Name/Title
5.4.25a Stop-Motion Puppet – Queen Character with Crown and Pearl NecklaceEntry/Object ID
5.4.25aDescription
Stop-Motion Puppet – Queen Character with Crown and Pearl Necklace
Artist: Alan Platt (c.1941–2022)
Height: 28 cm
Medium: Mixed media – hand-moulded head, painted surface, printed textile detail, wire and bead crown, string pearls, articulated limbs
Condition: Vintage – fragile; signs of age and use consistent with stop-frame animation history
Overview:
A striking regal character from the stop-motion archive of Alan Platt, this elegant puppet is presented in a high-waisted gown with intricate surface decoration and a stylised crown. Her expressive, hand-painted face features delicately arched brows, softly rouged cheeks, and rose-tinted lips, suggesting noble grace. The arms are wired for articulation, and the hands are sculpted with fine detail. She wears faux pearl strands and a highly textural crown made from coiled wire and metallic beads – likely designed to catch light in stop-frame filming. Her painted dress is patterned with a border of stylised foliage, and the bodice carries a symbol that may indicate royal rank or story function.
Production Context:
This puppet is one of a group made by New Zealand artist and animator Alan Platt, known for his handcrafted characters and imaginative world-building across independent and BBC-associated productions. His career spanned multiple decades (1970s–1990s), with puppets built for use in theatrical short films and studio test sequences. Each figure is one-of-a-kind and reveals Platt’s distinctive fusion of fine art, character design, and storytelling.
Provenance:
From the Alan Platt estate. Puppets from Platt’s personal archive are rare and highly desirable among collectors of stop-motion and animation heritage.
Condition Note:
As expected from vintage studio-used puppets, this piece exhibits wear including surface cracks, aged varnish, minor flaking to limbs, and small paint loss. Please refer to photographs. Best suited for static display.
5.4.25a
