Fish on Fridays

Live From Ottawa: It’s the Political Circus!

February 4, 2010

My son and I have been home sick the last couple of days, laying on the couch and slowly rotting our brains with daytime television. We learned all about the Panama canal yesterday and then watched a rerun of The Greatest Canadian where Strombo tells us about the great Tommy Douglas. So although my sinuses are aching, I am inspired. I’m gonna make a Tommy Douglas puppet. He will be part of the past Prime Ministers line, even though he was never a prime minister. I’ll make Ed Broadbent too (another non-prime minister) because I’ve had a lot of request for him. Stay tuned people. More puppets coming.

January 15, 2010

Although Stephen Harper may have prorogued parliament, the rest of us can’t afford an extended vacation. Puppets are still in production and easily ordered through the sidebar (under Buy Politicos!!!!!). If you buy the Harper puppet be sure to give him time to recalibrate by not playing with him until March….but stick him in front of your TV so he can watch the Olympics with you.

The Plush Monster Workshop is full but we are planning another one for Febuary 28th (a Sunday) from 3 to 6. Call canteen to register.

January 4, 2010

Hey folks, I’ll be doing a Plush Monster Workshop at Canteen this month. Wednesday January 20th, from 6pm to 9pm
$25 + tax, all materials included.

Have you always wanted to create a horrid plush creature? Do you find big teeth and bloodshot eyes just the most adorable thing? Is there some fearsome creature in your imagination that is just screaming to be made into a soft sculpture? Then this is the workshop for you! We will go through the basic steps of how to make a stuffed monster. If you can’t sew that doesn’t matter, I’ll show you. All supplies will be provided (textiles, stuffing, needle, thread, etc…) but please come with lots of ideas… and maybe a sketch or two.

Space is limited, so register early. Call Canteen at (613) 216-0083

canteen art shop + gallery is at 238 dalhousie in Ottawa
canteenlife.com

December 26, 2009

For those of you looking for a David Miller puppet, there are some at Wise Daughters and some at C1 artspace. I also have a bunch in my workshop (but I haven’t posted them on etsy). Email me if you want one gabe(at)fishonfridays.ca

December 8, 2009

So I’m back in Ottawa from the OOAK and am happy to report that all the political leaders are total sell-outs. It’s not too late to get one for that special someone though. I am producing more this week for orders so get yours in…either send me an email or order through etsy (follow the link on the sidebar).

Did you know that I sell far more male politician puppets than women. What’s that about? Some women told me that they were more likely to buy the male politicians because they don’t have as much fun making fun of the women. But I also suspect that the women are not as popular because most people don’t know who they are.

November 29, 2009

I’m at the One of A Kind in Toronto this week and I just wanted to share some of the amusing reactions I’m getting to the political puppets:
“Can I stick pins in them?”
“Which finger is it for?”
“Look it’s my boyfriend Justin Trudeau!”
If you are in town, the show runs until December 6th and I’m at booth s-53.

November 18

My puppets are now available in Halifax! Check out the Love Me Boutique

November 15, 2009

A note to the lady who stole my design: I saw you at the Glebe artisan fair selling birds made out of vinyl. A design so similar to my garbage birds (photo in earlier entry below) that I was shocked. Stealing designs from other artisans is not good craft etiquette. If my designs inspire you to go home and make things, that is great. We all take ideas from here and there and interpret them in our own way. But please be creative and don’t reproduce what I’ve done. Switch it up a little, add your own ideas, make something new. And after you have stolen my design, don’t sell it!

November 7, 2009

One of A Kind Show is coming up and I’m busy sewing Dalton McGuinty puppets. I also have his more obscure brother David. You know, living in South Ottawa, I have the great fortune of being represented by both McGuinty brothers! (my brother says that the day I say that without sarcasm is the day he will start to worry.) The One of a Kind runs from November 26th to December 6th in Toronto, Direct Energy Centre. My booth number is S53. If my son wasn’t showing me his latest Lego construction, I would take the time to insert a link to the show right here…..but it’s under ‘upcoming shows’ and you can google it too. Tickets are 2 bucks cheaper if you buy them online.

October 10, 2009

Toronto people, please check out the Wise Daughters crafters market in the Junction (see links under ‘other crafters’ and ’shops’). They just started to carry some of my urban wildlife including the garbage gulls (which you can see in the lovely photo below).

Oh, and I just got a thank you email from Adam Giambrone. Although he like the puppet I sent him he also added ” I want you to know that I’m nobody’s puppet!”

September 29, 2009

Did you know that some of the people I have turned into puppets have actually sent me Thank You notes? Their mothers sure taught them well. Thus far Libby Davies (NDP MP), Janet Davis (Toronto city councillor) and Joe Mihevc (Toronto city councillor) have thanked me. I’m still waiting for a Tory to thank me.

