Planet Funk Con has been a great Comic-con in the Quad Cities area for a few years now and it’s become a great place for me and puppets to come and have a great time! BONUS- We get to meet some celebrities that I love and respect! Among the many celebs I met, the most epic were two Power Rangers and two VR Troopers (If anyone remembers that Power Rangers spin-off).
May 10th, the QC Toy Show held a Comic-Con in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. It was there where I got to meet Tracy Lynn Cruz, the Yellow Ranger from Power Rangers Turbo (last half of 1997) and Power Rangers in Space (1998). I was in 5th and 6th Grade during her time on the show and I loved her character, Ashley. Tracy in real life is an absolute sweetheart and such a kind soul!
I brought along my toy of the Turbo Navigator for her to pose with mainly because her character on the show was the first Ranger to use it in its gun form as pictured below. Apparently, no other fans have every brought a Turbo Navigator to these Cons she’s been to. She said her mind was blown. So was mine.
Since she was a Yellow Ranger “in Space,” I thought it would be fitting to bring my newer puppet, Zoomer; a yellow alien from Space. I’m very pleased with the pictures we got and with the whole experience altogether! Tracy Lynn Cruz is a true delight and I encourage any Power Rangers fans who get a chance to see her at Comic-Con to do so. She is so worth it!
This past weekend, in East Moline, IL, there was the QC Toy Show. There, I had the honor of meeting and talking with Austin St. John (Original Red Power Ranger), Kevin Clash (Puppeteer and Muppet Legend), Robbie Rist (Voice Actor of Michelangelo in the original Ninja Turtles Movies) and Kenn Scott (Martial Arts suit actor for Raphael in Ninja Turtles I and II). They were all delights to talk to and they were amused by the puppets I brought with me and they seemed very surprised to see the Raphael football I brought with me that I’ve had since I was 3 or 4 years old. It was a great experience and I thanked them more than once for coming to a Con that was so close to where I lived.
After spending a lot of time pondering, Leeroy who had been with the QPT since 2016 decided that he wanted a “makeover” like some puppets have done in the past. Leeroy was already the product of a sample of Chuggs’ fur infused with magic from Da Royal Ruby and Da Purple Prism. He decided to he wanted to use some energy from Da Duke Diamond and Da Sorcerer Sapphire as well. He now has a crazy, colorful look which he thinks will make him able to contribute more to The QPT.
Recently there was the Planet Funk Con in Davenport, Iowa. At this Con was the actress Catherine Sutherland who played Kat the Pink Power Ranger from 1995-1997. Being the Power Ranger fanatic I am, I had to go meet her and get her autograph and pictures. I came prepared with Power Rangers toy weapons relevant to her character on the show and I brought along puppets that sort of coordinate with her character. Trotter, CC and I got great pictures and had wonderful conversation with Catherine! One of the best days of my life for sure!
Last night, Lyle Fox was polishing The Purple Prism and Sorcerer Sapphire (QPT fans will recall from The Sock Note Saga). A storm was passing through and somehow the lightning charged up the diamonds. They then discharged that energy to Lyle; changing his appearance into a crazy, yet awesome, purple and blue look.
Lyle is actually quite happy with his new look. I guess the energy of the diamonds also gave him an energy boost. He was rather mellow and lazy most of the time before this event.
Earlier this year, I decided to take a crack at selling Quesal Puppet Merchandise. I’ve started an account on TeePublic.com and have a handful of QPT collages and whatever else I feel like putting up there for people to order on shirts, mugs and other merchandise. Check it out!
https://www.teepublic.com/user/davqueezall
On top of loving puppets, I’m also a nerd in many areas. That includes Super Sentai (The Japanese Show that Power Rangers is a rip-off of). So when I added my new Hairball Monsters to The QPT, I couldn’t help but compare and contrast them to different Super Sentai teams that would come to mind. Take a look…
J.A.K.Q. Dengekitai
Chouriki Sentai Ohranger
Gekisou Sentai Carranger
Kikai Sentai Zenkaiger
Zenkaiger weirded me out as their first promotional photos surfaced in December of 2020 while I spent a few months before modifying Trotter into the colorful viking car he is now and assembling his Hairball Monster crew. Crazy coincidence if you ask me!
This kids song “Baby Shark” seems to be growing in popularity as well annoying a lot of people. For whatever reason, Bobbo the Bird wanted to perform a cover of it and this happened…
A loyal subscriber of ours on YouTube kept asking us to do a cover of this song, so we did!
David Quesal 