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Design & Build

World-changing ideas are no good if you can’t make them happen – but we can. Discover how we take the craziest visions from imagination to reality.

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It begins with a thought, a feeling, a What-If moment. Then comes the hard work – but if there’s one thing we like more than a wild idea, it’s the challenge of bringing it to life.

What we do

  • Puppet Making
  • Parade Floats
  • Mechanical Structures
  • Prop & Sets

What if?

What if?

A Bowie-inspired spaceman landing on Planet Earth in a hail of fireworks? No problem. A 15m steel lighthouse animated by fire, music and special effects, seen everywhere from Canada to Singapore? All in a day’s work.

We sometimes make this stuff look easy, but it’s the product of years of experience – of trial and error, research and experiment.

On these pages, you can find out more about our extraordinary creations, from monster floats to floating monsters. And if you’d like us to help you bring your own idea to life, drop us a line. Did we mention we love a challenge?

  • A night sky full of red fireworks and the lit-up image of a rocket
    A night sky full of red fireworks and the lit-up image of a rocket

    Liftoff fireworks - Tower Hamlets

    A fireworks display commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Apollo moon landing

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Mechanical Structures

Mechanical Structures

Moving in both senses of the word, the mechanical creations we develop spark the imaginations of those who cross their paths. There's nothing our teams of skilled artists and makers can’t design and build from scratch, turning pencil sketches and pipe dreams into everything from revolving solar systems to a clockwork lighthouse.

See all Mechanical Structures
  • The Tower of Light

    This spectacular signature production has been touring the world for 25 years – and counting

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Parade Floats

Parade Floats

There’s nothing like a beautiful parade float to leave crowds slack-jawed with awe – and no one builds them with more skill, imagination or attention to detail than us.

See all Parade Floats
  • Manchester Day 2010–2024

    Our much-loved celebration of all things Mancunian has excited and delighted packed crowds of all ages

    Manchester, UKManchester City Council
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Puppetry

Puppetry

If you thought Thomas Paine, writer and revolutionary died in 1809, think again. He’s just one of hundreds of figures – real and imagined, human and otherwise – who we’ve animated in puppet form over the last 30 years. You can meet Zara's giant baby, the Ychan Bannog, some shadow puppets and many others elsewhere on this site.

See all Puppetry
  • Fireworks above a fire drawing of a multi-headed person
    Fireworks above a fire drawing of a multi-headed person

    Spellbound

    A classic Indian tale of love retold with fire and shadow

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Charity No. 1046077
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