All About the Dutch Boy

The first doll we made as a team was a stop motion animated puppet for a national television commercial. This opportunity literally came knocking at our door.

A friend had recommended Peter to a local special effects production company who was looking for someone to make a puppet for their commercial. This chance encounter grew into a seven year career making models and effects for television commercials, it also was our introduction to the world of advertising and tight deadlines.

The effects company provided us with the advertising agency's layouts of the television commercial. The object of the commercial was to introduce Sherwin Williams new “Dirt Fighter Paint.” It begins with a man named “Henry Waller” lamenting about how he hates his walls because he can not keep them looking fresh and clean without having to paint them over, and over again (apparently his kids were never introduced to the sink). The commercial ends with our hero -- the Dutch Boy -- as he walks on screen and reaches up on the wall to wipe off the tagline "For walls that get dirty again. And again. And again." like he was cleaning off dirt. It was a well executed, entertaining commercial.

The challenge for us was in order for the Dutch Boy puppet to reach up and wipe off the dirt, he had to go up onto his toes, but the shoes had to stay flat on the ground -- only his feet could move -- so he had to have flexible ankles, which was tricky because he was only 9" tall. An even greater challenge was we had to have him finished and delivered by Monday, which gave us THREE DAYS! We had no time to waste -- or PANIC!

It was a total tag team approach -- one slept while the other worked. Peter made the armature; I sculpted the head; he sculpted the hands and made the shoes while I sewed the clothes. I finished painting and applying the hair while Peter made the hat and a miniature natural sponge.

After three grueling days, we finished the Dutch Boy puppet and delivered him Monday morning, much to the advertising agency’s surprise. They didn't really MEAN Monday. And such was our introduction to the exciting world of advertising and creative deadlines.
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