Services:
Professional puppet designers for custom hand puppets, marionettes and animatronics. Design, build and performance-ready puppets.
Client:
Atomic London / Greater Anglia Trains.
Brief:
To celebrate the UK's largest-ever rail revamp, Greater Anglia called on Atomic, London, to create a new brand icon. They made a polygon hare, embodying the speed and grace of the modern Pendolino train whilst reflecting the natural history of the fens. Atomic, London approached Creature Encounter to realise their icon as an interactive "Warhorse" style puppet for audience engagement at live events. Our brief was to translate the animator's 3d reference into a 3m tall puppet. Recognisable as the brand icon, with a similar movement language and able to be posed when not in use.
Debrief:
Any large scale puppet has three primary factors to consider, a strong aesthetic, credible movement and performer concealment. Accepting the performer's visibility freed us to focus exclusively on the mechanics, in effect replicating the skeletal structure of a hare in hard-wearing super-light materials. This animating structure gave the character a wonderful kinetic life, which delivered instant brand recognition when clad in the signature polygon aesthetic.
Specifications:
Visible performers
Full movement vocabulary
Lightweight
Mechanical ear movement
Cable controlled sniff
Build Time:
Seven weeks
Testimonial:
“The client was very happy with the event and the finish of the character.”
-Reluca Anastasiu, Atomic London
If you are planning something similar or would like to discuss high-quality large scale puppet characters, please call Michael on 0780 1239756
We are a Creative Practical Effects Company specialising in Character Creation, Creature Effects, Puppets & Masks, UK.
Made with love.