the trap off. I haven't really worked too hard at it. I tried to gently pry it open, but didn't want to force it and put it away. I'll give it another try later. I believe the figure to be a good value and I hope to make the adjustments to quiet the mouth and smooth out the mechanism.
"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men [and women] to do nothing."
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Eddie Garland Inner circle Hells Kitchen, New York City 4207 Posts |
My Little Jeff mouth lever was a bit loud and tight but I just loosened the screw connecting the lever to the head stick and all is now perfect.
Great little figure for the money...remarkable really. |
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aguiloj Regular user Orlando, FL 106 Posts |
There is a Little Jeff in eBay right now. Free shipping and current bid is @ $71.. take a look
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Jeff-Dunham-Vent......d748099a
Jorge
Learning the Art of Ventriloquism One Step at a Time |
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drewwwy New user 4 Posts |
I received the Little Jeff dummy last night. I want to point out a few things for those of you uncertain if you want to order him or not. Firstly, he is very tiny, every picture I've look at online, even in this thread makes him appear to be rather large. That is not the case, 30 inches is standard for some pro figures but it is considered to be the size of those large dolls you see at Target or Toys R Us. Besides his body size, his head is also very small. But if you can get past all that, then you should know that he has some great detail on him. The paint job isn't perfect but it is rather nice in my opinion. His mouth is by far the best part, his teeth are realistic looking and he even has a nicely painted tongue but you have to get up close to notice it.
Now for the mechanics: Everything is plastic, the headstick is plastic. There are tiny metal screws in it holding everything together. There are two triggers, one controlling the mouth, the other controlling the eyes. Please note: the eyes are NOT self centering, you basically just push them from side to side or back in the middle again. When operating them, they feel very toy like. The head does fully rotate and supposedly tilt but not that easy. Noise factor: The mouth will click if you release the trigger too hard. I realized releasing it slowly makes the sound hardly noticeable. The eyes however do make a sound when moved but it's not loud that I recall. Again, slight adjustments in how you perform might remove this noise. The head, at least for me makes a rather loud sound when turning left or right. It is rubbing on the body of the dummy causing it to sound like a squeak. I think you might possibly be able to prevent this if you place some cloth between the bottom of the neck and the top of the body where the head rests. One last thing to note, you sort of have to hold up the figure with one arm and control it with the other. That is, he is difficult to operate smoothly if you don't do it this way, he might fall over if you aren't careful. Though with more practice maybe this won't be the case but trying to maneuver the eyes and the head rotation it can be a little tricky. Another thing to note about the eyes is, you have to push the lever left to move the eyes right and right to move them left. This is confusing for some people when rotating the head left and trying to move the eyes in the same direction. Your brain will want to do it the opposite. Final Thoughts: The price is right. Though if you're looking for a professional figure to use on stage this might not be what you are looking for. As much as this saddens me to say, he feels more like a toy than an actual figure. You may think you are getting a large figure with a control stick/moving eyes/mouth and rotating head, along with an awesome DVD and booklet. Sadly, he is very small, the booklet is just inside the DVD case and not big and the DVD itself is short and basic. When they say you get what you pay for. This happens to be the case! All in all, I still like the little guy. |
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Dickens & Dave Inner circle North Central Florida 1813 Posts |
I would hope anyone buying one of these figures isn't expecting a full size professional figure with a wooden headstick, and self centering eyes even, for a hundred and twenty five bucks.
