Deconstructing and reconstructing an animatronic toy.
When deconstructing an animatronic toy, your imagination runs wild. You are discovering concealed motors, LEDs, and wires. A peep inside what few dare to see. Then, you start to carefully but excitedly move pieces around. You're only limited by your imagination.. or a severed wire.
Meet the infamous lucha libre chupacabra. He's a bit of a stinker, but really just wants to entertain and avoid the stigma of being a talentless predator.
He started out as an adorable/slightly terrifying plush animatronic puppy. His eyes lit up with green LEDS, he had a yappy bark and he trotted forward, then hopped backwards. Needless to say, he had to be hidden from my cat until it was time to reimagine him.
The Take-Apart
Before digging in, I sketched the toy and what appeared to be inside. Then, once I removed the fabric shell, I continued to sketch what I was seeing. This helped me identify the parts and how they were originally connected. You never know when you might need to back track!
The body contained a motor, plastic components and gears all linked together to control the movement of the hind legs, head and wagging tail. Pretty much right after removing the fabric, the sound ceased. I did not end up figuring out how the sound was enabled, but all for the best. It was quite the annoying bark. I quickly moved on.
I gave the little guy some red horns as he was already giving me a mischievous vibe. I swapped out the green LEDs for red, adding in some new wiring. Then I glued his head to his tail which caused it to shake in a wacky side to side motion. This was, however, a momentary success as the shaking eventually caused the wires connecting the LEDs to come loose. I came abruptly to a fork in the road. Should I pursue the LED eyes or should I continue to let him headbang to his favorite metal band?
Music is therapeutic... but also I am stubborn. After another failed attempt with the LEDs, I changed course and glued large red beads onto his eyes instead. But what else can I transform?
I lucked upon the fact that the legs were easily reversed and allowed for an upright position. After popping them back on reversed, I crafted a cute trident and a necessary skull on a stake... 'cause inner demons? The props were cut out of a plastic container lid with a X-Acto knife. These were then hot-glued on the reversed legs to intimidate other mythological wrestlers entering the ring.
Part of the fun here is that I didn't go in with a plan. Every decision was an in-the-moment light bulb idea. One idea would lead to another, inspired by the components of the animatronic toy, their functions, and the bits and pieces of costume jewelry and craft supplies in boxes. When you don't have a plan, you don't have expectations and that can be freeing. I sometimes get tunnel vision when it comes to a project and that can mean missing out on interesting solutions.
His inner workings were still exposed, so I crafted a sparkling rainbow cape and sent him on his way to defeat his wrestling rivals. I've noticed that humor plays a big part in what motivates me during discovery projects like this. If I come up with an idea that makes me laugh, it produces instant drive and energy. I think I had seen my work as more "serious" and I may start injecting more humor into what I create. During the uncertain times we are going though right now, art and humor are wonderful self-care tools to have.
This exploration of discovering and reconstructing an animatronic toy is truly fun for all ages. The glory of the whole classroom's critters dance party brought a smile to everyone's face. Activities like this help me realize the importance behind purposeful play. More often now I take this method of discovery and the idea of process over outcome and apply it to my own personal artwork. Activities like this help remove the fear or hesitation that can keep you too close to "safe." I hope to impart this wisdom to my own classroom one day.