Interview With Kenny Croes - Part 2

Part Two of a Seven Part Interview With ventriloquist figure maker Kenny Croes.

Video Transcript:

I know uh for a while if I’m remembering
my history correctly um they were
listing figure makers and you weren’t
listed because of the conversions am I
correct on that um well I don’t know if
that was the reason why um I mean I know
that you know there was some
uh controversy about conversion figures
and I mean I was such a novice I didn’t
know I mean I didn’t know conversion
figure from any I mean I I never even
heard the term until I started to get a
little bit of flak about it and um you
know and then of course I learned and I
went okay well that’s you know uh but I
kind of was following the philosophy of
Mike Brose and that in his book said that
you know the Only Rule is that there are
no rules and and then I started getting a
lot of negative uh negativity about the fact
that I was making smaller
figures and that I found kind of curious
too because I mean uh Shari Lewis used a
sock and the size didn’t seem to be any
issue but for some reason
uh hard figures being smaller seem to
bother some people and but in a way it
didn’t bother me at all and I didn’t
make me stop so I just kept doing it
that way although I do make some big
figures you know 40 40inch figures now
as well but um but I like the small
figures I mean um so anyway you you got
the vents of all sizes and uh you know a
lot of guys are now getting holded
little Jeff and he’s small
yeah so so you know how did can I ask
you did it did it bother you much when
people were doing that kind of thing
because sometimes um I find that
somebody starts something and it kind of
escalates and and I know I’ve been uh in
that controversy in the Magic World way
back and it it bothered me personally so
so how did it make you
feel well it it it it bothered
me um
um it bothered me first because it made
me feel ignorant you know like it was
something I didn’t understand or realize
and then it it bothered me a little bit
just because I didn’t see the logic I
mean I do understand there are purists
in every art form and and you know and I
can I can understand that but
um you know some of the victory all I
got was a little severe I thought
and um but you know at the same you know
I kind of worked through all of that you
know and I went well you know I’m doing
it and and I’m fine doing it I’m happy
doing it I’m learning doing it I don’t
see what the downside people are paying
money to buy these little guys and I’m
not trying to you know rip anybody off
or or anything like that I so I felt
because of what I was doing um
was making me happy and seem to be
making other people happy that really I
should just set all of that aside and
just keep going and and doing what I’m
doing and so I still make this you know
I still make the smaller ones I have a a
line that we call 2T and then I’ve got
the the 3T the larger size and you know
I sell far more of the
2T sizes uh they’re more a little more
affordable and you know they have a
reasonable amount of character and
and so it’s been actually a pretty good
Niche you know tell you the truth so it
worked out I was going to say it it
definitely uh because I know that around
that time you were really up in your
game uh and and I’ve just been really
impressed with your work uh you
mentioned character and I think your
figures have a lot of character so
congratulations on all you’re doing
right now with that well thank you I I
mean I I do try to learn all the time
and each figure I I make is a little
better than the next one and um I
unravel things that were mysterious for
me the week before you know so and
that’s I think what’s supposed to happen
uh in any kind of endeavor so