September 16, 2009

The Political Circus comes to Toronto: I’ll be at the QWAC Outdoor Show in Trinity Bellwoods Park this weekend. The show runs Saturday the 19th and Sunday the 20th from 11am to 6pm. I’ll be at booth C30. I made a mayor David Miller puppet and some city councilors especially for the show.

August 21, 2009

Some Jack and Olivia puppets went to the NDP convention in Halifax.  Fun photos were taken.  Thank you Tabitha for sending them to me!

August 6, 2009

So our mayor Larry O’Brien was cleared of influence peddling. There was no denial of what he did, a slimy meeting with an opponent, but the judge decided that his slimy behaviour was not criminal. I guess this is a victory for slimeballs everywhere. Now I have to alter my O’Brien puppet (take the handcuffs off) so am having a super sale! If you would like a now collector’s item of O’Brien in cuffs, I am selling them off for ten bucks! (plus 1$ shipping). If interested, email me: gabe(at)fishonfridays.ca. This super offer will not last long!

July 8, 2009

The MPs may be off for the summer, but I never rest! I have a slew of new puppet politicians including Scott Brison, Stephane Dion, Leona Aglukkak, John Rafferty and Pierre Paquette. In the Municipal Series, I now have Toronto Mayor David Miller (he is scowling a little, maybe because John Baird didn’t give him transit money or maybe because he is having a hard time with CUPE, you decide). And for all you queers, I now have a Gay Icon series ( or an LGBTQ Icons). I started with Harvey Milk, one of the first out people to ever be elected to office . (Yes, they did make a movie with Sean Penn about him.) I had great fun with his 1970s garb and chose an everything goes with brown, especially more brown theme.

For you Ottawa folk, I’ll be at Urban Art in Minto Park July 18th. Toronto folk, catch me at the inaugural Portobello East, Sunday July 26th. For more info on the shows, follow the “shows” links on the sidebar.

June 13, 2009

Here is a nifty chart of my sales thus far (thanks Mez for teaching me how to do it.) Jack is in the lead, with Harper and Baird close behind. Flaherty and David McGuinty are trailing.

June 8, 2009

For the curious, Political Puppets can be found at Workshop Studio Boutique on Dalhousie in Ottawa and at the C1 Artspace on Ossington in Toronto.

May 31, 2009

Look for the Political Circus at the New Art Festival in the Glebe next weekend. It runs Saturday June 6 and Sunday June 7, 10 to 5 at Central park in downtown Ottawa. My booth is South 36. I’m working on having 3 new puppets by then: Libby Davies, Jim Flaherty and, the first in the municipal series, our very own Ottawa mayor Larry O’Brien.

May 20, 2009

John Baird and friends will be at Artisans at the Distillery this coming weekend (May 23, 24th)…not the real John Baird, the real one is in Ottawa testifying at our mayor’s trial.

May 15th 2009

The Political Circus project is going well. John Baird is outselling everyone else. Maybe because I made him look queenie or maybe because he is embroiled in the mayoral scandal going on here in town. Whatever the reason, I don’t believe that people buy him for his popularity. Currently in stock are the following MPs (I will post photos soon): Stephen Harper, Iggy, Jack Layton, Gilles Duceppe, Elizabeth May (not an MP but I had requests for her), Bob Rae, Justin Trudeau, John Baird, Peter McKay, Stockwell Day, Olivia Chow, Paul Dewar, David McGuinty (my MP) and of course, Ruby Dhalla.

I am always creating new MPs so please let me know who you would like to see. You can email me at fof(at)urbantaxonomy.ca

The political puppets went to hang out at the Chateau Laurier yesterday with Mitchel from Capital Diary. Tomorow, they travel to Montreal for Puces Pop Printemps. Will John Baird be equally popular in Quebec?

Once I figure out how to make a lovely graph, I will chart who sells where. The ‘why’ is up to you to figure out. I wouldn’t trust it as an opinion poll.
February 2009

Live From Ottawa: It’s the Political Circus!

Living in Ottawa, it can be a stretch to find excitement but I’m determined to embrace this clean and orderly town. You know how in Toronto or Vancouver, you see famous people just walking around? Well in Ottawa we have our own kind of celebrity; politicians! You can walk down O’Connor and see Joe Volpe and go “Hey aren’t you the guy who signed up dead people to the Liberal party!” So I’m happy to announce a brand new Fish on Fridays project: Live from Ottawa, It’s the Political Circus! Political geekiness meets textile art! Finger puppets of MPs, all your favourites like Iggy, Gilles Duceppe and John Baird. (I made Stephen Harper really fat because although I can attack the man on his policies, he stands by his policies, but no one stand behind their yo-yoing weight, not even a right winger.)