Brothers Matthew and Bryce Inman spent six weeks creating Grimothy, a 14-foot (about 4.3-meter) animatronic figure and sinister take on Jimothy, Seattle’s famous short-spined raccoon. On Saturday, they posted a video online and invited everyone to come see the monster, set up on Bryce’s lawn on Bainbridge Island. The brothers weren’t prepared for the crowds: by early afternoon, traffic was backed up for about a quarter of a mile on the quiet street.
To create Grimothy, they used plans based on Matthew’s drawings, welded a frame from metal rings and covered it in faux fur. Electronics hidden inside respond to movement, play sound effects and bring the figure to life. The brothers have a tradition of making unusual Halloween decorations with a dark sense of humor: in previous years, they created a pickleball-themed clown and a monstrous version of local landmark Frog Rock. Matthew is known as the creator of the comic site The Oatmeal and popular card games.
Bryce’s children love Grimothy, while Matthew’s 4-year-old son tries to steer clear of it. When the figure breaks down, Bryce has to literally crawl inside to fix it. The brothers haven’t decided what to do with the monster after the holiday: their storage spaces are already full of decorations, but they may need another one. When they started running low on candy, they began cutting pieces of Grimothy’s faux fur and handing them out to children.
Based on: Giant animatronic ‘Grimothy’ is a Halloween hit in WA neighborhood