Halloween Automaton - Surprise Top Hat

Here's a wearable automaton I made a few years ago. The hat is controlled by a bicycle brake cable that runs down the back of the hat, behind the collar, and down my sleeve. At the end of the cable, I attached a brake lever. When the lever is depressed, the cable pulls on the back of a four-bar linkage which makes the hinged section of the hat fly open and the little monster pop out. I intended to make a little wooden monster, but I ran out of time. The rubber finger puppet works well, because the arms flap about as if he is trying to scare someone.

Watch the video of Dug North's Automaton Hat (.wmv) or Dug North's Automaton Hat (.mov)