Drat
I've just been to my local "woolies" and they've got rid of them for christmas stock! She did say they will probably be back in January
Mark

Ha ha ha, Clive,
You're so right. I was just saying that today. The problem with the lion basket is, since you've created interest in it, all the kids want to look in it or play with it which kind of takes away from the fact that you want to use it to put all your props(/balloons) somewhere out of harms way.
Ah well, I'm sure we'll find ways to deal with it. In my first year of business I used a large hold-all bag and a fold-up table, when I switched to a roll-on style table I found that a lot of the kids wanted to see what was in it, which didn't happen when I used the bag. In time, that problem disappeared I'm hoping the same will happen with the lion, I'll find more ways of keeping the noses out of there and at the same time get more entertainment out of the prop.
George

HI,
Most branches of Woolworths are selling off hobby horses half price now £9.99 one of them is not a horse but alions head that growls/roars might be useful for sound efect
Phillip

Anyone found these in the US yet?

An online search turned up nothing. Even Woolworths doesn't seem to sell them online.

I saw them in "Budget DIY" ,today, there was a ladybird one there too.

There's quite a few on e-bay. I couldn't see the lion but I found the frog, a dog, a tiger and a very cool duck. Check it out.

No lion, but some more nice ones here (especially the rocket):
http://www.venetiafans.freeservers.com/photo4.html

George

I have currently been using those colorful plastic buckets found at dollar stores. Problem is I run out of table space to put them on and if they are on the floor, they are open to "eye candy attacks."

What you can often do is use a roll on table as your main table and put your "dicth" bucket directly behind it. So from the audience view, your table blocks it and so it does not become a distraction for you and for the kids. I sometimes do this at my festival shows and it works quite well. It also keeps it out of reach of the children's hands. Just a suggestion.

Kyle

Hi Folks,

I found a few places online that sell the baskets in the USA. I personally have not used these companies, but the prices seem fair. Hope this helps!

Link 1:
http://nursery-furniture.babycatalog.com......576.html

Link 2:
http://www.handylaundry.com/scripts/prod......ortorder

I rember a childrens entertainer telling me to put DANGER DANGEROUS LIVE ANIMAL INSIDE across my puppet box maybe something like that on it? With my one I have a huge silk that goes over it to stop that happening.
Matt

Thanks magicpro12 . . . those look way cool!

Hmmmm . . . now thinking about a way to show one empty at the beginning and use it for a production at the end . . . .

If the ditch bucket is drawing to many curious kids, maybe you should get one of the black ones available for use for Halloween.

Great Idea. Glad I found it. Shouldn't be buried so I brought it back up!

I'd forgotten I'd posted this here. A year and a half later and I'm still using one. I found slightly smaller ones in Pound-stretcher for £5 each, a bee, a dolphin and a baseball one.

I still do the mouth opening gag (usually before I start the show to find out what kind of mood the audience are in). I don't doctor the baskets any more (it doesn't always work). I simply close the lid with my right hand with my left hand at the back, if you then push into the cloth at the back with your left thumb as you walk away it opens back up again.

If you want to keep the basket as a feature of the show but keep out little fingers afterwards, I've found a couple of clothes pegs over the opening stops the ld intruders.

George