Since 1979, the talented cast & crew at Animal Makers has been creating and performing the finest animal replicas, puppets and rigs. Hollywood’s top directors and producers have learned to rely on the integrity, quality and attention to detail that is exhibited in so much of our work.

Beware, though. This work is not priced like stuffed toys. This work is not mass-produced with simple patterns. If you want a quality animal replica for a display, film, television show, commercial, trade show booth, museum diorama, zoo display, or personal collection, then you did come to right place. If you are seeking a good looking, yet inexpensive stuffed toy, then you need to continue your search elsewhere.

This work is not "taxidermy". No animals are harmed during the creation of this work. The incredible attention to detail in the final products are capable of educating students at a museum, or entertaining viewers in a movie theater.

This work is commissioned art. The type of art that seeks to recreate nature as it is. This takes time, experience, patience and ability. Each request is individual and specialized. We may use parts from other projects, or sculpt a new face as part of your project.

Managing your commission has been made easier by use of the internet. Each project gets assigned a web page at the Animal Makers web site. This page shows key update images of the works in progress. This allows your creative team to analyze the work and help direct the artists.

The modern day animal replica has the ability to perform a variety of scripts. This is in part, because of a significant drop in animatronic controller costs.

The original Disney tiki birds were controlled by a room full of refrigerator sized computers. Surveying these computers demanded a full-time staff of specialists, computer programmers, mechanics and imagineers.

In today’s scaled down world, those same controls are housed in metal containers (some the size of a pack of playing cards) with Smart Media cards for memory. These controllers are set up with onboard calendars, chooseable options, and enviable maintenance records. While the controllers were getting smaller, better and cheaper; animatronic construction developed the same way.

Jurassic Park” signaled the wide spread acceptance of animatronic animals and contributed greatly to the development of animatronic engineering. Hundreds of temporary film crew learned the inner secrets of the science of bringing models to life. Aerospace mold makers were brought in to teach their craft. Hydraulics engineers were consulted with a use they never considered. Large plastics vendors were introduced to the entertainment industry. After the movie’s preparation and shooting, many of these artists and technicians came to work at Animal Makers. The first projects using these technological developments were “Flipper” and a commercial for Choice Hotels featuring a friendly dinosaur. This developing technology moved here and has continued ever since. Quality look and performance demands the active coordination of three different departments.

The Art Department
In 2005, there now exists thousands of animal molds created for commercials, television shows, and filmed entertainment. This large mold collection is of key importance.

When building a replica, many different parts are utilized. Molds are used to create these parts over and over again. Think of how many claws, teeth, toe pads, and other critical parts there are to create.

Of course, the face and body need to be created as well. What does the animal look like under all that fur? We have asked that question countless times.

Besides creating (and working) the sculptures and the molds, this department is responsible for the final coloring of the creature.

The Fabrication Dept.
This department applies all fur, fabric, feathers, and sub structure “foam construction”. This work can be difficult and changes with each application. If a creature is to move around on several axis (as in a neck), then the understructure is of key importance. That understructure needs to allow the coverings to move, also.

Artificial furs are imported from West Germany and other places abroad. Hand-wefted plush fabrics are created in Boston, MA by National Fiber Technologies. Both of these fabric suppliers offer cruelty free products.

Feathers come from chickens, turkeys or other “crop” animals. These feathers are considered a byproduct of the natural food chain. Other feathers, like peacock tail feathers, fall off of the birds (and are collected up) during certain seasons.

The tools of this part of the trade are three different types of industrial sewing machines, a wide variety of glues, hi-density foam (flexible), flocking guns, the dye pot and various cutting tools.

The Animatronics Dept.
This department animates and supports the creatures. Even a simple, standing bull requires a framework to stand. It’s the mechanics that frame the whole animal and provide any actions, sounds, or poses. Having animated well over 2,500 individual creatures since the early 1980’s, Animal Makers is ready to deliver Hollywood style animation to the rest of the world.

This type of animation offers long repeat times (sometimes days or weeks on end) which keeps a hard-to-please audience
interested for longer periods of time.

The animatronics controllers can control the light show, video presentations, and music also. Not only the creature, but the environment!

The tools used in this department are mills, lathe, cutters, welders, grinders, air saws, torches, the programming console console and laptop computer.

How to Get Your Very Own Animatronic Animal!
Now that you have read about all of the different types of artists and technicians that it takes , what does it mean to You?

Let’s take a look at your project. The first thing to think about is, what’s the budget? What’s your budget? This is an unusual approach, but it works wonders. Many customers call in, looking for pricing and budgets to be created for their projects.

The answers to these questions are affected by the budget. With enough time and money, anything can be achieved. When there are significant limitations in either time or money, than there are many restrictions.

This work demands a healthy budget. If the shopper is looking for an inexpensive way to decorate, this work is not for them. Many shoppers are used to thinking along the lines of stuffed toys. These toys are generally created with 7 piece patterns in large quantity.

Animatronic, realistic animals are priced more like upscale cars than stuffed toys. Animal Makers created the famous Budweiser Frogs for the 1998 Superbowl. That set of three animatronic frogs cost more than a C-class Mercedes. Another set of three frogs was created for a low budget cable show. Their budget was 10% of the Bud Frogs budget.

Did both customers get frogs? Yes. Did they both get their money’s worth? Yes. How similar were the two sets of rigs?

They were all frogs. That’s about the end of the similarities. One set of frogs were stars, the others were set dressing. The same question goes out to you. Are you looking for a star? Or an interesting background piece?

Do you want movement? What types of movement would you like to see? Who would do the controlling of actions? Should those moves be preprogrammed? Or performed by the passersby? Is it to be presented outside? Inside? In a trade show? On a film set? In a museum? Should the presentation be mobile or permanent? Should the materials used in construction be strong or flexible?

This must seem like a lot of questions. What’s amazing, is that Animal Makers offers solutions for each set of questions. Imagine the possibilities. Over 20,000 species on earth. We build those species in any scale, with any animation, to work in any location.

The variations are endless. Drop us an e-mail to tell us what you are thinking about in the way of artificial animals. Give us some of the answers to these questions and we’ll optimize your investment. Customized presentations, introducing a variety of factors, costs and time frames are also available. Like any professional analysis, these reports have a cost.

If you would like to familiarize yourself with general costs of this type of work, feel free to browse the price sheets. You may find that we have created something else very much like what you are looking for. There is no cost for this service.

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Any use without written authorization is strictly prohibited.