Tom Spina Designs, A1 sculptors and world-class prop restorers, were recently hired by a client to create a very special piece of art – the client, unnamed, owns the animatronic “skull” of Mr. Stay-Puft from the first film. Wishing to display the piece of equipment, but still give people a sense of it’s intended use in the film without hiding it, the client had Tom and company build a half-face to fit over half the skull. The results are fantastic – a perfect balance of angry Stay-Puft from the film, and behind-the-scenes look at the special effects that went into making him come to life onscreen.
Big ups to Derek for the link.
A brilliantly funny film complimented by brilliant practical effects. The Marshmallow Man was brought to life in classic fashion. When we were approached to come up with a unique display for an original Mr. Stay Puft movie prop head, we jumped at the chance.
The skin having been removed years earlier, all that remained was the mechanical underskull; an impressive piece of history in its own right and a wonderful glimpse at the hard work that went into bringing the classic scenes to life.
After discussions with the client, we suggested that adding a 1/2 face to the prop would give it some context (immediately bringing to mind how it looked in the film) while still showcasing the incredible underskull and maintaining this original film prop’s integrity.
Tom Spina and Mike Thomas worked together on the build, Tom carefully creating a partial mold of the undeskull to use as a sculpting armature and Mike creating the sculpture.
The finished display is a side-by-side of “as seen on screen” and “behind the scenes magic”. It’s immediately recognizable to anyone who’s seen the film yet the original prop remains and shines through!