For starters, 30" isn't really standard for any pro figure, even the conversion dolls Maher used to sell were 32" to 34" inches, and those were really too small for adults as a main figure. Most of the people interested in one of these, are probably people who have seen Jeff perform with his little Jeff which is another clue as to the size of the figure, it was a dummy's dummy for his figures, and these are copies of that figure. If the previous poster, or anyone else is having trouble moving the head freely, here's a tip - undo the headlock. Now this actually caught me, had me think "what?"; "Another thing to note about the eyes is, you have to push the lever left to move the eyes right and right to move them left. This is confusing for some people when rotating the head left and trying to move the eyes in the same direction." I even got a few of my figures out to make sure I wasn't having a lapse of some sort, but no, so I'm wondering if this the previous poster's first figure? This is normal for eye controls, it's the way the control works in vent heads, has been for a very long time. Maybe someone has come up with another way to do it since, but there are still many people making figures doing it the same way, Hartz to name one. I am surprised, that anyone would be surprised that the headstick is plastic - this is a mass produced reproduction of Dunham's "Little Jeff." This is meant to be a beginner figure for kids, or maybe even for an adult wanting to try learning and not wanting to spend a fortune for a figure before they know if they can do it, so it gives them something to practice with. Before this, the options were a vent doll with the string that is basically worthless, or a conversion figure of a vent doll that's going to cost at least twice as much. Other than that, for a small beginner figure with a headstick that didn't/doesn't cost too much is an old Simon Sez because they had a plastic headstick with a trigger for the mouth (but no moving eyes). The Little Jeff figure is a big improvement over that. Simon Sez's had a rubber band for the mouth "spring" and it was all glued together, Little Jeff doesn't use a rubber band, and the screws holding things together is BIG plus if someone wanted to/needed to, make changes/make repairs - getting in a Simon Sez head was a real pain. Obviously, this is not meant to be someone's professional figure to use on stage, anyone thinking otherwise needs a reality check. It might be good to use as Jeff does, as a dummy's dummy, or for a quick novelty bit, but not meant to be anyone's main figure by any means. So it is the case, you get what you pay for, more than you pay for in my opinion. You get a figure that has a headstick and controls similar to a "real" figure, more so than anything previously available for sure, and though the booklet and DVD are both concise, the instruction and demonstration is complete enough for someone to learn with, and for not a whole lot more than the price of a new vent doll with the string in the neck.
http://dickensndave.bravehost.com/index.html
"Oh that I had wings like a dove! for then would I fly away, and be at rest." |
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Wanlu Inner circle Manila, Philippines 3058 Posts |
For $130... I am expecting toy figures which is why I got 4 figures, 2 for my 2 grandkids, 1 for my 4 year old son and yes 1 for the big kid- me
The one for me will basically be for display only... $130 a figure may seem cheap but I believe Jeff Dunham spent a lot of money to have the figures made. To have a company in China make these, they require a minimum order of at least 1000 pieces, plus shipping and taxes.
"The Old Path"
www.angdatingdaan.org Wanlu's Affordable Puppets http://wanlu.net/ventpuppets.html Wanlu and his Puppets http://wanlu.net |
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drewwwy New user 4 Posts |
I have worked with figures where the eyes aren't "reserved" when operating them. Not to say this is always the case, but for those that are just starting out it is a little tricky getting used to. I agree that most are not going to expect a professional sized figure or probably even attempt to use this dummy on stage. I was just simply trying to make a point that if one wanted to do this that it wouldn't be the best idea.
I'm not bashing the figure at all. It is great considering the fact that most beginner figures run twice as much and you don't get moving eyes. I was surprised that it was priced this low. But if anyone thinks it's made of high quality they will be disappointed. It is mass produced. Since it's "Made In China" you can expect that it isn't going to be too amazing with a $124.95 price tag! Maybe if it were $224.95 we would expect more! But If this figure was out when I was a kid I would've been extremely happy to have it as my first. Jeff did a wonderful job creating something for the beginner interested in trying their hand at becoming a ventriloquist. The box "trunk" is a nice feature. Kids are going to have Little Jeffs under their tree I guarantee it. |
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tacrowl Inner circle Maryland 1633 Posts |
Jeff discussed the release at VentHaven last year. He has a contract with a company that produces his merchandise and they took the risk on this item based on the profitability of sales of his other items. Jeff said his goal was to create a beginner's figure with a head stick, that was affordable. His inspiration was the Danny O'Day figures popular when he was a kid. The instructions were based on Jimmy Nelson's record and the material was used with Jimmy's permission. At the time, Jeff said the video was taped in front of live audiences after his concerts. I have yet to open mine because I haven't been home. (Busy holiday tour) Looking forward to seeing it.
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drewwwy New user 4 Posts |
Here's a video review of Little Jeff by Lee Cornell
http://youtu.be/uC6h8LufOWo |
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Dickens & Dave Inner circle North Central Florida 1813 Posts |
I'm surprised Lee didn't show the inside of the body in the video, to me, that's a selling plus too.
http://dickensndave.bravehost.com/index.html
"Oh that I had wings like a dove! for then would I fly away, and be at rest." |
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aguiloj Regular user Orlando, FL 106 Posts |
Quote:
On 2012-12-10 17:00, Dickens & Dave wrote: He mentioned it in the video but never showed it. That was an oversight on his part, I think he wanted to show it.
Jorge
Learning the Art of Ventriloquism One Step at a Time |
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Wanlu Inner circle Manila, Philippines 3058 Posts |
Got our Little Jeff figures today! Cool figures!
Mine stays in the car!!!
"The Old Path"
www.angdatingdaan.org Wanlu's Affordable Puppets http://wanlu.net/ventpuppets.html Wanlu and his Puppets http://wanlu.net |
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