Today we’d like to introduce you to Jessie Caballero and Gus Renaud.
Hi Jessie and Gus, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start, maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers.
We are puppet enthusiasts and makers with a mission to help people connect to their inner child! What started off in the pandemic as posting videos for our own amusement and preservation of our sanity turned into a puppet empire of colorful, fun, and child-like wonder!
With Jessie’s cartoon-inspired art style, Gus’s clownish performance style, and all of our artistic powers combined, we have created a world of our own for anyone aged 1-100 to enjoy!
We both grew up with a love for puppets, and it was one of the many things that solidified our relationship when we first met. From Pee-Wee’s Playhouse, Mr. Rogers, Sesame Street, and, of course, The Muppets, to Looney Toons, The Three Stooges, SpongeBob, and more, there are many influences for what you see today.
We want Ragmop & Goose to truly be accessible to everyone. While kids are, of course, our target demographic, we also want our work to reach adults who may feel disconnected from their inner child. The content we create simultaneously promotes our “Adoption Days,” where the puppets we make by hand become available to anyone who’d like to bring them home!
Witnessing children and adults alike explore their creativity within the puppet world is such an incredible experience. We hope to revive the puppet and marionette community or, at the very least, bring
laughter and happiness back into a world that desperately needs it.
We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Our biggest struggle has really been that we blew up and took off faster than we could sew! Turning our art into a business of this magnitude has felt like uncharted land for us, constantly trying new things and getting newer opportunities.
But the encouragement from fans and stories we hear from people who have been affected by our puppets has been a driving force through those challenges!
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
Our main goals for Ragmop & Goose Puppet Adoption Agency are this: to put physical play into the hands of kids and teens and to help bring out the inner child in adults.
We still can’t believe that we get to do this as a job. We are proud of everything we put out: puppets, content, and joy we spread. It makes the harder days bearable.
Do you have any advice for those just starting out?
We tell people all the time, just do it, make it whatever it is. You don’t need someone’s approval or funding to what you want. Don’t be afraid to ask for help from people around you. We’ve had many friends help us with things in exchange for pizza!
Don’t stop yourself. The only way to start is to just start; don’t let failure get in the way. We still fail to this day in ways, and we’ve learned a lot from those moments of failure. Let failure be your friend.
Perfection can be good, but don’t let it derail you.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.ragmopandgoose.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ragmopandgoose/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/ragmopandgoose
- Other: https://www.patreon.com/ragmopandgoose
Image Credits
Ragmop & Goose
