PROJECT CASE STUDY
Giant Animatronic
Furby.
Design and development of a large scale animatronic to scare and delight party goers.
The final Furby visible in the dark to those who pass by the front of my house.
OVERVIEW
Bigger than ever, fluffy as always.
Project: Giant Animatronic Furby
Role: Mechanical/Electrical Design and Construction
Skills: 3D Scanning, 3D Sculpting, Mechanical Design, Electrical Design, Pattern Making, Sewing
This project explores the design and construction of a one-metre-tall animatronic Furby, created as a centrepiece for a retro-themed birthday event.
Working within a highly constrained budget, the goal was to recreate the instantly recognisable character of the original Furby at a dramatically larger scale, while also enhancing its behaviour beyond what the original toy was capable of. The project combined digital modelling, structural engineering, animatronics, electronics, and soft fabrication into a single cohesive build.
The Design Process
The design process began with capturing the proportions of an original Furby. A 3D scan was used as a starting point, providing a base reference for scale and overall structure. However, the presence of fur made it difficult to accurately capture the true underlying form, requiring interpretation and refinement during the sculpting process. From this, a detailed digital sculpt was developed to define the final silhouette, ensuring that the character would read correctly once enlarged and re-covered with fabric.
The body was designed as a lightweight, laser-cut internal frame, allowing for a structure that was both strong and material-efficient. This approach made it possible to assemble the form quickly while also keeping it modular for transport and maintenance.
The internal layout was carefully considered to accommodate mechanical systems, wiring, and access points, ensuring that the build remained practical as well as visually accurate.
A key design decision was to separate the face into a self-contained module. All electronic and mechanical components were housed within this unit, which could be inserted from the front of the structure and secured in place. This allowed the most complex part of the build to be developed, tested, and serviced independently, without requiring disassembly of the full body.
Animatronics, Interaction, and Fabrication
The animatronic system was designed to bring the character to life in a way that felt expressive and engaging. The Furby is capable of blinking, moving its mouth in sync with speech, and shifting its gaze, giving it a level of presence beyond the original toy. These behaviours were achieved through custom-designed mechanisms, built to operate reliably within the tight constraints of the face module.
To ensure authenticity, audio was captured directly from an original Furby. The device was carefully disassembled, and a microphone jack was soldered to the speaker output pins. This allowed the Furby to be connected directly to a computer, where a large library of sounds and dialogue was recorded through extended interaction. These recordings formed the basis of the animatronic’s voice, preserving the personality of the original character.
As a playful extension of the concept, the Furby also includes a hidden “horror mode.” Activated via a concealed switch, this mode transforms the character into a more unsettling version of itself. The transition begins with the eyes closing, followed by an internal rotation that reveals an alternate set of “horror” eyes when they reopen. At the same time, the dialogue shifts to a darker set of audio.
This feature introduced significant mechanical complexity, particularly in the design of the eye system. The eyes needed to rotate far beyond a typical range, effectively spinning through an extended arc while maintaining alignment and control. The motion was carefully choreographed to create a moment of surprise, turning a familiar character into something unexpected.
To complete the build, a custom soft covering was developed. A tailored fur pattern was created to fit the structure, along with plush feet and a large wig to match the aesthetic of the original Furby. Considerable effort was made to source materials that closely matched the look and feel of the original toy, ensuring that the final result felt authentic despite its scale.
For practicality, the outer fur was designed to zip on and off from the back, allowing easy access to internal systems for repair or adjustment. This ensured that the character remained maintainable while still presenting as a finished, seamless object.
The final result is a large-scale animatronic character that blends nostalgia, engineering, and performance. What began as a playful party prop became a fully realised interactive installation, demonstrating a complete pipeline from digital capture and sculpting through to mechanical design, electronics, and fabrication. To this day it lives in my library at home, surprising everyone who sees it.
