[Daddy's Little Corpse]

This isn't necessarily Halloween-related, but believe me, if I can get my hands on it after I'll be using it this Halloween...

Every summer my halloween prep and props get interrupted by a theatre volunteer job with the local youth community theatre as their Props Mistress. This year the prop building's gone insane with Seussical! So far I've built a tree (super easy), made suessian alarm clocks with feet/shoes on 'em and miniatures of two of the cast members. All easy.

But now the director wants a giant "crackable" egg that a kid has to fit into. Personally I think this should be a sets assignment, but I got the basic shape of it with cheap flimsy materials. I'm not a welder or a carpenter so I'm making do with some recycled hulahoops and chicken wire for the basic shape.

My issue, and question is, how can I
1- get the outer "shell" to look like a real egg?
2- make it kid proof?

I've got a week. Help?

 

[DeathTouch]

Would paper mache work?

 

[Sickie Ickie]

How about a variation of what I made an extemely cheap Audry II out of? Two plastic wheelbarrell shells, one flipped on top of the other and hinged so it can be "cracked" open?

Try glueing on some styrofoam, shaping, then painting it with latex paint... or using chicken wire around it, and then using felt around it.

Maybe from the inside it could have some kind of latch if needed to hold it together?

 

[Daddy's Little Corpse]

Would paper mache work?

Paper mache was my first and only thought really. The problem is I'm not too sure how well it would hold up being used night after night. If it was just a personal project I'd go ahead and use it, but to use it with just chicken wire I'm imagining wiring poking thru and things cracking in places they shouldn't, and [unfortunately] scratching up the child actors with wires just isn't an option.

How about a variation of what I made an extemely cheap Audry II out of? Two plastic wheelbarrell shells, one flipped on top of the other and hinged so it can be "cracked" open?

Now that is an awesome idea, Sick! That would definitely hold up and then I could use foam and paper mache to flush out the egg shape. How cheap is cheap though? And can you buy just the shells?

I loved that project BTW.

 

[DeadSpider]

fiber glass, sanded smooth on the outside and painted white?

 

[turtle2778]

yes you can find those shells and they are around 10-15 bucks a piece i believe.

 

[Sickie Ickie]

Right again, Turtle.

 

[Daddy's Little Corpse]

Well then...

Thanks for all the ideas/info/suggestion guys, but as of yesterday, Heir Director decided to go out and by herself a blow up football and bequeathed it to me to paint to look like an egg. No kids involved.

I'm both relieved and pissed all at the same time.

 

[Sickie Ickie]

LOL Thant's the biz. One momant the director demands one thing, then the next they insist that their mind change was what they wanted all along. Oh well, at least it's a time saver and no worries about the kids "cracking" it.