Props 4 | no-budget-films

Hearthsong Crocodile Puppet

This rubber hand puppet has appeared in both Dino Duels and its debut film, The Crocodile of Lornwood Lake (2017). It consists of only a head and neck, although it is a rather long portion of the neck so there's a lot to work with when this puppet is used in films. The sculpting is very well done, with realistic scale textures on on every patch of skin. It looks like a real crocodile! The soft material makes this croc very flexible and also lightweight. It measures about 12" long. Overall, a fine addition to the No Budget Films puppet collection.

Allosaurus Puppet

A puppet that is remarkably similar to the Puppetoys T-Rex, with a torso and tail that are identical scale for scale. Whether it's a licensed design or a knockoff, there's no denying that this is one high quality puppet, on equal footing with the fantastic products of Puppetoys. The detail, texture, and paint job are all supremely good, at a level competing with (and even surpassing in some areas) the Puppetoys Rex. One of the most impressive features of this puppet are the eyes, which are some of the most realistic fake eyes I've ever seen. The puppet measures 30" from nose to tail and has quite the presence when displayed on a shelf or a desk. The poseable hard plastic legs and torso allow the creature to stand on its own, while the softer head, arms, and tail allow for movement.

Terragnus (custom kaiju puppet)

This papier-mache monstrosity was created over the course of a few months, and is one of the first custom puppet produced by No Budget Films, preceded only by Mandy the Unicorn. Its inner structures consist of a wire ribcage, leg "bones" made of PVC pipe for stability, crumpled newspaper for bulk, and various wire support structures for the arms, tail, head, and spikes. Stretched between the wires are layers of tape and papier-mache (made with flour, water and newspaper), topped with dark paint to give it that gritty alien-like look. In order to allow the puppet to actually move, Terragnus was given cloth joints at the neck and tail, as well as a rubber membrane in its throat. Inspired by the likes of Godzilla and other giant monsters, as well as several real life organisms such as dinosaurs and the Venus Fly Trap. You can see Terragnus in action (as well as the making of) right here.

Mandy the Unicorn (custom puppet)

A strange creature like no other, Mandy the Unicorn was in fact a high school art project during a papier-mache unit. The character of Mandy was actually invented a couple years before this puppet, starting out as white board doodle that quickly became a recurring inside joke. The puppet itself was built from a bunch of crumpled newspaper bound by a wire skeleton, with external skin made of papier-mache strips. The puppet was one of the few marionettes (string puppets) used by No Budget Films, although it never appeared in a proper film. Mandy's only appearance was in a short special effects test which can be seen here. Unfortunately, the Mandy puppet is no longer around today as it has been disposed of.