Creating a mini woolly mammoth for "Menagerie of the Imaginary ", Bozeman MT

Dear friends,

Hope you are all staying healthy and busy in the new year. I had the unique opportunity to create an imaginary friend for Bozeman, Montana's upcoming "Menagerie of the Imaginary ", coming January 15th to Story Mill Community Park.

This special event will be up for a few weeks and is the mastermind of the amazingly creative group, Random Acts of Silliness, in coordination with Bozeman Parks and Rec.

Fifteen local artists have been tasked to build their special imaginary friend. Each artist has approached the project in so many unique ways. Please be sure to follow along at the Instagram or Facebook sites of @random_acts_of_silliness. Or see their website randomactsofsilliness.com

I wanted to show you how I made my "Woolbert " the woolly mammoth that likes to bake pastries.

Woolbert began life as a thrift store find...an old, overlooked moose Christmas decoration.

I wrapped his body with bubble wrap, ducktape and wire to build his body into a woolly mammoth look. Mammoths have a lot of musculature around their shoulders and upper back.

Next came wire, foam pipe insulation wraps for the trunk and tusks...

Added an extra eyebrow bony ridge..

More #ducktape and bubble wrap to flesh out and bulk up the mammoth.

Time to start adding the brilliant blue fur. Secured with safety pins, wire and hot glue.

Time to make one of the most important parts, the eyes. I recycled the old moose eyes, attached them to a black foam sheet, then built it up with more blue scrap foam and added fake eyelashes. I finished the eyes off with a nicer smooth layer of foam for the top and bottom lids.

I used wire to sew the fur ear pockets together, stuffed with foam, then wired in the ears and added extra glue gun glue.

Hot glue in the eyes, added extra wire to secure. Then started the process of covering the animal with fur.

So huggable, the mammoth is really beginning to look real.

Made the tusks from spray-painted pipe insulation stuffed with thick gage wire. Here I am zip tying in place.

Woolbert is coming to life....

Making a cake out of recycled styrofoam and Loctite spray foam. So fun, and sticky. Wear gloves.

Making Scottish shortbread from recycled styrofoam and acrylic paint.

Decided I needed to show Woolbert's family portrait.

Drilled, wired, zip-tied, glued, hot glued everything into place. I used E600 and over 60 hot glue sticks.

The cake roses are Fimo clay.

I learned- do not use E6000 on styrofoam. It will melt the styrofoam.

I made donuts out of chair pad foam.

You can color the foam with acrylic paint and cut the foam with box cutters.

January 1, 2021, Woolbert is on duty to advertise the upcoming "Menagerie of the Imaginary " in the window of Wild Joe's Coffee Shop on Main Street, Bozeman MT.

I am a proud mom and artist. Feels good to create something all ages will enjoy.

Up next: I'll be adding a Recipe Box for visitors. You will be able to take home a favorite recipe from Woolbert and try it out. If you like, you can share it on social media by hashtagging #woolbertsbakery.

This project took all of my skills and thinking to make it happen. It is a very good exercise to try out. I recommend it as a fun project - try building a 3D imaginary friend from recycled materials.

With great appreciation to the Random Acts of Silliness crew, that conjured this project up. I am very honored to add to the joy.

Wishing you all creative and wild times,

Mimi