Hamster Inspiration

My friends Sean and Patrick Johnson are part of a fun and talented live puppetry company called Swazzle. They perform amazing shows at libraries, all over California, primarily in the summer. Swazzle is premiering two new shows this summer and have booked at least 125 gigs so far!

I'm really excited to see B.A.R.K. The Robot Dog and Rex and Boots, Super Sleuths, not only because I always enjoy Swazzle production, but also because they both feature dogs! I was pleasantly surprised to find out that B.A.R.K. also has a hamster character. I saw Patrick's sketch of the hammy and loved it.


I later found out that he'd seen photos of my hamster, Ami, and added a white stripe around the middle of the Swazzle character since hers is so cute. Here's a glimpse of the puppet. I think it's brilliant and can't wait to see it in action!

Sean confirmed that the puppet does have the white stripe around the middle. Isn't it adorable?

Illustration and puppet construction by Patrick Johnson.
Photograph of hamster puppet courtesy of Sean Johnson.