Steampunk Mr. Potato Head

by saritamarianyc

24K6128

Intro: Steampunk Mr. Potato Head

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. This piece was a nod to my favorite steampunk artist Doctor A.

Enjoy!

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

For more pictures of Spudnik, click here .

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

28 Comments

Leprechaun19 6 years ago

This is awesome. What did you use for the eye?

LucDaRocka1 12 years ago

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........

neonbanana 12 years ago

i am working on one i love this instructible great job

saritamarianyc 12 years ago

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

cutiescab 12 years ago

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

saritamarianyc 12 years ago

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

escapefromyonkers 13 years ago

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.

Sci_Fi_Steve 13 years ago

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

Riezz 13 years ago

it looks so cool :D:D

erfror 13 years ago

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.

Puzzledd 13 years ago

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!!

saritamarianyc 13 years ago

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:
https://www.instructables.com/id/Steampunk-Explorer-Toy-Set-Telescope-and-Steampun/

OldeWizard 13 years ago

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.

Mr. Potato Head 13 years ago

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

The Rusted Workman 13 years ago

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

Mr. Potato Head 13 years ago

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