T-rex in a Christmas sweater. Animatronic T-rex goes 'Christmas' for London museum. (Page 1/1)
rinselberg DEC 08, 05:43 PM
CLICK FOR FULL SIZE

"The Natural History Museum in London outfitted its animatronic Tyrannosaurus rex in a colorful Christmas sweater."

The animatron--this is my inference from what I've read here--is about 24-foot long and towers over the people that come to see it. There are sensors in its "eyes" that sense motion in its vicinity when museum visitors are around it, and the animatron responds by changing its posture, moving its head about and emitting some "roaring" sound effects. Quoting from the report:

quote
The animatronic attraction, which features roaring sound effects, often startles visitors, but on Monday, the predatory edge was somewhat softened when visitors found the T. rex bedecked in a giant blue, red and green holiday sweater, replete with cheerful Christmas trees and snowflakes.

The turtleneck, created by a British company that has also dressed members of Parliament, fit snugly around the T. rex’s wide upper body and neck, then tapered into sleeves short enough to encircle the dinosaur’s wee arms.

“There is nothing more funny than a jumper fitted for a dinosaur that has the tiniest arms in the world,” said Carla Treasure, a buyer and product developer at the museum. “I think it makes it slightly less scary.”

But not for everyone, according to Snahal Patel, chief executive of Jack Masters, the knitwear company in Leicester, England, that made the sweater.

“A few kids were crying,” he said.

Still, most people were delighted, Mr. Patel said, and “in hysterics” as the animatronic creature, which responds to visitors through motion sensors in its eyes, bucked and turned toward the crowds.

The idea came to Mr. Patel in April, when he and Ms. Treasure were trying to come up with a sweater that the museum could sell in its gift shop that would cheer up the public and draw back crowds that had dwindled since the pandemic.


Fabricating the sweater

quote
The entire process of knitting a sweater that would fit a dinosaur took about 100 hours to complete, she said. Mr. Patel said the first sweater was too large. Getting a turtleneck over the head of the dinosaur was also a problem, said Mr. Patel, who recalled trying to push and pull the material on.

They ultimately decided to add a zipper to the sweater’s back. During the fitting process, museum technicians were on hand to pause the T. rex’s movements while Mr. Patel and his staff measured the dinosaur using large step ladders and extra-long measuring tape.


A "hit" on social media

quote
On Twitter, images of the T. rex in the sweater met with gleeful reactions. “Most heartwarming news story of the year,” one person wrote. “The Jurassic Park / Home Alone crossover looks excellent,” wrote Michael Moran, a British tabloid journalist. On the museum’s Instagram account, photos of the dinosaur in the jumper had more than 23,000 likes.



Maria Cramer for the New York Times; December 8, 2021.
https://www.nytimes.com/202...-history-museum.html

[This message has been edited by rinselberg (edited 12-08-2021).]

maryjane DEC 08, 07:39 PM
As good a word as any I suppose for an electronic gadget

but on the other end of things, A true automaton needs no electricity.



williegoat DEC 08, 07:47 PM
OldsFiero DEC 09, 07:14 AM
Larson. My favorite cartoonist.
rinselberg DEC 24, 06:26 PM
On second thought . . .

[This message has been edited by rinselberg (edited 12-25-2021).]