Our Puppets
Our Fantasy Familiars: Hiqh-Quality Craftsmanship
Our Fantasy Familiars are huge hits with our customers! These movable creature sculptures are entirely handmade by our artist, but designed with your color choices and ideas to make each one unique. They are more than just a "puppets": Familiars are magical companions, protectors, or Spirit Animals. For kids, fantasy friends!
We can make any puppet in nearly any color combination, like green, blue, pink, black, red, gray, or white – Customers often match their costume for Comicon, RenFaire, or Halloween!
What makes these fantasy creatures different from other fantasy shoulder puppets out there? First, they are special because they are personal. Because each Fantasy Familiar is made to order, you get to personally select their colors, even the color of their eyes! Whether it be a dragon, a hyppogryph, a fairy or a phoenix, it has been made to your specifications, and so it is unique to you!
Second, we do not use molds. Each creature is hand-sculpted by our professional artist, taking several hours to create. The heart of this artist goes into each piece, making it a piece of art you can display.
Third, our creatures have magnets in them to keep them stable on your shoulder via a harness or metal plate. In fact, we were the first designers to offer this magnet system and are the only shop that offers the harness that works with the magnets. Our leather harnesses are handmade (Brian is a leathersmith), can be painted, and are offered in several styles, including one with genuine rabbit fur!
HOW ARE THEY MADE?
Each puppet is entirely unique and hand-sculpted by the artist, Brian Roloff, so each one will have a slightly different expression, just like real creatures are all unique!
See the puppet sections of our shop for color ideas, or Subscribe to our YouTube channel!
Customization: We are happy to match a costume or make a child’s favorite animal. Perhaps you’d like a creature you don’t see, like a unicorn or a phoenix - let us know and we can give you a quote.
When you place your order, we will ask you to complete an order form that indicates your choice of eye color, puppet color, fur color, and if you would like wings. We ask many questions to make sure the creature you receive matches your costume. Many customers have a special creature in mind; we work with you to create that special fantasy animal! Click here for information about the form!
Here are the features you can customize to your liking:
1. Clay color (body, arms, legs, head)
2. Fur color (Choose rabbit or faux fur)
3. Scale colors (2 colors for this puppet; 3 available at additional cost)
4. Wings (leather, feather, or no wings)
5. Head shape
6. Eyes (Yellow marble eyes are shown, but ceramic eyes in various colors with pupils are also available.)
7. Magnets or Harness (optional)**
Sculpting: The sculpting process takes time, and incudes adding the magnets. After each creature is sculpted, it is baked. Then the puppet's multiple pieces are assembled and a single-wire mechanism is added to the puppet so that the head can move. Finally, fur is hand cut and added to the puppet.
This process can take a few weeks, depending on the materials you select for your puppet and the detail involved. However, once it is done, our customers LOVE them! And kids love them, too!
Movement: Our puppets have jointed limbs for as well as movable heads. Their heads rotate and move in/out via a single-wire mechanism built-into the puppet; this wire can be hidden underneath your clothing.
For more videos of our puppets, visit our YouTube channel "FolorsFantasy". Instructions on properly moving the puppet are provided.
Here is a video of one of our dragon puppets!
Pricing: Some people ask how the price was determined - The price we ask is primarily based on the artist's time investment, and secondarily, his originality and creativity. It takes the artist many hours to sculpt, assemble, and add embellishments to each creature. No puppet is exactly like another, so you are paying for an very unique item. However, we do work out payment plans to help you out!
Processing Time
Because we make each puppet by hand, it takes at least a week to make your companion. (We don't use molds like several other puppet shops.) If there are other puppets already in process, or already in line to be processed, your puppet may take approximately 2-3 weeks, depending on the size and complexity of your Fantasy Familiar.
RUSH: If you have a special occasion, we can usually work out a rush order so that we can help you receive your item in time for your special event! We like to do everything we can to accommodate each customer and make each puppet the best it can be!
We truly enjoy making each creature for each customer; please do not hesitate to contact us with questions!
Shipping
We ship USPS Priority mail to your PayPal address.
Please read our shop Shipping Policies before ordering for information about shipping upgrades, estimated delivery times, shipping to another address.
* This is a delicate, fragile item. Trims, fur or feathers may become loose and have to be adjusted after shipping. This is normal. However, if by an unfortunate event the puppet is damaged during shipping, please notify us within 5 days of receipt with an attached photo of the damaged puppet and of the shipping label from the box you received. If we ask that you return the puppet, we will send you a return shipping label or refund your cost to ship it back to us for repair. Upon our receipt of the damaged puppet, we will make a brand new one for you and ship the new one to you for free.
Photos are Examples
Each puppet will be extremely similar to the photo shown; Each puppet is a handmade piece of art, so shaped forms and expressions, as well as color shades, tones, and markings, may vary slightly from photo (color may also vary due to variation in dye lots or your computer's resolution).
Head shape, fur shade/placement, feather size/shape, markings, eyes, glitter work, glue placement, etc. may be a bit different on each puppet. You have the option of choosing real or faux fur, feathers, scales, number of horns, wings/wingless to make this your own, unique, special creature / pet!
Some puppets have leather wings or accessories. Leather (and feathers) are natural products, and each individual hide / feather has a slightly different character. Natural markings, tone/color variations, and slight imperfections such as scratches, scars, or wrinkles should not be considered defects, but rather part of the character and beauty of natural leather.
"Gold, Silver, Pewter, Bronze, Copper" etc. are color names or descriptions for paint, clay, or appearance and may not actually be made of those materials.