Would someone be willing to help me detangle the mess I am in?

Hey, Terry,
Hope this info helps you get going. When you start using Character Animator for the first time, you are in Starter Mode. Starter Mode is a free mode and a simple way to get started in Character Animator. You can see a video here. https://youtu.be/3TGOhygJbJ0

But you shared a Pro Project. And within your Pro Project, the Puppets are all named as Stater puppets. That's how I knew they were Starter mode puppets. 

You can switch between Starter mode and Pro Mode. But once you've created a Pro mode project or puppet, you can't or shouldn't try to go back to Starter Mode with that particular puppet or project (but you can always start a new Starter mode any time you want). How do you know which mode you are in? You'll see the word Starter or Pro in the app's top right corner. Click on it to learn more. See the attached image. 

The team created the Starter mode with free template puppets you started from a Pro mode feature called Puppet Maker. You can find out more about Puppet Maker here: https://youtu.be/JJ7ejWSw4eQ.

And the puppet you started with is a free Puppet Maker template called Kyo. The cool thing about Puppet Maker templates is that you can customize them and make your puppets from them. In Pro mode, click on the first example puppets box (see attached image). It will say "open puppet maker." Or go to File > Open Puppet Maker (see image). And once it's open, you can find the Kyo template (probably the second one) and generate new puppets that will work much better for your goals. 

Lastly, Okaysamurai has created tons of amazing free tutorials. And there is a whole section on beginner lessons. https://www.youtube.com/@okaysamurai