Date: Tue, 2 Dec 2008 06:07:45 -0500
To: puptcrit-AT-puptcrit.org
Subject: [Puptcrit] Stairmaster for puppets?


Folks,

I've been trying to create a rod or shadow puppet that has a realistic
walking gait. I wonder how I can do it? 90% of puppets have no legs or legs
that are not operable - bunraku are an exception, but they require
additional puppeteers. Some puppets have legs that operate like a whirlygig
-rather haphazard movement. Most just hang there.

I wonder if anyone has seen a mechanism that looks a bit like a stairmaster
- the feet rest on platforms that piston up and down. This "stairmaster"
would be black or hard to see, but would give the legs a realistic walk.

Ideally, the puppet would have a central rod held in one hand, and a single
trigger mechanism that would control the legs. The key here is that the legs
would be operated from below, not from above, like marionette strings.

Has anyone tried this, or seen anything like it?

Thanks in advance.
Dan McGuire
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