The items shown on this page are NOT this site’s main product or purpose. To see our unique animal head sculptures that hang on the wall like trophies, click on one of the links above or here.

This page describes special projects that our proprietor and artist has undertaken on commission in the last few years.

This man lives in Southern California and loves to visit and participate in Renaissance Faires, at which people dress and speak in the style of the 16th century. His enjoyment of such events is only slightly dampened by the fact that his mobility is largely limited to a powered scooter. What could be less in keeping with a 16th century event than a steel and chrome scooter?

One day he found our web site, and got the idea of converting his scooter to a horse! He contacted us and, after a little negotiation, Merikay agreed to create a scooter-mountable horse head for him. Since the scooter’s range didn’t permit driving it up to Los Gatos, drawings were faxed and digital images emailed to ensure mountability. You can see the result to the left. The skirts (more properly, bards or bardings) were sewn by his wife.

More exotic candidates for scooter conversion might include one of our dragons, dinosaurs, or unicorns. Perhaps even our bison/buffalo?

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Early in 2003, Merikay was contacted by an “ecological performing group” and asked to make several heads representing endangered species. Clockwise starting at from the upper left in the image at right, they are Bull Trout, Sage Grouse, Buffalo, Antelope, and Gray Wolf.

The group was reportedly delighted by the wearable endangered creatures, and have done skits involving them at sites around the western USA.

(The people shown aren’t members of the group. Five of our friends and neighbors graciously agreed to act as models before we shipped the heads to the customer. Thank you!)

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For this order, Merikay asked the customer to buy and send us skateboarding helmets to serve as the wearable basis of the sculptures. The results were more comfortable and more adjustable than making the whole thing out of paper maché. Now she says she has “an even better idea” as to how to build comfortable, lightweight wearable animal sculptures.

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If you think you might like one or more wearable animal heads for your performance or just for fun, please call, email, or use our contact page and tell us what you have in mind. Merikay will tell you whether she can make what you want, perhaps suggest some alternatives, and more than likely will quote you a price and an estimated completion date.

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The earliest special project was for the drama department of a Texas high school. They had scheduled, as their first performance of the new millennium, a play entitled Thirteen Zebras and a Green Monkey. Perhaps in part because Merikay participated strongly in drama during her high school years, she agreed to create headpieces of the title characters.

Some of the results are shown at right. (Including all 13 zebras would have been overkill.) The customers were reportedly delighted with their wearable heads, and the play reportedly went well and was enjoyed by all.

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In these, Merikay built the “cap cavity” out of paper maché as part of the sculpture, and then lined it with felt. A chin strap keeps it in place even during quick and jerky head movements. The artist wearing one of the zebras appears to the left.