Making Cecil
Cecil is a replica of a ventriloquist figure built by George and Glenn McElroy in the 1930s.
George and Glenn are still regarded as the greatest dummy builders of all time, and their works have graced the stage for decades.
Collectors and performers around the world spend their whole lives trying to one day have the opportunity to simply hold one for a brief moment, let alone purchase one.
The head and hands of Cecil were taken from a mold that was made of one of their early creations. I did all the mechanical work, and paint to bring him to life.
Below is a series of images and videos showcasing the process of turning the hollow head and hands into a working ventriloquist figure. Enjoy!
The Process
The McElroy brothers were famous for their use of "direct linkage", which replaces the commonly used string and pully system for vent figures, with a much more complicated series of metal components that work together to operate the animations. There are no strings inside Cecil, all of his movements are done with intricate custom metal pieces. The brothers used steel, and would braze the parts together with an acetylene torch. Today, figure makers prefer brass for its ease of bending, cutting, and soldering. Another trademark of the McElroy brothers was to use weights for the "all direction eyes" and the eyebrows. So instead of having to mess with operating the eyes and eyebrows, the simple move in the direction in which the head is turned. If you want the dummy to look left, you turn his head left, and vice versa. The eyebrows are a little more difficult to control and are often just bouncing all over the place, which is something I love about their work.
