Larry Crash Dummy Costume Head, 1990s

Object Details

Description

In the 1970s, few motorists wore seat belts because of apathy, distrust, or ignorance of the safety benefits. In 1985 the U. S. Department of Transportation, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration partnered with the Ad Council to create television and radio public service announcements that would persuade motorists to buckle up. The Ad Council hired Leo Burnett, a talent company, which recommended the use of humor. Leo Burnett staff writer Jim Ferguson and art director / creative director Joel Machak created Vince and Larry, a pair of crash test dummy characters with personalities and attitudes. For the actual filming, Grant McCune, a special effects designer and a partner at Apogee Productions, worked with Apogee’s in-house costume designer Wanda Watkins to create believable dummy costumes with realistic heads. They examined an actual crash test dummy and made fiberglass costume heads in two pieces (front and back) that were fastened together with aircraft screws. Whitney Rydbeck, an actor and mime who played Larry, recalled the difficulties of acting while wearing the fiberglass head. The air inside the head warmed up quickly because of lights and body heat, making breathing difficult. Rydbeck and other dummy actors could see only light and shadows through the translucent plastic eyes. Rydbeck and Tony Reitano (Vince) had to memorize their steps while rehearsing without the heads, then put on the heads and act out the commercials largely without sight. For dialog, Rydbeck synchronized his “mouth” movements (a white metal plate for “teeth” alternating with a black metal plate representing no teeth showing) to the prerecorded voice of television actor / writer Lorenzo Music.

ca 1990

ID Number

2011.0088.04

accession number

2011.0088

catalog number

2011.0088.04

Object Name

costume

Physical Description

fiberglass (overall material)

Measurements

overall: 12 in x 8 in x 10 in; 30.48 cm x 20.32 cm x 25.4 cm

See more items in

Work and Industry: Transportation, Road

American Enterprise

Transportation

Road Transportation

Exhibition

American Enterprise

Exhibition Location

National Museum of American History

National Museum of American History

Record ID

nmah_1448457

Metadata Usage (text)

CC0

GUID (Link to Original Record)

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ng49ca746ad-f0b2-704b-e053-15f76fa0b4fa