Cookie Monster is known on Sesame Street for his large eyes placed on his big, blue head. They are characterized by always going in two directions and having a googly eye appearance. In this article, I show you how to get this shaky googly eye appearance on your puppets. On this example I changed it up by having one eye normal and the other one shake. But for an even more zanier look you could have both eyes shake just like Cookie Monster, the choice is up to you!
What Materials Should I Use?
To make these Cookie Monster Styled Eyes I used sewing pins, thin packaging plastic ( mine was from a case of sharpies), and self adhesive velvet. These were the materials I had on hand, however, you could substitute the pins with screws and the velvet with felt, or really any materials that you think would work. The principles for making these Cookie Monster eyes are what matter and could be applied differently.
List of tools and supplies
The first step is creating the pupil. I’m using sticky-back velvet as the material to stick onto a thin sheet of plastic. Before going out and buying new supplies, I’m sure you have some thin plastic laying around. Even plastic from a disposable plate or bowl would work.
Then, I chose what size I wanted my pupils to be and used and punch-hole mallet to get the precise sizing.
Next, I poke a hole on the top of the pupil that’s big enough to fit the pin I want to use to connect it. You can also use a screw in place of a pin.
After you make this initial hole, you’ll want to expand it with a larger pin or screw. The pupil will need room to move around the pin, so adding extra room on this hole is vital.
Next, we move back to the base of the eye. You want to make sure this white base is a strong material like wood or hard plastic, otherwise the next step won’t work.
Then, mark a dot for where you want this pupil to be placed.
To secure the pin to the eye base, I used a drill. Make sure to wear goggles and take all safety precautions at this step. Drill the pin in slowly, since it isn’t the traditional use of an electric drill gun.
Make sure to wear goggles and take all safety precautions at this step. Drill the pin in slowly, since it isn’t the traditional use of an electric drill gun.
Now that you have a hole drilled into place, slowly hammer the pin and pupil into place. Still keep the pin hammered deep into the eye, but loose enough for the eye to still spin around the pin.
Lastly, to conceal that silver pin tip, rub a bit of sandpaper overtop and color it in with sharpie to blend into the pupil. Then, you’re done!
Add a Bit of Personality
This Cookie Monster style eye is the perfect way to add a bit of personality to your puppet and give it that zany touch you’ve been looking for.
