ANIMALS that achieve a high degree of realism can be created in a variety of ways: from hand puppets; pullover masks; and prosthetic makeups; to animatronic, pneumatic, cable and rod puppets; free standing, radio controlled animatronics assisted costumes; and combinations of all the above. Creating animals that are finely detailed, with a high degree of character and expressive animation usually involves five distinct steps:

• sculpting.
• molding and coring.
• casting and cleaning skins and substructures.
• engineering the mechanisms necessary to animate the animal.
• finishing- assembly, painting, putting in eyes, teeth, claws, applying and punching any necessary hair and surface detail.

Artful detailing and carefully engineered mechanisms are only part of the final impression of a puppet - the talent and experience level of its puppeteers are equally critical. Our gorilla suit operator for example, has been playing gorillas for over twenty five years, beginning as the American Tourister gorilla.
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