Date: Fri, 16 May 2003 23:14:18 -0400
From: Joe <joe-AT-dunfee.com>
Subject: Re: PUPT: Moving Ears


At 12:41 AM 5/16/03 EDT, you wrote:
>Has anyone out there rigged rabbit puppet ears?  

  I've done a dog that can perk his ears up.  It may work for your approach.
Basically the ears had a stiff wire in them that poked into the head. Inside
the head the end was formed into a loop, and a string attached.  By pulling
on that string, the ears would stand up.  However, I was never able to
really achieve a position where the ears really stood all the way up, and
also all the way down.  I just ended up compromising on the ears-up position
so they would look most realistic when they were down.

  I used another approach for some creatures from outer space.  We wanted
their antenna (antenni?) to be able to move and do things.  I ended up
making them from a thin diameter vinyl tube. Then I put spring wire inside.
By twisting the spring wire where they went inside the puppet, you could aim
the antenna, and I could make them droop by pulling the wire out.  I even
played with making them take on different shapes by putting different shaped
spring wires inside.  However, it was sort of hard to slide the wire into
the vinyl tubing.  I needed some sort of lubricant.  I should also have put
something blunt on the end of the wire that wouldn't poke into the tubing.

  Vinyl tubing is probably not the best if this is going to be done a lot.
I suspect a better choice might have been some cables used in R/C Airplanes.
They have both very thin, and thicker ones.  Hopefully you can find the
stiffness you need for the bunny ears.
Joe Dunfee  joe-AT-dunfee.com
Strasburg, Pennsylvania, U.S.A.



  --- Personal replies to: Joe <joe-AT-dunfee.com>
  --- List replies to:     puptcrit-AT-lists.village.virginia.edu
  --- Admin commands to:   majordomo-AT-lists.village.virginia.edu
  --- Archives at:         http://lists.village.virginia.edu/~spoons