'Don Sahlin' Hands-up Puppet
15/08/2023
'Sunni'
Meet Sunni the snail, a Muppets inspired hands up puppet with moving antenna and a shell she can retract into when the world gets a bit much. Designed with children in mind, our brief required the puppet be able to be used for educational purposes as if it were a character for BBC bitesize. My puppet was intended for children between the ages of 3 and 6, and would be used to teach young children about minibeasts and the importance of insects and invertebrates to our environment. I was also heavily inspired by Julia, the first autistic character on the children's show 'Muppets' and wanted to make a character that children with disabilities could relate to. Her shell is made using 2 plastic bowl-like forms that were secured together, which made her really robust. I wanted her head to be able to pull into her shell, and I needed to create the shell in a way that could withstand the stress and force of that pulling and pushing motion. Her head and neck are made of upholstery foam and coloured fleece with felt being used for detailing of the face, mouth plate and shell. Internally, her antenna are connected to an internal pulley system which allows them to move and emote, and a soft neck allows for a wide range of motion and for the the head of the puppet to be pulled into the shell.
Processes and Progress Images
- Textiles - Vacforming
