How to Make a Groundhog Shadow Puppet

Use an image of a real groundhog as inspiration.

Making your own groundhog shadow puppet is a creative way to put on a Groundhog Day puppet show. Every year, on February 2, in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, a ground hog affectionately named "Punxsutawney Phil" is brought out for public display. Legend has it that if Phil sees his shadow, it indicates an extended winter. If there's no shadow, spring is only a short time away. The trick to crafting your own shadow puppet is to use dark grey and black materials.

Things You'll Need

• Lunch paper bag
• Black acrylic paint
• Paint brush
• Ruler
• Pencil
• Tongue depressor (2)
• Scissors
• Black felt
• Permanent epoxy
• Stick-on wiggly eyes (2)
• Grey thread
• Grey felt

Instructions

1. Lay out an unfolded paper lunch bag on a flat surface. Paint both sides of the bag -- the entire surface area -- with black acrylic paint. Allow one hour for the bag to dry. The bag acts as the groundhog body.

2. Measure 1/2 inch on a tongue depressor. Cut the piece off of the depressor.

3. Repeat the previous step on the opposite end of the same tongue depressor.

4. Trace one piece of the depressor onto a piece of black felt. Cut out the felt piece along the trace lines. Repeat for three additional pieces of black felt.

5. Layer one side of a depressor piece with permanent epoxy. Place a piece of black felt on it. Press the felt into the depressor and hold for 30 seconds to secure the bond. Flip the same depressor over and repeat for the opposite side. Paint the edge of the depressor with black acrylic paint.

6. Repeat the previous step for the remaining depressor piece and the other two pieces of felt. Your two groundhog ears are now complete. Evenly space and bond the two ears to the bottom of the unfolded black paper bag.

7. Measure one inch on a tongue depressor, and cut the piece off.

8. Repeat the previous step for the opposite end of the same tongue depressor.

9. Repeat Step 4 with the longer pieces of the depressor, so that you have four pieces of black felt.

10. Repeat Steps 5 and 6. Your two groundhog front paws are now complete.

11. Place the short, flat side of one of the paws in perpendicular position to the right side of the bag. Center the paw on the right side of the bag. Bond the paw to the right side of the bag with permanent epoxy. Repeat for the remaining paw on the left side of the bag.

12. Evenly space out and attach the two stick-on wiggly eyes onto the thick rectangular bottom of the unfolded bag. The thick rectangular bottom is the portion your fingers will grasp once your hand is inside the bag to make the puppet's mouth move.

13. Cut out two one-inch-by-two-inches rectangles of grey felt. The rectangles will act as buck teeth. Center the teeth on the bottom rim of the thick rectangular bottom of the bag. Position the teeth so only 1/8in of the felt is overlapping the rim, while the remainder of the teeth hang down from the rim. Bond the underside of each tooth to the rim of the bag with permanent epoxy.

14. Cut a two-inch circle of grey felt. Glue the circle above the top of the teeth to act as the nose.

15. Cut six two-inch pieces of grey thread. Glue the ends of three pieces of thread to the right side of the nose. Repeat with the remaining three pieces of thread for the left side of the nose. You puppet is now complete.

References

• Skip to My Lou: Homemade Puppets
• GOJP: Groundhog Day -- February 2