Baby Sinclair Puppet Head Prop Restoration
He’s the baby; gotta love him! Restoration of a Baby Sinclair puppet head from the Dinosaurs Tv Show
Dinosaurs was a one of a kind take on a typical 1990’s family sitcom. It featured a cast of characters made up of groundbreaking puppets and animatronics designed by Kirk Thatcher and created by The Jim Henson Company. Baby Sinclair was definitely a fan favorite and even more-so here at our studio. We were so excited to get the chance to help our friends over at Prop Masters preserve this puppet head!
The Baby Sinclair puppet head, was showing very typical signs of aging in foam latex puppets. The material had started to dry out and over time the areas that became the most fragile were the areas where the puppet would have repeatedly moved. Places like his eyelids and around his mouth showed signs of degradation. Overall much of the material had remained and the condition was excellent, but he definitely need some TLC in specific areas.
We started by giving the head a careful cleaning to remove any dust or dirt that had accumulated over the years. This gave us a clean canvas both for the look of the prop and to help any restoration material adhere properly. We treated any exposed foam to help stabilize it and help it fight the hands of time.
Patrick Louie, our lead restoration artist, was the project lead for this amazing Henson Creature Shop puppet. Our team was able to safely open the mouth and pose the head so it had a bit more of Baby Sinclair’s signature mischievous smile. Once he was locked into place they were able to begin rebuilding the areas of foam latex that had deteriorated over time. Not only does this look better but it actually strengthens the remaining surrounding areas. As they begin recreating those missing areas they use reference photos and screen grabs to help match the original look and ensure that they are capturing the essence of the original character.
When it comes to matching the paint, we take our cues from the surrounding material. Over time there can be changes to the paint colors, so while we will use reference photos, we want to make sure that our patches match the current colors of the material. If not it can make the repairs jump out, even if they are accurate to the original paint. As always, we use in-painting, where only the repairs themselves are touched up, and any original existing paint is left untouched. With the repairs carefully in-painted away, they become nearly invisible, and then piece is then giving a generous layer of flexible sealer to further help preserve the delicate foam latex.
Have an original movie or television prop in need of restoration or display? Email or call today and let’s discuss your project!
