armature design & construction

Once the mould is split open, and the sculpt and wire removed, a new animateable armature is fitted inside the mould.

Unlike most other types of puppet (such as rod or string puppets) that are built loose-limbed, the animation puppet has to be built with stiff joints which allow it to be posed frame by frame during animation. Consequently, most animation puppets have an intricately articulated metal skeleton joined with ball and socket or hinge joints.