I have a crow with a squeaker in it's mouth. (Well, kind of a reverse squeaker, it lets out a crow like squeak when the mouth opens). I've been told by a few people that you can make the crow apparently talk with the squeaker, saying kid's names etc.
At the moment, I do this just by squeaking out the syllables. It's quite funny but I want to learn how to do it better. There's also a hole on the far-end of the squeaker that if you put your finger over the end you can make some pretty weird noises playing with that and squeaking at the same time. Is this what you're supposed to do?
Can I learn to be better at this from somewhere?
I'd love to see someone do this well or hear from someone who uses this successfully, anyone?
Cheers
George

I think you do right with that squeaker! Squeaking out the syllables, produce different noise, etc.

So you just need to learn how to manipulate the puppet, to make it look like alive. Try to learn from puppetry or ventriloquism source.

Regards,

Budi Ha Ha

Thanks Budi,
I have been using some puppets for some time now and have studied a few different books on the art and practise often in front of a mirror. Even when I use a plush puppet a lot less realistic than the Axtell products a lot of the children believe the puppet is real. So I'm really wanting to add the squeaker thing to what I already do rather than using it as a starting point.
Has anybody seen a performer use a squeaker puppet well? Does anyone know of someone I can get in touch with to go over the finer points of squeaking or any literature that includes this kind of puppet?
George

I use the crow with the squeaker in it for a card effect (Dick Barry's Max Raven) and the more I work with it, the more I find that he can communicate without words, just using the squeaking and "facial expressions", head turns, etc.

In fact, the last show I did, this started out as a throw in, since I had a bit of unallocated time, but the audience was getting so involved with it, that it ended up filling the spare time and more. So much more, that I had to drop another effect to get back on schedule.

Now I will start working harder to make him more than just this one card trick. He finds a selected card from inside a closed card box (it really is closed) but as I said, he was getting so much reaction from the audience, that I just have to start giving him more performing time. And he never even starts to sound like real words. And based on the lack of precision of the sound thing, it seems to me that it would be pretty tough to really control it. I have however been able to mimic the sound and that is how I bring him into the act. I start surreptitiously making crow sounds and looking around puzzled, until I notice it is coming from "that box." so I go get him, and then it starts. He takes over the crow sounds from there.

BroDavid

I use 2 crows with the reverse squeeker. They argue with each other...it's hillarious!