Haven't done any puppet building for over a year, sort of got burned out, but a talk with my sister got the juices flowing again and I'd like to hear any thoughts and ideas on this project.

Her company is BIG on Halloween (I know that's 5 months away) and this year's theme is Disney movies. She wants to go as Mileficent, the villain from Sleeping Beauty. What will really make the costume is the accessories. Mileficent has a walking stick with a raven purched on it.

My job is to make the bird and walking stick. Now, I could get a fake bird, dye it black and attach it to the top of a stick, but who wants the dull approach?

What I plan is a raven who will turn his head, open and close his beak and blink his eyes (do birds blink eyes?), all done on the cheap.

What I would like is your thoughts on how the various aspects of this project could be done. Movement by servo? Manually? However? Hard body? Foam body?

Give me some help with this project, PLEASE.

Thanks,
Cruppetman

I don't have any ideas or links off the top of my head, but MAN does that sound like a cool prop for her costume! I have seen something like that somewhere, as a prop in a live action movie, and the bird had limited movement but was still really fun. It had the head pivot to one side and the beak drop open and a loud CAW! I can't remember if the eyes blinked though.

Did the 1939 MGM Wizard of OZ movie have crows like that, which mocked the Scarecrow? It seems like it was an older movie like that.

Fun idea, in any case.



Ron G.

If you want it done cheap, I have a feeling electronics are out.

What about doing a bird carved out of closed cell foam, or styrofoam and do the animations via cables (like bicycle brake cables) that run to levers on her stick?  Or even sculpting the bird and casting it like a ventriloquist figure. 

The staff would be a HUGE control stick for a ventriloquist figure, her thumb could operate the levers.

If you want the bird on the smaller size, you may have to pick a smaller assortment of animations....

Sounds like a really stellar project though!!

I've been doing a little research in Hansjurgen Fettig's books on movement using various rods, multidirectional universal joints.There are a lot of possibilities there. I need to figure how to convert a vertical start (up the walking stick) to a horizontal (through the body of the raven to his head). I hope to use two red LEDs for the eyes, so there will have to be some electronic involvement.

Keep up with the ideas.

Thanks,
Cruppetman

I'm facing a similar problem. I am thinking of thin wire or string inside surgical tubing for the controls. (What is the title of the book by Hansjurgen Fettig you are using? I would like to hunt up a copy for myself).
Steve

I am not sure if that style of book would help you out for using wire controls (bicycle controls)......I think a better tubing would be stiff fridge tubing or a bicycle brake to do cable control mechanisms.

BTW the book is amazing but his method may not meet the needs for the stick with bird on top concept.   There is a utube video that shows him (which is very rare) and some of his puppet concepts from his book.....

Here is the link.......

His book is titled "Hand and Rod Puppets" however it is very rare to find and very expensive to buy looking at $100-$200 depending on quality and how much more rare it is to own it on the market.

Daryl H

If you want a thumb control you could use a flexible drill extension like they use for electric drills.  If its anchored well it will give you control for turning the head.  I like the idea for lighting the eyes, could be spooky.  IMO you don't need to have plinking eyes

I have nothing useful to add, I just want to say that this sounds like a very cool project; especially if you manage to create some movements in the head, and add in the red lights