I mean, they're about the same size in height, but the thick yarn gives the griffin a bit of an advantage, I think.

Yup; the white one is the same size as yours, roughly. And that is a sizable hand puppet.

Not that much; so far I've only painted a few pairs, all in solid gold. I have seen them fancier on Etsy (like with spots, including some that glow in the dark), but I hadn't given much thought to it myself.