Name/Title
5.4.25N Stop-Motion Puppet – Seated Storyteller / Forger CharacterEntry/Object ID
5.4.25NDescription
Artist: Alan Platt (c.1941–2022)
Height: 30 cm
Medium: Mixed media – hand-moulded head, painted detail, costumed with textile, knitwear, and faux suede upholstery
Condition: Vintage – fragile; signs of age and use consistent with screen role in stop-frame animation
Overview:
An intriguing seated male puppet, richly expressive and possibly portraying a storyteller, craftsman, or forger character—possibly from Wagner’s Ring Cycle, which Platt adapted in The Ring of the Nibelung (2000). This puppet’s sculpted face is highly detailed, with piercing blue eyes, textured eyebrows, and a solemn expression that suggests wisdom or cunning. He wears a long robe over a padded body, with a stylised period jumper and velvet-like gown. His position in a miniature wingback chair adds an air of gravitas and theatrical stillness.
Production Context:
Made by esteemed New Zealand stop-motion animator Alan Platt, whose career spanned over five decades, this puppet likely features in one of his intricate fantasy or opera-inspired productions. Platt’s puppets were created with painstaking attention to character and narrative, and this seated figure exemplifies his nuanced understanding of gesture, posture, and mood. It may represent a minor but pivotal figure in Platt’s BBC or independent work from the 1980s–2000s.
Provenance:
Platt’s puppets are increasingly rare, especially those from complete or near-complete productions, and are of high interest to collectors of puppetry, animation, and film artefacts.
Condition Note:
Displays wear consistent with age and studio use. Surface cracking, textile fading, and structural fragility are present but stable. The seated pose is fixed. Chair included. Recommended for display only. Handle with care.
5.4.25NDimensions
Height
30 cmWidth
21 cmDepth
20 cm
