Introduction: Melting OLAF - Push Puppet (FROZEN)

About: I am a passionate industrial designer that loves to create all kind of things. I also studied some semesters of Robotics at the university. I love learning and teaching as well. If you have any questions about…

I love Olaf from Frozen, and I was thinking about this character and what could I do with him, then I thought that in the movie he is always breaking down into various parts and then putting himself back together. That is why I created this push puppet, so that in real life an Olaf toy can fall apart many times, always in a different way, but always reassemble itself.

I really enjoyed making this character and it has been a lot of fun playing with him and showing him to my friends. I hope you enjoy this Instructable as much as I enjoyed doing it :).

Step 1:

Step 2: Planning It - Part One

1. Choose the character and look for an image of it. At the bottom, I drew a rectangle that represents the base.

2. Think about the divisions of the body so that it can fall into several parts.

3. Decide the internal holes to pass the threads that join the parts. Inside the base there will be a spring and a (blue) piece that will be the one that will pull the threads that join the body parts, making Olaf able to assemble only when the spring is not being pressed.

Step 3: Planning It - Part Two

These 4 images represent the 4 threads that will join the body and where each one must pass.

Step 4: Supplies

After deciding what I wanted to do, I knew what supplies I would need:

  1. Polymer clay (with the colors that I saw in the character and decided to also add a little blue)
  2. Character printed in the size in which I was going to do it. (pdf attached)
  3. Empty plastic jar for the base.
  4. Wire.
  5. Spring.
  6. Thread (Nylon)
  7. Tools that facilitate the use of polymer clay.
  8. Cutter.
  9. Pliers.
  10. Hot silicone gun.

Step 5: Jar Preparation

1. Cut off the top of the jar.

2. Remove tag

3. Open a hole in the center. (I did this with a leather awl)

Step 6: Blue Piece

For the lower part that goes inside the base, I needed a circular piece that had something in the center allowing me to tie the threads to it.

1. Bend some wire, leaving in the center a kind of ring that will allow the threads to be tied to it.

2. Cut two circles of polymer clay with the jar used as a base and make a hole in the center of one of them.

3. Join the figure folded in wire to one of the circles, then place the other circle on top, letting the ring come out through the center of it.

4. Join the circles creating a single circular piece.

Step 7: Snow on the Base

1. Combine white polymer clay with a little bit of blue.

2. Cover the top of the base with it.

3. Cut curves around the base.

4. Separate from the base and make a hole in the center of it.

Step 8: Legs

1. Make two spheres with white polymer clay and press them on two sides. (Similar to marshmallows)

2. In one of them, open a hole from one side to the other.

3. For the other, make a wire ring so that the thread can be tied to it.

Step 9: Body

This time the figure looks like a marshmallow too, but a much bigger one that's a little inclined at the top.

This piece must have two holes since it will be tied to both legs.

Step 10: Upper Body

This time the figure must have 3 holes, one for attaching the head to the body and the other two for the arms.

Step 11: Head Shape

1. Create the general shape of the head, following as much as you can the original image.

2. With a plastic tool start pressing the clay for creating the mouth.

3. Make a wire ring so that the thread can be tied to it, and add it to the base of the head.

Step 12: Mouth

Cover the place of the mouth with blue polymer clay and add the teeth.

Step 13: Eyes

The eyes have a blue border that seems deeper than the eyes.

1. Press a polymer clay tool over the face to create the eye orbits.

2. Add blue polymer clay to this area.

3. Add two white spheres that represent the eyes.

Step 14: Face Details

1. For the nose use orange polymer clay, creating a drop shape.

2. Join to the face and with a tool create some lines on it.

3. Add two small black spheres to the eyes.

4. Add two small white spheres on top of the black ones.

Step 15: Eyebrows and Hair

1, 2. With very small cylinders of brown polymer clay, create the eyebrows.

3, 4. Attach some pieces of wire to the head and cover them with brown polymer clay.

Step 16: Arms

1. Bend wire creating a loop at one end and leaving it straight on the other side.

2. Cover the wire with brown polymer clay (Except for the loop).

3. Create the shape of the fingers and with a tool mark some lines on it to give it texture.

Step 17: Almost Ready to Bake

1. It is almost ready to be baked, but we need to make Olaf's buttons before that. For this, make three spheres of black polymer clay, add two to the body and one to the upper body.

2. Bake according to the instructions for the polymer clay used.

3. Let cool.

4. Glue the "snow" part to the base with hot silicone.

Step 18: Time to Put the Parts Together

The red lines represent where each of the 4 threads that connect Olaf must pass.

Step 19: Example Part 1.

Step 20: Example Part 2.

Step 21: Last Step

1. The threads are left loose while the 4 threads are tied so as not to make it difficult to tie the others.

2, 3. For the second and third images in this step, I needed help from another person:

It is necessary for the other person to press the blue figure as shown in image 2 and while it is pressed a knot must be made with each of the threads, leaving only the thread a little loose, so that when the blue part is released it is fully stretched. Cut the leftover threads.

4. Olaf is ready. It is time to play with him. ❄️❄️❄️😊

Fandom Contest

Second Prize in the
Fandom Contest