About The Artist
Landon Harvey
The Original Dummy was founded in April 2017 by Landon Harvey. Within a single year, his highly expressive, original puppet designs were finding homes with performers around the world — from San Diego to Las Vegas, from Chicago to Singapore.
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Landon’s journey with ventriloquism began at just six years old. What started as performing for family, friends, and classmates quickly grew into a serious craft. In 2016, he was awarded the Terry Fator Scholarship, giving him the opportunity to attend his first ventriloquism convention. There, he entered the Vent Haven ConVENTion’s Junior Mic competition and took home first place — a milestone that helped launch both his performance path and his passion for creating unforgettable figures.
Landon continued studying every side of ventriloquism — not just performance, but the art of building characters. Wanting to fully realize his creative visions, he began making puppets in his room, which soon was charmed by heaps of foam, fabrics, and his grandmother’s first sewing machine. In April 2017, he sold his first professional figure — the very first “Original Dummy” — leading to a growing list of character creations and clients.
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Today, Landon focuses on custom puppet creations, working one-on-one with clients throughout the process. Many of his characters include visual or mechanical gags that enhance personality and performance. Because he builds from the perspective of a working ventriloquist, each puppet is designed with practicality, movement, and stage use in mind.
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Meticulous about materials, expression, and detail, Landon’s work is acquired by performers, collectors, and fans alike as functional pieces of art.
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One client described him as “The Jim Henson of the future.”
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Commissioning a puppet from Landon is a collaborative creative experience. He doesn’t simply take orders — he brings memorable characters to life that audiences connect with immediately.
Landon, sewing away at one of his first creations. (2017)