DIY

TOYS

The author with his repurposed puppet pal.

ZIPPY THE RECYCLED

MARIONETTE

Build characters from old Zip drives.

By Ian Alejandro

Photography by Carlos Alejandro

To earn my Showman badge in Cub Scouts, I needed to make some type of puppet. I went to my “invention bin” (a box of things to be repurposed) and found 2 old Zip drives. As I pried them apart and laid out all the parts inside, I realized they would make a cool marionette. And so Zippy was born. Here’s how I did it. You don’t have to use Zip drives, but they work great.

1. Pry the Zip drives open with a screwdriver, then disassemble (Figure A, on next page), cut the wires away, and keep the following pieces: 2 spinners (eyes), the outer case (body), sliding tray (head), 4 case sides (arms), and 4 case ends (legs).

MATERIALS

Zip drives ( 2)
Black fishing line
2"×½" wood slat 2' long
Beads ( 5)
Eye screws ( 3)
Krazy glue
24-gauge solid-core wire and wire cutters
Slotted screwdriver and a T6 Torx screwdriver
Dremel tool or drill with e" drill bit
Sandpaper, clothespin, pipe cleaner, and clamps
A nail and a pencil
Spray paint (optional)

Make: 143