This bicycle was rebuilt from a machine that was used the previous season. I only ended up using a few pieces from the original machine since it functioned in a very different way – the contestants needed to be hit in the face instead of the groin, so the new machine needed to be completely re-designed.

A big challenge was designing the wheel to carry the tennis balls into the tennis ball launcher, since they needed to be metered out one-by-one without binding.

I had fun making a system of wooden gears to operate this mini-catapult. The mechanism tightens slingshot rubber bands, and a pull-cord releases the catapult arm.

I’m working in the Art Department of Sesame Street, and I made plenty of letters and numbers for the 41st season. Most were made out of foamcore or blue foam, but I did make some “7′s” that I scored so that they would break apart easily when Cookie Monster chomped on them.

I made this out of an old exercise bike, a right angle drive, PVC pipe, steel pipe, gears, chain, and four giant flyswatters. When the bike is pedalled, the wheel of flyswatters spins to hit a contestant in the face.

I made a crane designed to look like an engine hoist using some square tubing, simple hardware and casters. The pink claw was made out of some PVC pipe and fittings (with some clips added to the ends so that they would pull on a contestant’s hair.)

Anchor and Arrow both begin with the letter “A!” I made these out of blue foam and acrylic paint for a guest on the show.

I worked on this skill crane’s new head-sized claw and pneumatic setup. It could be kinda scary. Jason Singleton and Courtland Premo did lots of work on this machine – it was pretty rickety when it first arrived.

This machine was welded together from steel so that it would be strong enough to kick the contestants in the rear, though I added some springs and flexible vinyl tubing so that it wouldn’t shatter any spines.

This machine uses shortened bicycle inner tubes to grab a contestant’s arm in three places. The clear plastic tube is also in three pieces, and the center piece can rotate to give an indian burn effect. Becky Holmes helped with the silver paint finish, which helped to make the machine look scarier.

I cast my hands in silicone rubber with a wooden dowel inside each knuckle. The hands were attached to two drills, and I made a crane mechanism that would lower the fists slowly towards the contestant’s head. It made a girl cry! (not because it hurt her, but rather because it mussed up her hair something fierce.