talkmagic.co.uk

Hello to my UK friends and customers. I'm popping in to look around at this great forum. My company Axtell Expressions is in California and we make puppets and magic items and we are getting into animatronic remote control puppets now. Very exciting stuff. I also play keyboards in a classic rock band...anyway...hello!

Steve Axtell
www.axtell.com

Hi Steve welcome to Talk Magic

I look forward to reading some of your posts. We used to have a few members quite keen on the vent side of things, although those posts have died down a little now.

Maybe you will install new enthusiasm

have fun here.

Simon

Hi Steve,

The wonderful things you produce always tempt me and I will be the owner of one of your Drawing Boards soon!

Welcome to TM

Hi

As most, something I have alway wanted but never got round to doing.

Hope you enjoy your stay here at TM

Kind regards

FRK

Welcome to TM Steve and it's really nice to have you here.

I'd be interested to hear how you got into puppet making as everyone that I've seen performing with puppets has at least one piece of your work and I have to say that they look real works of art and are highly spoken of.

dat8962 wrote:Welcome to TM Steve and it's really nice to have you here.

I'd be interested to hear how you got into puppet making as everyone that I've seen performing with puppets has at least one piece of your work and I have to say that they look real works of art and are highly spoken of.

I was a preacher's kid and we had traveling ministers with various talents in magic and ventriloquism coming through town and staying at the house. I got to see some "behind the scenes" stuff and it fascinated me. I began making some rough puppets and had a store bought toy vent dummy...then it happened....I saw "Sesame Street" on my aunt's TV (she had cable!) and the Muppets lit a fire in me. I began to build "muppets".... http://www.axtell.com/youngax.jpg Ha!

My mom (or mum) sent that newspaper photo of me to Jim Henson in hopes of my landing a job (at 14!!!) and he wrote back and encouraged me in my talent and to find other "characters"! I was off to find my own look.... and at 16 this is where I was... http://www.axtell.com/youngax2.jpg

Then another moment when I went to Disney World and walked into the magic shop and saw "Don Post Masks!" Wow....puppets & rubber...that's my new look! I began making latex puppets along with some others, began performing....here is age 21 http://www.axtell.com/steve70.gif

....got married.... met Craig Lovik... I tell you life is a crazy, wonderful journey isn't it?

I'm so blessed to have met so many wonderful people over the years and to be able to do this for a living.... Can I say this? I wish you a Merry Christmas, Talk Magic... from my family to yours...

http://www.axtell.com/axtellchristmas.jpg

Ax

Welcome Steve! Your fame precedes you! There is a lot to see here.

Cheers

Todd

Yes, Mr Axtell makes exceedingly good puppets. The only problem is knowing which one to go for but the chimp looks like a great buy to me.
And the elephant...
And the dragon....


(and on I go...)

Thanks Steve for the potted history - most interesting to read.

Welcome again.

welcome and stay active!

http://www.axtell.com/axtellnewyear.jpg

Happy New Year from the Axtells! 2008....make it Great!

THE Steve Axtell?

Wow, amazing. I've never done vent and never will do it, but your puppets are, as the others have said, works of art.

Happy new year to you too!

Hi Phoenix - no problem.... you can still use our puppets in your magic show without using vent... here are 6 articles, radio inteviews, and lots of ideas you can do with our amazing puppets...without doing ventriloquism...

http://www.axtell.com/cafe.html

Welcome to TM Steve Axtell!!! Great to see others who are interested in other art forms other than an obsession to pasteboards!

I'm so excited about this....We have posted the prices for the Hands-Free Remote control puppets at http://www.axtell.com/remote.html

Ax