this is for stigman I will post up the lever controlled eye designs too here if thats cool. Now right away you will see the control tube is bent plastic. The way to do this is to fill the tube with sand and use a heat gun to heat it up and bend it.

Let me know if I can answer any other questions.

This looks like the bird used in The Lion King production.  I was lucky enough to get a backstage tour of the show and the bird they used also had this type of control.

Very cool!

Nikole

never saw the control but yes its the same bird I designed a cable control for this one based on the lion king bird. They decided not to have me make a bird for them but their only reference was the lion king bird. The basis of the drawing was the cable control for stigman. He said he had a bird to make as a mechanical one.

I myself never worked on the lion king although I bet it was fun.

Amazing Dr. Puppet (Jay).  This will help everyone and gives me the ideas that is needed to make my idea come to life (I hope).

I do have a question is there a spring attached to the lower jaw to keep it in the closed position once the mouth is not in use.  I don't see any thing keeping that bottom jaw in the up position. 

I would love the eye one as well when you have the time to do it.  I might combine both of them onto one pole (if it will work that way). 

Thanks so much for this one.......

Daryl H

You should be able to combine both with no trouble. For the eye I recomend a cable with a plunger on it to use as a push pull method. That way you can get more subtle expression from the eyes. As far as the spring you can use that or I sometimes use the large industial rubber bands.

Sorry it took me so long to get this up here.

J
Doc