For the musical „Schuh des Manitu“ which is playing in the „Theater des Westens“ in Berlin since december 2008, I was asked by Matt Piché to sculpt the prototype in modeling clay for the gopher puppet.
Based on a skech by the designer Michael Curry which described the proportions and the way the puppet should be played, I developed the prototype character from molding clay. I adopted some of the the comic-style of the sketch and used child-like facial proportions.
I was asked to sculpt the head as well as the hands. The hands were supposed to be holding drumsticks later, so I formed the hands already in a gripping position. There wasn’t any drafts for the hands so I was totally free to develop them.
The casting process, the assembling of the fur, the eyes and final painting of the figure were all provided by Matt Piché. Dan Luce created the internal mechanic of the puppet.
Design: Michael Curry