A television commercial from the 90s for the N64 Banjo-Kazooie classic presented an appearance of animatronic versions of puppets of the holder of bear and bird. Decades later, the puppet Kazooie reappeared thanks to a Hollywood auction, and the proud owner of the article published several photographs of the puppet that will surely pursue my dreams forever.
The original commercial has a spooky history vibes, with a group of apparent criminals regretting being persecuted by some monster in the forest. That “monster” turns out to be the Banjo and Kazooie couple, who descend from heaven and lead the malefactors to justice. What has this to do with the nice collectible platform game that is announced? ER, it seems that marketing people thought Banjo and Kazooie fighting the “bad” was the key point to focus.
Both Banjo and Kazooie appear as animatronic animals, and although Banjo seems to be simply a generic bear, Kazooie is a totally personalized creation that coincides approximately with his appearance in the game. At least that is the idea: its appearance in the commercial is so brief and blurred that it is difficult to distinguish it.
The Kazooie puppet resurfaced on January 19 in a Facebook group for banjo fans, thanks to a publication of someone who “acquired it recently.” The puppet photos are frankly scary here, since Kazooie has large eyes and injected into blood that make her look more like a slasher villain than a cartoon bird. Suddenly, I think I understand why his appearance in the commercial is so brief; However impressive, I don't think anyone wanted to scare the children. that Bad to show this during his cartoons on Saturday morning.
After investigating the origins of the puppet, I found an argument that pointed to this online auction held on December 14, 2024, which seems to be where that Facebook poster picked up Kazooie. “This bird -shaped puppet measures approximately 34 inches from the head to the tail with a wingspan of 42 inches,” says the description of the auction, which must log in to see it. “His feathers are meticulously hand -placed on foam, allowing a flexible body movement, while his eyes and peak are controlled by servos.”
The auction site estimated that Kazooie would raise between $ 300 and $ 500, but the final offer ended up being $ 2,100. Clearly, they underestimated the dedication of retro games enthusiasts. The Site also confirms that the puppet was “built by Animatedfx, Inc., a recognized company based in Los Angeles that specializes in animatronics and special effects.”
Animatedfx was founded by Norman Templa, previously from Muppet Workshop, and Dave Nelson, a veteran companion in effects whose work includes (unless there is another Dave Nelson who made Hollywood puppets in the 90s) the Yoshi animatronic in Super Mario Bros. of real action. . movie. Together, they made animatronics for films as notable as Alien 3, Beethoven and Jingle All The Way, and even handled the puppets of Team America: World Police.
The puppet Kazooie was sold during a much larger auction of several accessories and memories of Hollywood, which included a ton of ancient puppets of the America team along with a wild variety of animatronic animals, weapons of Django Unchained, James Bond devices and even a Elvis Presley's pair. underwear. The Kazooo puppet ended up being the eighth most expensive article in the auction, just behind items such as a full metal jacket shooting script and a pair of sunglasses used by Michael Jackson. If that type of demand does not prove that we need a new banjo game, I don't know what it will.
A list of Best N64 games It is not complete without banjo-kazooie.