Monster Puppet

Do you ever start a project with a clear picture of how you want the end results to be and it turns out completely different? That would be the monster puppet I just finished.

For Ridgefield High School’s spring musical performance of Return to the Forbidden Planet, I was asked to make three puppets by the drama teacher; two for a back story and one of the monster. I knew it would have four tentacles, I knew it needed to be big, and beyond that I was told to go crazy. Me left to my own devices is not such a great thing. Alas, I wish I would have simply drawn another picture to give me an idea of how I wanted it to look instead of constantly trying different looks out. I’m sure it took twice as long as it would have.

Note to self: Take five minutes to make a rough visual aid next time.

Anyway, when it was done, it was hard to believe just how big the thing was! It will definitely need to be operated by at least two people. Another thing I noticed was just how He-Man and the Masters of the Universe-like the creature was, which was what the teacher had asked for. Overall I am pleased with the results… or just glad to be done with it!

If you have a chance, please go see the show at Ridgefield High School. It is playing this Thursday, Friday and Saturday, the nineteenth, twentieth and twenty-first and the same days next week, the twenty-sixth, twenty-seventh and twenty-eighth. The show starts at seven in the evening each night.