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Steampunk Mr. Potato Head

last photo ←

Spudnik, as I call him, was a project that was inspired by a craft swap project. Designers and crafters alike randomly were paired with a different theme and a material. My theme was "steampunk" and my material was "old toy." Every project was open for interpretation. I went to the Chelsea Flea Market in Manhattan to find some vintage toys. There were so many to choose from, but I soon realized that picking up an already aged and gritty toy would take the fun out of making something look steampunk. This is how I arrived at Target with a Mr. Potato Head in my hand.

Enjoy!

I'm also selling some fun items on Society6:
Iphone Skin
Iphone Case
Art Prints

For more pictures of Spudnik, click here .
For more process shots, click here.

Also, view more of my work www.amongmadpeople.com and say hello!

27 comments

Mar 15, 2012. 8:33 AMlukev2 says:

im building a steampunk cyborg buzz lightyear right now, it was mine that i used to play with when i was little, and then my brother played with it roughly, and its half broken, so that will be the robot side........

Jan 22, 2012. 2:20 PMneonbanana says:

i am working on one i love this instructible great job

Feb 2, 2012. 8:14 AMsaritamarianyc (author) says:

Awesome. I can't wait to see it! Take Pics!

Dec 21, 2011. 2:45 PMcutiescab says:

this was my effort at it. The top hat was done with an aluminum sheet duct taped into a tube and glued to the original mr potato-head bowler. The eyes and mustache were made from sculpy. The forklift arm is made from the legs of a robot action-figure and there are pipes on the back made from dead batteries of different sizes

Dec 21, 2011. 5:20 PMsaritamarianyc (author) says:

Very cool! Awesome use of creativity and resources from around the house!

Aug 14, 2011. 7:49 AMsaritamarianyc (author) says:

I'm also selling some fun items on Society6:
Iphone Skin
Iphone Case
Art Prints

Enjoy!

Mar 26, 2011. 6:29 AMFred da Bunny says:

Incredible! I tip my hat to you!

Mar 16, 2011. 9:12 PM

escapefromyonkers says:

best mr potato head i have seen. always good to know what items to
keep on hand too, like the premo sculpey you mentioned
great brass knuckle site.

Feb 17, 2011. 4:32 PMSci_Fi_Steve says:

Hi, I got stuck whilst making my steampunk dalek gun, when I read this, you inspired my dalek. Thank you :)

Feb 12, 2011. 3:09 PMRiezz says:

it looks so cool :D:D

Feb 2, 2011. 3:44 PM

porcupinemamma says:

Absolutely FABULOUS!

Jan 10, 2011. 4:53 AMerfror says:

Wow that is absolutely amazing! But even more cool is how you made that potatoe head thingy into some steamy robot thingy =D
Love the details, now it only needs some steam coming out of that tube.

Jan 9, 2011. 7:17 AM

Puzzledd says:

This is amazing! We used to use a real potato for Mr Potato Head, and the all-plastic version always seemed a bit... well, plastic. You've taken it to a whole new level- inspirational!!

Jan 3, 2011. 1:56 PMsaritamarianyc (author) says:

Hey guys and gals! I just posted my 2nd Steampunk Toy tutorial. If you enjoyed the tutorial please, vote for me in the Epilog contest or the Holiday Gift Contest. I would love your support. I could use that Laser cutter to make more art and craft projects for you! Thanks again!

For tutorial, view here:
http://www.instructables.com/id/Steampunk-Explorer-Toy-Set-Telescope-and-Steampun/

Dec 2, 2010. 5:28 AMOldeWizard says:

Awesome. My daughter collects Mr Potato heads and this gave me the inspiration needed to build her one for her birthday that she won't find in any store. Being a computer junky my version ended up being a bit robotic looking and is a functional USB hub with light, fan, and mp3 player. I was unable to get the cool antique brass/gold color you achieved mixing the paints listed, so I bought antique gold and applied it lightly over the final color. Unfortunately doing so I lost the steampunk affect. Next one I'll use the gold direct over black. Thanks for the inspiration and great instructions.

Dec 15, 2010. 11:44 PMsaritamarianyc (author) says:

Awesome! I love the creativity!

Sep 1, 2010. 1:01 PMMr. Potato Head says:

Amazing! I don't know what to say, but clearly I need to comment.

Oct 3, 2010. 12:03 PMfreerunnin1 says:

the only problem is the potato head had to go through extensive surgery :S lol

Oct 3, 2010. 6:22 PMMr. Potato Head says:

It'd be worth all the pain if I could look that cool...

Sep 5, 2010. 6:02 AMStew2 says:

This is beyond awesome... Imagination and talent, I think you could make these and sell them and pretty much name your price. Looking forward to your next creation :).

Sep 2, 2010. 9:49 AMhokiecow says:

What was used to make the mustache and monocle?

Sep 3, 2010. 10:32 AMsaritamarianyc (author) says:

I used Premo Sculpey.

Sep 2, 2010. 10:10 AMRayLT says:

Awesome!!!

Sep 1, 2010. 5:18 PMchantling says:

This is absolutely amazing. I'm always impressed when somebody builds up some incredibly intricate, complex thing from a bunch of unrelated bits and bobs; thanks for posting all the in progress pictures. I wish I had the ability to do this sort of thing. Unfortunately, it's not my forte. So I'm always happy to see somebody else did all the hard work and I can just enjoy it :)