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A '90s TV commercial for N64 classic Banjo-Kazooie featured a blink-and-you'll-miss-it appearance from animatronic puppet versions of the titular bear and bird duo. Decades later, the Kazooie puppet has reappeared thanks to a Hollywood auction, and the item's proud new owner has posted several pictures of the puppet that are sure to haunt my dreams forever.
The original commercial has a spooky story vibe, with a group of apparent criminals lamenting that they're being chased by some monster in the woods. That "monster" turns out to be the pair Banjo and Kazooie, who swoop out of the sky bring the evildoers to justice. What does this have to to do with the cute, collectathon platformer being advertised? Er, it seems the marketing folks thought Banjo and Kazooie fighting "bad guys" was the key point to focus on.
Both Banjo and Kazooie appear as animatronic animals, and while Banjo appears to just be a generic bear, Kazooie is a fully custom creation approximately matching her appearance in the game. At least, that's the idea - their appearance in the commercial is so brief and blurry it's tough to make out.
The Kazooie puppet resurfaced on January 19 in a Facebook group for Banjo fans, thanks to a post from someone who "recently acquired" it. The photos of the puppet are downright frightening here, as Kazooie's got big, bloodshot eyes that make her look more like a slasher villain than a cartoon bird. Suddenly, I think I understand why its appearance in the commercial is so brief – impressive as it is, I don't think anybody wanted to scare kids that badly by showing this thing during their Saturday morning cartoons.
After digging into the puppet's origins, I ran across some discussion pointing toward this online auction held on December 14, 2024, which appears to be where that Facebook poster picked Kazooie up. "This bird character puppet measures approximately 34 inches from head to tail with a 42-inch wingspan," the auction description – which you have to log in to see – reads. "Its feathers are meticulously hand-laid on foam, allowing for flexible body movement, while its eyes and beak are controlled by servos."
The auction site estimated that Kazooie would bring in between $300 and $500, but the final bid ended up being $2,100. Clearly, they underestimated the dedication of retro game enthusiasts. The site also confirms that the puppet was "constructed by AnimatedFX, Inc., a renowned Los Angeles-based company specializing in animatronics and special effects."
AnimatedFX was founded by Norman Templa, previously of the Muppet Workshop, and Dave Nelson, a fellow effects veteran whose work includes – unless there's another Dave Nelson who did Hollywood puppetry in the '90s – the animatronic Yoshi in the live-action Super Mario Bros. movie. Together, they did animatronics for such notable films as Alien 3, Beethoven, and Jingle All the Way, and they even handled the puppets for Team America: World Police.
The Kazooie puppet was sold during a much larger auction of various Hollywood props and memorabilia, which included a ton of the old Team America puppets alongside a wild array of animatronic animals, Django Unchained weapons, James Bond gadgets, and even a pair of Elvis Presley's underwear. The Kazooie puppet ended up being eighth-priciest item in the auction, just behind such items as a shooting script for Full Metal Jacket and a pair of sunglasses worn by Michael Jackson. If that kind of demand doesn't prove we need a new Banjo game, I don't know what will.
A list of the best N64 games isn't complete without Banjo-Kazooie.
