Time for a Thneed - Diorama Clock Inspired by Dr. Seuss' the Lorax

My name is Adam Spirko, I am 17 years old, and with the help of my Technology and Engineering teacher at Westlake High School in Ohio, created this Instructable.

In this Instructable, I will be presenting how to create a diorama specifically designed to house a digital clock. By themselves, digital clocks are boring, so I decided to spruce one up and create something that is more interesting to look at. Dr. Seuss was one of my favorite authors growing up, so I decided to tell a story inspired by the book and the movie The Lorax. In this scene, Ted's bike leans against one of the few truffula trees left in Thneedville, as he seemed to have stumbled upon a Thneed factory and went inside to explore. While this storyline is somewhat dark, the hypocrisy of the Once-ler and his business is displayed in the joyfulness of the bright colors and the cheery slogan "Everybody needs a Thneed!"

While I have attached all of the STL files below the steps for which they are needed in order for all to use, feel free to find or create your own STLs to tell your own story, while still being able to follow the steps below.

• Pencil
• Ruler/Straight Edge
• AutoDesk Inventor
• Internet
• 3-D printer
• Paint
• Glue
• Tape

For this project, I used the AMIR digital alarm clock upgraded version on Amazon. You can use any miniature clock you want, just know that you will have to design some parts for yourself. I also chose the orange version of this clock as it fit with the Lorax theme, but any color could be used.

Here is the link I used for my clock:

https://www.amazon.com/Upgraded-Electronic-Temperature-Adjustable-Brightness/dp/B093FJ45JJ/ref=sr_1_11_sspa?crid=1GO83V37DKXBO&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.0ZE69W-J-4Cdc2ATciSSa7m_mIGdVG_srYWlKeJsxi9fl3FJZo3vHS91eMcmAORXj95zGLJZB4YK4WB_fvzvryr7_kO96Tb1nBIFvbl1m9740q7Ybc06HgSjXdw820z4GP2X_H5_BI3RPmI1HfoOL9ff-9HqJfi2jkzJu0ikQ4kTFXveQBq5HKHn0tE0MSLbjiIC_5Gin65UpnyxhARCEQ3Y52Af2RwmSmkj7Iql8LXvZA3n1IPLFbUyeHHfS4WmNZzwLldwqj_mWmjZl-7LnJi-K5bFlZ8v_93RjtUTxYE.lJNmLmflyc53PJa4DgXnhbhc4kd0WGTZgSggCLi46XQ&dib_tag=se&keywords=miniature+digital+clock&qid=1715184875&sprefix=%2Caps%2C108&sr=8-11-spons&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9tdGY&psc=1

For my diorama, I used a file of Ted's Bike and a file of a Truffula Tree that I printed multiple times. Also, I used the website Terrain2STL for my landscape. Terrain2STL allows you to select an area of land that is any size and convert it to an STL file of the topography.

Ted's Bike: https://www.stlfinder.com/model/ted-s-bike-in-lorax-tTGlcJbg/89323/

Truffula Tree: https://sketchfab.com/3d-models/dr-seuss-inspired-the-lorax-tree-84fea27cd760442ab6f82544c653330d

Terrain2STL: https://jthatch.com/Terrain2STL/

For this step, I designed two side panels inspired by Dr. Seuss' architecture and the back piece to hold the clock on AutoDesk Inventor. Attached below are the finished files. For the side panels, I highly recommend using the spline tools that Inventor offers, as it captures the whimsical curves that Dr. Seuss often drew with. For the back piece, I measured the clock itself and designed the slot around that, creating a custom fit. I would recommend adding a small fraction of an inch like 1/16 to each measurement, ensuring that the piece fits comfortably. For the side panels, I recommend 1/8 inch thickness.

Make sure to be careful with the sizing and scaling. I printed to Truffula Trees to be one inch tall and the bike to be 1/2 inch tall, which probably made them too small to print well, but I decided to roll with it because I wanted my diorama to be on the larger scale. Printing them this small caused some thinner parts to break off, so I had to reconstruct them using glue.

The first print of the Truffula Trees and the back piece failed, meaning that the back piece was unusable and the truffula trees were only trunks. That being said, I decided to use the trunks to create a barren landscape on one side of the diorama. If this is something you would like to do intentionally, I would recommend printing twice as many trees as you need and cutting some of them in half. Also, the back plate had to be reprinted due to a sizing issue, resulting in the change in color shown in the pictures.

Make sure that the length of the back plate is the same as the width on the landscape, and that the side panels match the dimensions as well in order to create a perfect box. As with most of this project, creative liberties can be taken with this step if desired.

This step can be done either by painting or gluing first. I chose to construct my landscape before starting to paint so that I could paint over any glue that was visible. To glue down the trees and bike, I used hot glue because that is what I had at my disposal at the time, but super glue is also a great option. When using hot glue, keep in mind that the plastic will become soft under the heat, so the pieces will have to be held gingerly in place for a few minutes before the glue dries.

Before painting, it may help to lightly sand any smooth areas. I sanded the faces of the side panels because they were printed sideways so that the sides were the smoothest areas, but everything else was fine to paint without sanding. For painting, I used POSCA acrylic pens because they have vibrant colors and are easy to use.

I started with a white base coat for the trunks of the trees and swiped back and forth across the trunks with black to create natural looking stripes. For the trees, I used a lavender, light yellow, pink, and salmon to achieve colors that were reminiscent of the book. I used a simple black, red, and gray for the bike and a regular and dark green for the ground. I coated the entire ground with the regular green and created a patchy, textured look by adding grass patches with dark green. I painted the side of the landscape in black last in my project as a final decision, but that action can be taken in this step. I painted the factory on the side panels with a flat gray because I didn't want any detail taking away from the focal point in the center.

For the back, I painted the sky with a light blue and used the colors mentioned above for the ground and trees. However, I didn't use the salmon color for any of the trees so that I could use it to write "Everybody Needs a Thneed!" at the bottom. Finally, I outlined everything on the back panel to emulate the cartoony style of Dr. Seuss' illustrations.

For these larger pieces, I used super glue because it has a stronger hold and is not as messy as hot glue on a large scale. I glued the back piece to the landscape first, then attached the side panels. Make sure to glue any seams that are not visible, such as on the bottom and the sides of the diorama. Also, I added glue where the side panels were touching the back piece to strengthen the structure.

As for attaching the clock, I used hockey tape because it is very sticky but it's still easy for me to take the clock out if I need to. Duct tape is also a great option. I would avoid tapes that are weaker, such as masking tape or regular clear tape.

This clock looks great in low light, showing off the brightness of the clock face, while also looking good in bright lights, showing off the details in the diorama. This is a great desktop clock due to its small size and stability. Additionally, it's really easy to make, as this project could be done in a week or less.

While I prefer having the diorama in the open air to create a more immersive feel, a great extra step to this project would be constructing a frame out of plastic or plexiglass to encase the diorama. Ideally, this would protect any fragile pieces of the landscape while giving the project an overall clean look. I recommend either 3-D printing a frame and putting panes of glass or plastic inside that frame, or creating a frameless look by attaching the panes to themselves. Any of these options would look great on this type of project.

It was a ton of fun creating a small-scale project, as it allowed me to have explore with small details and create something that could be easily displayed due to its size. Overall, This project is more practical than my last one, especially because I don't have a lot of extra space in my house. Also, I love the projects that allow anyone following it to tell their own story with it and make it how they want, such as the flexibility with the landscape and the small details. I wish you all good luck, and remember that in order to truly enjoy the final product, you have to enjoy the process!