Blast from the past! In 2006, my friends were shooting a Cthulhu Pet (think Chia Pet parody) commercial video to submit to the Lovecraft Film Festival, and I was totally on board to help with props and special effects.
Creative brief? Create a Chia Pet-style planter that the cultist character will present as a special gift for their favorite cult leader. It needed to be able to support sprouts that “grow” on the planter, as well as a hole leading to a receptacle for the “growing liquid.” I also designed the packaging to be shown next to the planter.
The planter itself was created from polymer clay. The tentacles needed a wireframe armature base in order for them to keep their shape. Generic brown buttons were perfect for the eyes. I drilled a hole for access to the glass jar I embedded within the planter to capture the liquid that would be poured on the top. The creature made it out of the oven okay, although the tentacles were *super fragile.* They held up during filming, but cracked not long after.
The packaging graphics were designed in Photoshop, printed out, then attached to a box from the kitchen recycle bin.
My partner Aaron still has the Cthulhu Pet and its packaging on his desk. It makes me smile to see it.
Jenn Likes to Make Things 