I decided "Death of a puppet Master" to be this years theme. As such I need a lot of marionettes. (Some animated, some static)
Now I've used the crank arm system to animate marionettes before, but not on this scale.
http://www.halloweenforum.com/halloween-props/108117-new-take-old-fav-crank-arm-marionette-show.html
A friend gave me a vintage clown costume this year and I thunk it the perfect starting point.
![Room Headgear Costume Plant]()
I fashioned some feet to be held in place with the elasticated cuffs.
![Hardwood Footwear Wood Wood flooring Floor]()
Plugged a set of latex gloves with a plywood disk and stapled the elasticated cuff to it and the gloves. (I'll probably staple the ankles too)
![Hand Finger Glove Nail Wing]()
The main form is just a head and set of shoulders cut out of 2" wood to act as a coat hanger for the clown costume.
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The foam face originally belonged to one of those hands/head and cheese cloth hanging props that only survived 1 Halloween.
I simply Zip Tied it to my form.
![Blue Plant Art]()
The crank arm system is pretty much the same as the ghost. I used pulleys to reduce friction since we are dealing with more weight.
I also added a rope/pulley at the back of the stroke (pulls the entire clown backwards) This adds a little counter weight when the motor is lifting both hands and one foot.
![Iron Table Furniture Metal]()
And here it is in action.
View My Video
Your all familiar with the rig, hopefully I inspired you to mix it up.
Good luck and happy Halloween!
Now I've used the crank arm system to animate marionettes before, but not on this scale.
http://www.halloweenforum.com/halloween-props/108117-new-take-old-fav-crank-arm-marionette-show.html
A friend gave me a vintage clown costume this year and I thunk it the perfect starting point.
I fashioned some feet to be held in place with the elasticated cuffs.
Plugged a set of latex gloves with a plywood disk and stapled the elasticated cuff to it and the gloves. (I'll probably staple the ankles too)
The main form is just a head and set of shoulders cut out of 2" wood to act as a coat hanger for the clown costume.
The foam face originally belonged to one of those hands/head and cheese cloth hanging props that only survived 1 Halloween.
I simply Zip Tied it to my form.
The crank arm system is pretty much the same as the ghost. I used pulleys to reduce friction since we are dealing with more weight.
I also added a rope/pulley at the back of the stroke (pulls the entire clown backwards) This adds a little counter weight when the motor is lifting both hands and one foot.
And here it is in action.
View My Video
Your all familiar with the rig, hopefully I inspired you to mix it up.
Good luck and happy Halloween!
