Using only stuffed animals as a pre-teen, I amused my extended family at annual gatherings with puppet shows from a mini-puppet stage built by my father.  The stage has since been passed on to other children in the family, but my puppets make appearances wherever I can reasonably squeeze them in.  Most of their "guest appearances" are currently limited to introducing segments of my home videos and the occasional voice part in an audio skit.

Having found a new source for puppets that an adult-sized hand can fit into, I have begun collecting a new cast to add to my "stable of actors".  The "Original Cast" is the group that I've been using for the past decade.  The "New Cast" are the puppets I've started collecting recently.  The goal is to collect 26 different puppets - one for each letter of the alphabet.