Whitest Kids U’Know – Outer-Space Handcuffs
I made these handcuffs from clear vinyl tubing, plastic beads, cable routing plastic and scraps of wire.
Read more »Whitest Kids U’Know – Sphinx Puppet
Layers of foam were used to make this puppet and give it an appearance of wind-worn stone.
Read more »Silent Library – Kicking Machine
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.
Read more »“Someday” Music Video – Props
for this “Peace Parade” video we made things like tree costumes, peace-symbol costumes, protest posters, and my bikes volunteered to be festooned with flowers. Luckily I was working with a skilled art department including Christina Aprea, Mike Pantuso, Anney Fresh, Keith Ozar, Julie, Diane Andazola, and Laura Brock.
Read more »Whitest Kids U’Know – Eiffel Tower puppet
I sewed a tiny beret for this puppet, and gave it a painted wooden dowel for a cigarette. the mouth is opened and closed by a thin wooden dowel, since the puppet is too thin for a puppeteer’s arm to fit inside.
Read more »Whitest Kids U’Know – Pyramid puppets
I made a pair of gossipy pyramids. These were made out of latex-coated upholstery foam with felt details.
Read more »Whitest Kids U’Know – Landmines
I made these landmines out of foamcore, velcro, and plumbing components.
Read more »Whitest Kids U’Know – Killer Robot’s Chest
This light-up chest was used by a killer robot, on the prowl for human organs. I made an identical door so that one could be attached to the actor’s costume (so that with the magic of editing, he could have a hollow chest.)
Read more »Whitest Kids U’Know – Ninja Stars
I made these ninja stars out of foam so that they wouldn’t hurt anyone. They’re weighted in the middle so that they could actually fly through the air.
Read more »Whitest Kids U’Know – Deep Fried Kitten
For some reason, everyone wanted to pick up this kitten by the legs and hold it like it was a tommy gun! It was made from papier mache over an armature of wire, tape, and newspaper.
Read more »I made a wonky refrigerator, various cartons of milk, and a big light-up letter “S” among other things for this Little Airplane pilot. I mean …pilot episode for Little Airplane Productions. That’s a less confusing way of wording things.
Read more »PBS – Hooper Interstitials
Hooper is a 3D-animated guinea pig (or maybe he’s a groundhog?) that plays around in an actual practical set. I built props for two seasons of these interstitials, including crayon drawings, construction paper collages, and objects sculpted from foam, like this googly-eyed orange bird.
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Cube Fabulous – Candyland
Sorry for the junky photo quality! These props were built for a reality show where folks’ cubicles were redecorated in fantastical styles. In this case, a “Candyland” themed cubicle.
Read more »Blue’s Room – Miscellaneous Props
Magic wands, clay pots, and other odds and ends from Blue’s Room.
Read more »Blue’s Room – Paintbrush
My first professional propmaking assignment was the design and construction of a six-foot-tall artist’s paintbrush. It was constructed around a broomstick for strength, with a covering of polystyrene foam and aqua resin. The brush’s tip is covered with strands of yarn of slightly different colors.
Read more »Halloween Monster – 2011
I needed to make a last-minute Halloween costume, so I glued together this mask from an old cardboard box, feathers leftover from a stork puppet I made a while back, and some felt, pipe cleaners, and - of course - a handful of plastic googly eyes.
Read more »Hamish and Andy – Giant Baby Carriage
I made this giant baby carriage so that a grownup could fit inside. It uses heavyweight plywood, BMX wheels, and welded steel to support a big person. Katie Akana and Jessie Voris handled the fabric and upholstery, And Katie also served as test pilot for a race down the hallway of the woodshop. This prop [...]
Read more »Sesame Street Florist Logo
The florist's storefront on Sesame Street needed some dressin' up, so I made this sticker for their window, along with some stickers for non-existent credit cards.
Read more »The Heart, She Holler – Magical Walnut
I made this magically-opening walnut for the Adult Swim mini-series "The Heart, She Holler." It works in a way that is similar to the old springy toy animals made out of beads that droop when you press on their plastic base. For my version, I made a new base out of plastic tube, springs, and [...]
Read more »Sesame Street – iPad Drawings
I drew these pictures for Sesame Street - Prince Charming and a Princess involved in their day-to-day activities. It appeared in an episode where an apple ipad was used for the the first time on the show.
Read more »Silent Library – Nipple Robot
Someday many years from now, my grandkids will ask me "Grandpa, were you ever a television robot star?" And I will be able to honestly tell them "Yes children, I was an EVIL television robot star. I built this robot out of all sorts of odds-and-ends. A funnel, bucket, two mini plasma spheres to make [...]
Read more »Silent Library – Toe Snap
I built this machine to sequentially shoot a contestant in the toes with rubber bands. The mechanism works with screws which are placed around the barrel of a crank-operated winch every few degrees. As the crank is turned, the rubber bands fire off one-by-one.
Read more »Silent Library – Pedal Pop
I built this five-passenger bike by cutting apart and welding together the parts from three tandem bikes, and adding a bit of black gas piping where I needed straight tubing. It actually worked too, and I was able to take it for some wobbly rides in the studio! (Though the rear seat was responsible for [...]
Read more »Silent Library – Rear Squeeze
I welded together a pair of steel hands to squeeze contestants' behinds. The hands were pulled shut by bicycle brake cables which were tightened by spinning a crank. I covered the hands with liquid latex coated foam. The arms wear sleeves stitched together by Jessie Voris, and the lower support was re-used from a catapult [...]
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