Behind the Scenes | Natural History Museum of Los Angeles

Behind the Scenes

Dinosaur Encounters is a performance-based interpretive program that lets visitors get up-close and personal with a realistic, life-size juvenile T. rex. In 2008, the Natural History Museum commissioned a team of paleontologists, engineers, artists, and puppeteers to bring this prehistoric animal to life.

Every day someone asks us "How do the puppets work?"  Putting a human shape into a dinosaur's shape is no easy task.  There is a science to these amazing pieces of artistry, almost as intricate as the paleontology that brought these animals back from the dead.

Is it a robot?

No, each puppet is operated by one puppeteer. The only electrical element is a microphone and speaker inside to create the puppet's realistic roar, and a tiny fan. The T. rex puppeteer stands upright and wears the puppet like a backpack, using his hands on controls to steer the head. 

Can I touch the puppet?

Only if you are lucky enough to be chosen as a volunteer in a presentation. The puppets are hand-painted and crafted of delicate fabrics; touching the puppet could damage its realistic skin. Since we want as many people to be able to enjoy the puppets as possible, we limit visitor contact. Also the puppeteers have limited vision inside the puppet, and are engaged in a constant balancing act; any unexpected bumps or nudges could be hazardous to the visitor or the puppeteer. The puppets are fairly heavy: T. rex weighs 75 lbs.  We don't want anyone to get squished!

What's all over the T. rex?

Those are proto-feathers! Dinosaurs and birds share a common ancestor, and it has been hypothesized that a juvenile T. rex may have had downy feathers to keep warm. Our puppets were made to approximate what we believe these dinosaurs at 7 to 9 years old might have looked like.

Who is inside the puppets?

Our Performance Artist staff is made up of a team of actors, directors, educators, and physical artists, who can be seen "flying" as butterflies on stilts, buzzing as bees, crawling as spiders and roaring as T. rex.
Learn about our Performance Artist staff >

Who made the big dinosaur puppets?

Our dinosaur puppets were commissioned through a collaboration with Museum curators and Erth Visual and Physical, Inc., a collective of artists, engineers, puppeteers, and designers based in Sydney, Australia. Check out Erth’s other fabulous creature creations at www.erth.com.au.

Who made the Saber-Toothed Cat?

Mama Cat was built in a special collaboration with Museum curators and the world famous Jim Henson Creature Shop. http://www.creatureshop.com/

Who made the smaller puppets?

Our hand-made marionettes, rod puppets, butterfly wings, and Chinese dragon-style plesiosaur and monarch caterpillar were made in-house by Performing Arts Staff, local puppet-makers, and Museum volunteers.

Can I be a puppeteer?

We occasionally hold auditions for performers and puppeteers.  Check the NHM Jobs page for updates.

T. rex I’m the Museum’s resident Tyrannosaurus rex, and I’ve come back from the Cretaceous period, which was over 65 million years ago, to entertain and inform everyone about my life. Did you know that my teeth are made perfect for crunching through the bones of my prey? But don’t worry; I didn’t travel in time millions of years to eat my audience, so I promise I won’t bite! If you want to learn more about me, and what I did when I was alive check out Dinosaur Encounters during your next trip to the Natural History Museum.

Saber-Toothed Cat I’m a Smilodon fatalis, but you may know me as the Saber Toothed Cat, and I’m the Museum’s newest addition! My cub and I have traveled back to the Museum from the Ice Age, which was over 1 million years ago, to let you know all I can about my life. As California’s state fossil I have a very important job in informing you about me and my cub. For example, did you know that I could open my jaw 120 degrees making it easier for me to consume my prey? If you are interested in learning more about me and my cub, come check out the brand new show Ice Age Encounters, it’s a purrfect end to a wonderful day at NHM!

Nibbles Hello, my name is Nibbles and I’m a juvenile Smilodon fatalis. That just means I’m a miniature version of my mom, the Saber-Toothed Cat, and a lot less scary. While my mom’s busy catching dinner I just like to run and play all day. So come play with me, and my mom too, if you’re brave enough, at the brand new Ice Age Encounters at NHM!

Triceratops Hi there! I’m the Museum’s very first live-in dinosaur resident, the Triceratops. Before my pal T. rex and way before my buddy Saber-Toothed Cat, I was here performing and informing in Dinosaur Encounters, the Natural History Museum’s first live action puppet show. T. rex and I both lived in the Cretaceous period, over 65 million years ago, and like the dueling dinos that you can see in the lobby of the Museum. T. rex was my biggest predator. Although the sharp horns on my head can be a little scary, there’s no need to be afraid of me because I’m a herbivore. That means that unlike T. rex I eat plants, not meat, I’m what you would call a prehistoric vegetarian. So come see how it all began and check me out in Dinosaur Encounters at NHM.