
- Rex/1998 nose – CF
- Rex/2003 & 2007 side head – cut 2
- Rex/2003 front leg – really short
- Rex 1998, 2003, 2007, 2011 eyelid
This is mascot evolution. All of the patterns are drafted at our studio out of heavy, brown Kraft paper. Apparently the eyelid for Rex – the smallest pattern piece of all – is the one pattern piece that has remained the same!
We have been creating and re-creating and re-imagining Rex , the mascot for the Children’s Museum of Indianapolis since the early 1990’s. We can trace the evolution of Rex through the patterns.
What has changed on Rex over the years?
The size of the head has changed, the size and curve of the tail, the color of the tongue, the placement of the nostrils, Many of the changes have been for the comfort of the performer. Some have been carefully considered and planned, some have just happened in the constructing – when a hint of sparkle seemed just right.
The 3 toed foot looks the same from year to year, but the inner mechanism of the shoe have changed considerably.
As in all things – it’s not just what you see on the outside. The inner engineering and workings of a mascot are just as important as the outside appearance.
Pattern pieces migrate, and don’t always get back to where they belong. So we may have a Dinosaur sleeve from 1998 that looks wrong for a mascot is 2011, yet none of the sleeves after 1998 can be found.
Through all of the changes and manipulations in patterns & engineering, the essence of Rex remains the same. Rex requires yards and yards and yards of custom-dyed Muppet Fleece – dyed to a special “RexGreen” by our dynamite dyer, Robbie Stanton.
Rex is a big, rainbow bellied & tailed, loving, welcoming Dinosaur with a lovely Dino smile. Rex – End of the Day parade