Puppet designer/fabricator:
This short called for a chair that looked like a creepy mouth, could walk, talk and swallow a man in the climactic scene, while still retaining enough stability that the actors could sit on it.
I converted a regular chair into this multi-functional puppet by adding a hidden hinge in the back of the seat, and adding removable hinges to the legs. The tongue is a hand puppet, and folds into a not-too-conspicuous lumbar pillow.
I entirely reupholstered the chair from its original yellow velveteen, which included adding tufting with custom covered buttons. I also added the lips and teeth, which are stuffed with polyester stuffing and upholstery foam respectively. One of the most notable challenges was that adding the hinge also required I remove the chair’s original arms.
2025.