Giant Backpack Puppets
Introduction: Giant Backpack Puppets
I made these giant wearable puppets for a play, they were 4 of the Big Friendly Giant worn by kids in the play. This technic can be used for any type of characters, from alien to bug, monster, zombie etc...
Supplies
MATERIALS
-1 Large Chinese opera mask or any large paper mask
-Shop paper towel, tissue paper or newspaper for papier-mâché
-White glue
-Insulation foam and other type of foam (re-use packing foam)
-Pool noodle
-Paint
-1 - 1X1X8 wooden stick
-2 thin garden bamboo sticks or small dowel
-1 old backpack
-Fabric of choice for body
-Fake fun fur for hair
-Plain white cotton for hands
-Wire for hands
-Polyfill stuffing for hands
-Gaff or duct tape
-Zap strap (or quick straps)
TOOLS
-Hand saw
-Drill
-Glue gun (lots of glue sticks)
-Sand paper (220 or higher)
-Paint brushes
-Measuring tape
-Utility knife
-Scissors
-Sewing machine or needle and thread to hand sew
Step 1: Papier-mâché
-If you want the mouth open, cut it before starting the papier-mâché
-Tear pieces of shop towel or newspaper in strips of about 1" X 3"
-Create a papier-mâché adessive by mixing white glue with water, the consistency should be like cream.
-Papier-mâché the mask, you can make small chunks to create facial features like enlarging the nose, layer the papier-mâché etc...
-Add 2 layers of papier-mâché, let dry between layers.
Step 2: Optional; Make Teeth
-If you have an open mouth, you can make teeth with insulation foam (pink foam works the same as blue one)
-Cut and shape the teeth using utility knife and sand them with fine grit sandpaper like 220 or higher
Step 3: Make the Hands
-Draw or photocopy a large hand, the size and style you want
-Cut your hand pattern
-Double your fabric and pin the hand patter on it
-Sew the hand slowly
-Flip the hands right side out so the seam are inside
-Start filling the hands with polyfill stuffing, don't fill too tight
-Cut pieces of wire twice the length of each fingers, bent each wire in half so it's the length of each fingers
-Insert wires in each fingers as you keep filling the hand and fingers with stuffing, stuff as much as desired and bent wires to desires hand shape
Step 4: Paint Hands and Face
-Time to paint the face! Start with light color and add as you go. Use small brushes for details. 286
Add water down grey or brown to create shadows around the nose, eyes, eyebrows and under the bottom lip.
-Paint the hands as well in any desired colors, I made mine looking dirty because if the theme of the play.
-Paint the teeth and any other items you plan to add.
Step 5: Add Last Details to Face
-Using a hot glue gun, add fake fur
--Use hot glue to attach the teeth on the inside of the mask
Step 6: Make Wooden Post and Assemble the Puppet
-Cut the wood the desired height of your puppet, don't forget that part of the wooden stick is going to be inside the backpack so calculate the height carefully.
-Cut a smaller stick for the shoulders
-Cut a notch in each stick where you will create a cross, the small stick goes perpendicular onto the large stick, add a bit of white glue and put a screw so keep it solid (see first photo), you can also wrap gaff or duct tape there in a x wrapping way.
-Cut the pool noodle lengthwise in half
-Find the center of your piece of pool noodle, glue and tape the pool noodle on the shoulder part of the stick (see photo) so the long arms are on each side.
-Attached the hands to the pool noodle. Add the hands on the ends of the pool noodle as if you were putting gloves on the pool noodle. Use hot glue and close the hand cuff with tape.
-Add the smaller bamboo sticks or small dowels where the hands are attached to the pool noodle. I did this by cutting a small hole in the pool noodle at the base where the hand is taped and hot glue it, plus I added tape to make it very secure. 286