The opening scene of Lion King Kids has a procession of animals and when brainstorming what animals might be included, elephants and giraffes were at the top of the list. We had joked about building a full-sized elephant, but eventually we decided to actually build it. We figured two giraffe would go nicely with the elephant. And while we started building two, we ultimately decided to only build one.
Much like the elephant, I knew it wouldn’t be realistic, so we leaned into a stylized “arts and crafts” kind of look. My friend Mike had built a boxy support base, similar to the elephant base, but it ended up being much more noticeable with the slender giraffe legs. So I redesigned a base using a single 4×4 post that supported the body platform with a handle to make it easier to maneuver. The legs were also originally boxier, but that also added a lot of weight. I disassembled the original legs and used one layer of plywood with some layers of rigid foam to give a little dimension. These dangled from that frame while the body (bent PEX tubing and chicken wire) simply rested on top. The neck had a solid wood core with plywood discs every so often to help shape the chicken wire. This neck assembly was designed to be bolted onto the body so it would be easier to transport. Although the neck wasn’t designed to move, once we got the giraffe to the school, we found it was a little too tall to roll under a beam in the ceiling. So I had to rig a rope and pivot system so the neck could be lowered and then secured in place once it cleared the beam.
New giraffe base. The unpainted wood was the handle used to push and steer. It would eventually be painted black.
Giraffe neck assembly bolted into place within the PEX-framed body.
The body and neck being covered by tan burlap fabric. The mane is purple felt which was cut to suggest hair. In the background, you can see the original leg assemblies.
One of the new legs fit in place. You can clearly see the layers of foam. The legs were built to pivot at the hip, knee, and ankle, but that feature was never used.
The giraffe’s tail was a rough jute rope. The markings on the body were a stylized “BE” for Broadneck Elementary. I made three different sized templates and simply spray painted the pattern.
Close-up of the giraffe’s head. I put the Hidden Mickeys as nostrils figuring they’d be 14 feet up in the air and hardly noticeable.
Fully assembled, but before the “BE” markings. It ended up being about 14 feet tall.
The giraffe all packed up for delivery to the school. I thought the legs dangling out of the truck looked like some sort of deranged spider.
The giraffe (with its head lowered) waiting to make its big entrance during the show.
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