(groovy electronica music)
- Your hands are really dextrous things,
we use them everyday for all sorts of tasks.
To make the best use we possibly can of that
is to build a puppet around the hands,
so knuckles become knees, or elbows.
So, by the end of the day, it's all the illusion
of movement.
My name's Barnaby Dixion, I'm a puppeteer.
That alright?
I'm 26 years old, and I started making puppets,
two years ago.
This is Dabchick.
This is the first puppet I ever made.
This is Manu.
And it takes two hands to operate this puppet.
And this is the dinosaur,
I think this is the most expressive puppet
that I have.
I make them in my room, really.
Each of these puppets represents maybe two months work,
and it's a process that's driven completely
by trial and error.
The materials to make these puppets,
I usually can just get them online,
raw bits of metal or plumbers' apoxy,
just things like that, really.
Hey, Barnaby Dixon here.
I made the puppets originally with the purpose
to create video content on youTube.
Check this out.
Most weeks I'll take Dabchick out for an outing
where I'll film it.
Ah, the great British seaside.
Soft, wet sand, oh joy of joys!
I always do try and make them funny.
The proud fury of the waves, thundering to their port.
I do get self-conscious about having the puppets
out and about.
Some people just think I'm an adult playing with a toy.
People kind of don't know what to think of it.
(speaking foreign language)
So, recently, I was on a German talent show,
that was about puppets,
it was called Die Puppenstars.
And I ended up winning this.
It was very validating,
and so I think, yeah, a lot of people would think
it is quite a weird thing for a 26-year-old
to be in his bedroom, making puppets,
but it's working out for me, so,
hah! (laughing)
(ambient tone)