Jabba the Hutt

Perhaps the biggest and baddest of Star Wars, Return of the Jedi's many amazing creatures, Jabba the Hutt was one of the largest and most complex puppets ever made for a film (at the time).

This original foam latex face appliance and accompanying plastic formed eye elements were made for the full-size Jabba the Hutt puppet during production of the film.  The face is thought to be the only surviving casting of Jabba's skin, as the original puppet was scrapped after filming.  The components eventually found their way to collector (and friend!) Brandon Alinger, CEO of The Prop Store of London's LA office.

The face's massive size (nearly five feet long) and flexible nature made it incredibly difficult to display.  Also, being foam latex, it was very important to get the piece properly supported to help preserve its shape and detail over time.  The display is presented museum-style: unpainted, with the raw eye forms helping hold shape and add visual completion, without distracting from the face skin.

TSD artist Brian Lewis was tasked with the challenge of reverse  engineering Jabba's "skull" and creating a full size sculpture that would support the giant foam skin.

Literally hundreds of pounds of clay went into that sculpture, which was then molded and cast into a beautiful fiberglass form that would hold the skin and eyes.  A clever mechanism in the rear of the mount allows the display to be set at any angle.

Tom Spina Designs creates one of a kind movie costume displays like no others!

Please visit the "Mannequins and Displays" link in the top menu bar for more projects like this one!