Animatronic Easter Bunny Decoration - Made From Trash!

Easter is a fun and interesting holiday, yet we don't decorate for it almost at all. Today, we're rectifying that with an animatronic bunny made of stuff we already have. In this project I make a wooden Easter Bunny that hops and waves in the front yard.

• 1 Large Plywood Board
• Paint
• Nuts and bolts
• Washers
• 1-2 rotators (depending on your project goals)
• Sturdy lids
• Duct tape
• Glue
• Whatever you have! The trash we're turning into treasure differs, but we can use the same ideas and mechanisms!

Since this is a trash to treasure project, the trash any of us have will vary. Step 1 is devising a plan based on what you have to work with. That said, the different mechanism options can be essentially the same. For example, I made the waving arm by using an old stake, a washer, and picture hanger. As far as the mechanism goes, all that's really needed is something long and sturdy to pull and push the arm (the stake), something to attach it to the arm (the picture hanger), and something to keep it from rotating as the rotator moves around (the washer).

So, what you'll need:

• A base structure for your animatronic (eg. plywood)
• Rotators (or something else that can power the movement)
• Painting supplies
• (Optional but preferable) a drill
• Duct tape and/or crazy glue

For the hopping legs you'll also need:

• 2 sturdy lids
• 2 bolts and 3 nuts
• a rotator cap (something lets you connect the rotator to the lid)

For a waving arm you'll also need:

• Something to pull/push the arm (eg. the stake)
• A bolt or screw
• A washer
• A sturdy lid
• A way to connect to rotator to the lid (eg. a sturdy wire, or an adapter and a bolt)

Sometimes it's easiest to visualize so take a look at the building steps as a way to figure out what you'll need!

Draw out your bunny, or whatever it is you're making. I'd suggest drawing it out on paper first, then drawing it full-size. It's ok if you make a flub somewhere. You'll be painting over all of this anyway, so you can always tweak your lines as needed. For now, we just need to know where to cut!

For this, I used a Sawzall. I also had a circular saw and a normal hand saw, but I felt like I could visualize the cuts and was able to curve somewhat with it. At the end of the day, just use whatever tool fits best (and be safe!). Be warned though, sawing this by hand would be exhausting.

The strategy for cutting this out is pretty straightforward. Follow the lines as best you can, and when you can't follow an angle anymore, just stop and cut that piece of wood out. Then you can start again and continue following your angle. You'll end up with a bunch of little pieces of wood getting removed and a nicely cutout animal. If you have sharp cuts, you can always take some sandpaper to it too.

Note: the Sawzall isn't great for things like fingers that require tiny, precise cuts. To do those, a hand saw may be better.

Now for the part that makes it have some character! Paint.

In order to be able to continue seeing details, try to use different coloration or gradients so that you're still able to distinguish the arm from the body, for instance. Another option is to paint the black outline back on. It'll look nice in its own way.

After you're done, I'd suggest applying some sort of waterproofing. It's still not exactly something I'd want to put out in a storm, but it can at least be somewhat preserved by doing this. I used a Gorilla Waterproof Patch and Seal to do this and, while I admittedly haven't taken a hose to the bunny, it seems to be working well enough.

Another nice thing about doing this part early in the process is that while you're getting your rotating mechanisms working, the paint can be drying so you could potentially do a quick build.

For my purposes, the bunny isn't facing directly forward, so actually following the rotation the rotator provides makes sense for the bunny's hop. That said, that doesn't mean I can just attach the legs to the rotator... In order to make the legs follow the rotator around in a loop while also always keeping the feet facing the ground, I used 2 lids as the crux of the structure.

For the first part, I connected the rotator to a bolt and connected that bolt to the first lid. It's incredibly important that the bolt stays firmly attached to the lid. I used a nut on the inside of the lid, but without any additional support the nut will slowly unscrew itself, and then the bolt will rotate freely without moving the lid. If this happens, the legs won't move at all. I used some liquid tape and then duct taped it for good measure.

Second, attach a bolt to the outside of the first lid and connect it to the center of the second lid. The purpose of the second lid is to keep the feet from spinning - the feet will always face the ground. We'll attach the second lid directly to the back of the legs to accomplish this. Now, as the first lid spins, rotates the second lid and the feet along with it. It's again important to keep the connection between the bolt and the second lid tight. While the legs would still move even if the connection isn't tight, the looser it is the more the legs will lean.

Note: if I were to do this again, I would attempt to find a smaller lid than I used for the inner lid or add the bolt for the outer lid less far out in the rotation. As is, the jump is a bit exaggerated on my bunny, and by having it on the outside of such a large lid, the legs cover less of the lid.

The arm waving is much more of a classic for animatronics, and is probably more than enough if you're looking for a nice, simple project.

I didn't really want to rely on just gravity for this, and wanted more of a push and pull of the arm and used a stake as a result. However, you'll very likely be able to position your rotator such that you could use something like fishing wire to keep the inner workings out of sight.

First, connect the rotator to a sturdy lid. Ideally you'd be able to just connect the rotator to something simple like a bolt. I didn't have an adapter on my second rotator and had to get creative. I used a sturdy copper wire that fit nicely through the rotator and was able to make it work by holding the rotator in place and turning the lid until the wire was tight enough to keep everything from wiggling around. At the end of the day, just find something that makes the lid rotate along with the rotator.

Next, add a bolt on the outside of the lid. Get a couple compatible nuts and a washer ready for the next part.

Attach whatever is going to be pushing and pulling the arm (eg. the stake) to the washer. As the rotator moves, we don't want the stake to get rotated as well, or it'll be trying to rip the bunny's arm off! The washer is a nice, simple way to keep the arm doing only back and forth movements by just following the distance of the bolt as the rotator moves without adding any spin to the equation. I found the just crazy glue wasn't enough, and used both glue and duct tape.

Once you know where you want to place the arm, you can visualize what looks most natural in terms of movement. You'll notice a part that isn't moving at the center back of the arm; that's where you want to drill a hole through the arm. Then just put a screw or bolt through that hole and into the bunny. It's ready to wave!

Attach the part that's pushing and pulling the arm to the arm. I used a picture hanger for this, but ideally it'd be something more rigid. I included a picture of something that would've been more ideal for this, but at the end of the day it's all about using whatever we have already. Go ahead and put a nut onto the bolt and add your washer to the bolt as well. Now move the bolt such that it's at its furthest angle on the lid away from the arm so we can place the rotator on the bunny. As you move the rotating contraption, it'll move the arm. Stop at the maximum height you want and attach the rotator to the back of the bunny.

The last thing to do is find a way to stick it in the ground. I used a 1x1 piece of wood I found because it was angled at the bottom and could act like a stake, but it could just as easily have been a piece of rebar or some such. Now just screw it into the back of the bunny and bring it out into your yard.

And there you have it! An animatronic Easter decoration.