- Product Designer for playful and educational experiences

Monthly Archives: April 2011

Silent Library – Running Water

Posted: April 30, 2011-Likes: 0-Comments: 0-Categories: Propmaking, Silent Library

Hitting a contestant in the face with a series of waterbottles was a fun challenge! I made a net out of some surplus green vinyl strapping, and a steel pipe frame to hold all of the bottles in single file. When a motor pulled on an end of the belt, they would drop into a [...]

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Silent Library – Groin-Punching Slot Machine

Posted: April 29, 2011-Likes: 0-Comments: 0-Categories: Propmaking, Silent Library

I modified an old slot machine to perform a complicated task: First, after the contestant pulled the slot machine’s arm the three tumblers were to spin and then stop so that a fist icon was facing forward. Next, lights were to flash, the winnings drawer was to drop open, and then a rubber fist would [...]

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Silent Library – Spanking Chair

Posted: April 28, 2011-Likes: 0-Comments: 2-Categories: Silent Library-Tags: willkrause, foam, silent library

This one was fun to make! I traced my hand, scaled it up 200% and then made a foam hand with acrylic nails from the pattern. The arm is made out of 2x4's glued together and swung with the aid of pneumatics. I scaled up a normal wooden chair 150% and built it out of [...]

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Silent Library – Creature in a Jar

Posted: April 27, 2011-Likes: 0-Comments: 2-Categories: Silent Library-Tags: Props, willkrause, critters

This one was a challenge! I made this creature out of all sorts of materials: lobster claws, doll parts, shells from the beach, latex gloves, ping-pong balls, dust masks, shark jaws, lots of latex, and a toy octopus... a real potpourri of stuff. Katie Akana thought of the pneumatic mechanism to suddenly open the creatures' [...]

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Fake Pies for Sesame Street

Posted: April 26, 2011-Likes: 0-Comments: 0-Categories: Sesame Street-Tags: Props, sesame street, willkrause

I made these two pies for a cooking segment on Sesame Street. One pie needed to be made out of eight complete baked apples, and the other out of eight sliced apples, with a pair of eyeglasses hidden inside. I made the crusts out of sculpey, and the apples were standard fake styrofoam fruit... I [...]

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Junk Mail for Big Bird

Posted: April 25, 2011-Likes: 0-Comments: 3-Categories: Sesame Street-Tags: Props, sesame street, willkrause

I needed to make a few junk mail flyers that were going to arrive in Big Bird's mailbox. I stayed late one day to make sure that the "birds in slacks" flyer was done in time.

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