An Interview With Ventriloquist Mike Palma - Part 5

Advice about flying with your characters and how to protect them in transit – and other thoughts from ventriloquist figure builder Mike Palma.

Video Transcript:

I don’t use hard characters very often. The reason is that I fly a lot, and I’ve heard the horror stories.

I was working in Indianapolis once, and after the show I was sitting with my agent having coffee. He told me he had worked with Jay Johnson once — Jay flew in, and his characters never made it. He liked the fact that I used soft puppets.

I’ve also heard about Ken Groves — he had to keep sending Howard, his old man figure, back to Robert McRay to rebuild because it kept getting damaged in transit.

Have you flown with your characters?

Last year, when I went to the convention, I brought Facicious’ head in my carry-on. That was fun going through the X-ray machine. We definitely got pulled aside and had to open the suitcase. At first they were a little freaked out, but once I explained we were headed to a ventriloquist convention, everything was fine.

I carry the head in my carry-on, and the rest of the body goes in my regular suitcase. I know a lot of guys will ship their characters to the hotel, but I’m more paranoid. I’d rather have it with me. At least if I’ve got the head, I can always make a new body.

Okay, well that’s good advice for anybody who wants to fly with their characters. So, what kind of case do you pack the head in?

Basically, I use one of those hard-shell carry-on suitcases. I pad the inside with foam rubber, make sure the head fits snug, and nothing gets damaged or squished. The nice thing is you can put it right in the overhead compartment and not worry about it getting tossed around.

Have you donated any figures to Vent Haven?

Not yet, but I plan to someday. I want to donate a character that’s unique — something that when people see it in the museum, they’ll say, “Wow, that’s different. Who made that?”

A lot of figure makers nowadays are creating some wonderful characters. Jimmy Eisenberg, for example — he comes out with these figures that are just incredible, so out of the box. It makes me feel like I need to step up my game. When I do donate something, I want it to be in my style, and something truly different.