We’re often asked to rejuvenate legacy characters, bringing them into a modern design style that’s fit for now and for the future. It’s work we take very seriously as we fully appreciate the value these characters possess as recognisable, often iconic, brand ambassadors.
So, our goal is always to retain as many signature features as possible while also considering how we can incorporate new textures, technologies and performance techniques. All this in order to enhance the characters ability to express itself and emotionally connect with audiences.
The simplest mechanism or animatronic can help a character show tremendous range of emotion and expression in performance. Critical to our designs and decision making is the audiences distance from a character experience; is it up close – medium range or a staged event…most often it’s all of the above, requiring a character that can be performatively versatile.
Ambassador characters make emotional connections that span generations – so when we become a creative custodian of an IP and its activation, it’s really an honour that we take tremendous care and pride in.
Here’s some images of the beautifully rejuvenated Lucy and Scratch (and our Bright Sparks Chris – who hasn’t been rejuvenated yet, and Helena who will never need rejuvenating).💡
We are absolutely delighted to pull back the curtain on our latest custom theme park puppets in collaboration with Away Resorts, one of the UK’s premier holiday destinations. Known for their hit production Bear in the Woods, Away Resorts recently underwent a creative evolution, redesigning their iconic mascot characters for a new era.
They tasked the Fuzzy Lightbulb team with a high-stakes translation: taking sleek CGI designs and breathing physical life into them as high-performance custom theme park puppets.
Built for the “Theme Park Life” Let’s be honest: theme park puppets lead a tough life. They are handled by the public, used in daily high-energy live shows, and moved constantly. Most suppliers struggle to balance “lightweight” with “indestructible,” but we don’t believe in compromising.
Our prototypes are built to be resilient and hard-wearing enough for the rigours of a resort season, yet expressive and light enough to keep performers from tiring during a long set.
You can see more of our past work here.
If you have your own character that needs rejuvenation why don’t you get in touch!
Project Overview & Key Capabilities
- Client: Away Resorts (UK Resort & Holiday Park Operator)
- Project Focus: Legacy Mascot Rejuvenation, CGI-to-Physical Translation, Custom Puppet Engineering
- Characters Built: Lucy & Scratch
- Primary Challenge: Translating sleek 2D/CGI artwork into physical, highly expressive, lightweight theme park puppets designed for daily high-impact performance.
- Key Innovations: Hard-wearing, fatigue-reducing ergonomic construction; enhanced multi-distance preformative expressiveness for close-up meet-and-greets and main-stage shows.
- Studio: Fuzzy Lightbulb (UK-based Character Design, Animatronics & Puppet Fabrication Studio)