Serena Yetter

Puppet Fabricator

document .querySelector(".close-button") .addEventListener("click", function () { document.getElementById("menu-toggle").checked = false; }); document .querySelector(".close-button") .addEventListener("click", function () { document.getElementById("menu-toggle").checked = false; }); // Close menu on menu item click document.querySelectorAll(".menu a").forEach((link) => { link.addEventListener("click", function () { document.getElementById("menu-toggle").checked = false; }); });

With over a decade of experience in themed entertainment and stop-motion animation, I have led and contributed to teams creating puppets and animatronics for award-winning projects worldwide, including Pepita for Disney's Magic Happens parade and Super Nintendo World at Universal Studios. Most recently, I joined the talented artists and craftspeople at LAIKA Studios in Oregon, contributing to the studio's upcoming feature film, "WILDWOOD".
As a Craftsperson I have skills in the areas of foam fabrication and patterning, costume fabrication, paint and finishing, silicone casting and seaming, mechanical troubleshooting, and project R&D. I am adept at maintaining specialized tools and equipment, maintaining safe work practices, the ability to manage complex builds.

You can find my full resume Here

I have worked at several Character shops and Animatronic studios spanning from Los Angeles to Nashville Tennessee where I worked with amazing artists and crafts people to create fantastical characters from world renowned parks and IP. I specialized in R&D, foam fabrication, foam patterning and figure finish utilizing techniques spanning several departments.

Disney's Magic Happens Parade-Pepita Puppet

While at Animax Designs I lead the fabrication team on our Pepita puppet build for Disney’s Magic Happens Parade which won the 2021 IAAPA Brass Ring Award for Best Atmospheric Street Show Performance. As Lead, I oversaw R&D, fabrication, project coordination, and onsite installation while working closely with other departments to bring the project to completion.

Nintendo World-Piranha Plants

Also at Animax Designs I was a part of the Piranha Plants project for Universal Studios Super Nintendo World which won the 2022 Thea Award for Outstanding Achievement- Theme Park Land. For the Piranha Plants animatronics, I began as a fabrication technician and progressed to Project Lead, helping lead R&D, fabrication, project coordination, and international onsite installation while collaborating closely with departments.

Tomato Airship Art Car

For the 2019 Nashville Tomato Arts festival I was awarded a grant. Drawing inspiration from festival art cars and a need to spread whimsy, I designed and built a Tomato themed airship. The airship was driven in the parade, then parked for festival goers to have a closer look and discover hidden details. Originally a golf-cart then torn down to the frame, I used CNC routing, metal fabrication, electrical, fabric arts, found objects and help from friends and fellow artists to makes this airship fly.

Sprout Zine
Anxiety Zine
Owl Cat & Boots
Pineapple Toast

Sprout Zine
Anxiety Zine
Owl Cat & Boots
Pineapple Toast

Sprout Zine
Anxiety Zine
Time for a Break
Owl Cat & Boots
Pineapple Toast

Sprout Zine
Anxiety Zine
Owl Cat & Boots
Pineapple Toast

Sprout Zine
Anxiety Zine
Owl Cat & Boots
Pineapple Toast

Sprout Zine
Anxiety Zine
Owl Cat & Boots
Pineapple Toast

Illustrations
Comics

"Wildwood"
Puppets- Hair, Fur & Feathers Department

From 2021 through 2025 I was a part of the Puppet Department at Laika studios for their latest feature "Wildwood". For two years I was in the Hair & Fur (and feathers) Department doing R&D and puppet fabrication for the "Bird Team". After puppet delivery I moved to the production floor for two years as a Puppet Maintenance Generalist.

In the Hair, Fur & Feathers I collaborated with departments casting silicone skin, assembling fabric to be laser cut into fabric feathers, fabricating wire armature for Primary feathers, working with CAD design and 3D printing to R&D and fabricate and build out the understructure to support the over all shape in all wing positions and how the wings would function with Owl Rex and General. Both puppets wings could fully open and close with articulating feathers.

Puppet Hospital

As a Puppet Maintenance Generalist in the Puppet Hospital I was repairing and problem solving puppets and shots with both human and avian puppets alike, and everything in between. There I repaired and repainted silicone hands and bodies, Opened costumes for tension and rig access and in some cases repairing costumes from complete disrepair. For hair, I utilized adhesives and solvents to repair, maintain, clean and sculpt hair to stick to IP, using heat tools such as wax carvers with different attachments. I repaired broken hair wires and problem solved shots with animator to achieve desired action. I problem solved mechanical and armature fixes on puppets, tensioned puppets on set and in hospital and repaired armatured on set in emergency breaks.

Prue reveal marketing shot: I prepped and cleaned Prues hair, costume and armuture.

Prue & General shot: I prepped and cleaned Prues hair, costume and armature and Generals Feathers.

Brenden shot: painted and added distressed blood spatter and cleaned and set hair.

Owl Rex Repair: Repaired a complete silicone skin blow-out in Owl Rex's legs. Grafted new skin and re-feathered.

Kong

Winter of 2025-26 I collaborated with with armature and finish designing and fabricated the foam and fur of a king kong puppet and trimming the fur for a close finish for a private client.

FLY AWAY HOME-2025

I designed and fabricated an automaton. The puppet was hand carved from bass wood, with the wing armature utilizing laser cut wood pieces. The feathers were soldered brass with full articulation. Hair was synthetic cut and styled. The costume was inspired by vintage clothes inherited from my mother.