This is a quick image guide on how I built my Oscar the Grouch replica. I tried to provide a lot of pictures for you to give you ideas on how you can build your own. Enjoy and feel free to ask me anything. I do not sell any replicas. This is simply a fun hobby I do for recreation only.

Boil faux fur.

Cast eyes with liquid plastic from non-stick silicone baking molds.

Cut out foam head pattern and chin/jaw pattern. I used the same head pattern for the chin/jaw but at the end I cut in half and trim down the height.

Used contact cement to attach the foam pieces together.

Used Cricut to create paper mouth plate template. It is 7″ wide and 3.5″ tall.

Used contact cement to attach top mouth plate to foam skull and attach bottom mouth plate to foam chin/jaw.

Added black velvet fabric to mouth plate. I spray the backside of the fabric as well as the mouth plate with super 77 adhesive spray. I let it get a little tacky before placing the fabric on the plate. I trim away the extra fabric after it dries. I used temporary strips of tape to hold the top and bottom mouth plates together when I add the felt. The mouth plate is only held together by fabric at the end. This allows him to have a loose jaw like the real puppet.

Started test fitting eyes and eyebrow mechanism.

Glued eyes to foam skull.

Built finger grips to attach to mouth plate. I also added poly boning to inside skull to make the head hold shape better and be stronger.

Created head fur template. Cut out faux fur and sewed it together.

Test fitting fur head pattern and what the eyebrow would look like.

Created body fur pattern.

Created hand/glove pattern.

Sewed head to body and hands to body. Test fitting on foam head. I had to cut small slits to allow the eye and eyebrow mech through. I also have the face a slight trim.

Created tongue from 1/2″ foam. I cut out the tongue shape with a precise razor blade and then I added a small amount of contact cement to the edges of the foam. I let it sit to get tacky and then I pinch the edges to give it that 3D look. I then painted it with red acrylic paint.

I added the brown faux fur to the eyebrow wire. I added flexible wire in between the two “strong” wires on the eyebrow. This allowed to bend it and shape it between the eyes. I also have the body, hands, fingers, and head a final trim. I used the Cricut to cut out sticky velvet paper to create 1″ pupils. I put it all together to get the final result.

Got a trash can from some friends that were looking to get rid of it. I did a bad paint job on purpose with black spray paint, smeared the paint, and then sanded the can after the paint dried to give it a distressed look.