The Mouse That Roared is a finger puppet akin to Rocky the Raccoon being a spring puppet. There is
no real effect per se; however, it provides some whimsey. I use Rocky on stage and Mouse close-up.
In either instance they find a card and reverse it ala the invisible deck. It is suitable for
close-up and parlor.
The tutorial pulls clips from two of Dan Garrett’s videos and credit
him appropriately. The tutorial is not a download, but rather a 15 minute stream. The audio and
video quality is good. Everything is clear about setting up the mouse, installing the squeaker, and
how to make the movements look decent. There is no real arts & crafts, but you will remove some
stuffing from the mouse to install the squeaker. The mouse is made well although one of the eyes
fell off right away. I glued it back on and I suspect that will be a common occurrence. If the eyes
were sewn on, then it would not happen. It would likely make the mouse labor intensive and expensive
though. You may also remove some stuffing if your thumb is large and you need more space. There is
no set-up and reset. There are also no angles. It is a finger puppet. The puppet is on your thumb.
Kids may call out that he is not real or that he is a puppet, but there is nothing to be caught
with. There is no secret being ruined. It is pretty easy to perform. You will need a touch of
practice to make the movements look good and to make your reactions to the mouse look good. You will
be performing with the mouse later that night though.
