Date: Tue, 2 Dec 2008 09:08:54 -0500
To: puptcrit-AT-puptcrit.org
Subject: Re: [Puptcrit] Stairmaster for puppets?


Yes. There are several examples of this in Fettig's book.

Also, tabletop figures, when correctly built and weighted, don't need
an additional operator to walk naturally. It's basically a slightly
modified Dwiggins marionette, without the strings and with a little
more roll to the toes.

Yours,
Mary

---
Mary Robinette Kowal
http://www.maryrobinettekowal.com



On Tue, Dec 2, 2008 at 6:07 AM, Dan McGuire <dandmcguire-AT-gmail.com> wrote:
> 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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