Cari's Creatures
(St. Louis Fantasy Puppetry and Performance)
Introducing a Cari's Creatures original! Meet Namo the Trico!
About Namo's Creation
Namo was a special request for a very special person. We had never done anything remotely in the scope of Namo- so every part was a major learning experience for us. Follow onward for photos of the build process!
This was our very first build using thermoplastic. We ended up burning our hands very often, but in the end we discovered Thermoplastic was the new best way to make puppet heads. Here is the base mold.
We hollowed out the eyes and made a pair of horns from clear-cast resin with shimmer dyes. We began to mold the head into more of a "Trico Skull" shape.
Here is our experimentation with the eyes, as well as figuring out placement for the ears. The ears are made from EVA foam and faux furs- eventually painted via airbrush technique.
The final base for Trico's head! Skull is fully made from thermoplastic. Mouth base is EVA foam with a fully hinged jaw using twine. The eyes are once again cast in clear resin with blue shimmer dyes. The client specifically asked for "Blue" eyes for her Trico!
This was also our very first time furring a head base. This is the final result for the Trico head after furring and shaving. The rest of the face is hand painted with acrylic shimmer paints.
Onto the body, legs and tail. We made the body fully from faux fur. Inside of the body is a sleeve specifically for the arm to go into the neck to puppet. The neck of the puppet is hollow, and there is a hole in the belly for access.
Another first we managed were poseable legs. Each leg is carved in upholstery foam. A wire is run through each leg, secured with glue, and shaped for the bird feet/toes. The wire is then wrapped in polyester before being covered in appropriate fabric. It is then air brushed and affixed to the body!
Here is the first photo of the whole Trico put together. This was the moment they started looking like an animal, and less like a blob. After this point, we went on to creating poseable wings out of EVA foam, wire and faux feathers. Lastly we touched up the seams and details.
The result is Namo the Trico! Our very first full-sized shoulder puppet at made entirely by us at Cari's Creatures.
Where's Namo Now?
Namo was lucky enough to be commissioned by a very talented, up and coming puppeteer named Saphira! He is lucky enough to already be visiting her school and friends and practicing his very own Story Time! They are both growing and practicing with each other! You can learn more about Saphira on our "Puppeteers" Page, as she is now considered one of our honorary puppeteers!
