| Production Mold for Yoda Hand Puppet | |
| The Yoda Hand Puppet was created using a process known as rotational molding. During the molding process, the mold would be slowly rotated in order to ensure that the molten vinyl material would cool and harden around the edges only, leaving the piece hollow inside.
The mold was created using an electroform process. You can read more about that here.
The copper rods that are soldered to the head area would have provided the mold with extra rigidity. When the cooled piece -- known as a "skin" -- was pulled out of the mold cavity, the action would have exerted significant stress on the head and ears. The rods must have counteracted that.
Finally, here's a shot of the mold's cavity. Don't be fooled by the grotesque exterior. The inside of the mold is what matters, and it displays a lot of fine detail. You sometimes see these rotomolds turn up for unpopular or obscure licensed characters. To see a large one for an iconic Star Wars character is a real treat. It's a great piece. The original conceptual prototype for the Yoda Hand Puppet surfaced recently. You can read about it on our blog here. |
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| Description by: | Ron Salvatore |
| Photo: | Sean Lehmkuhl, Ryan Lehmkuhl |
| From the collection of: | Sean Lehmkuhl, Ryan Lehmkuhl |
| Country: | United States |
| Film: | Empire Strikes Back |
| Licensee: | Kenner |
| Year: | 1981 |
| Category: | Prototypes / Miscellaneous Toys |
