Gold Monkey Prop Replica

As a fan of the1982 short lived hit television series ” Tales of the Gold Monkey,” I often admired the Gold Monkey Idol prop used in the show. 

When the pandemic hit and my work in the trade show exhibit industry came to a grinding halt, I was looking for a project to bring me back to my roots as both an artist and a prop and set maker. Immediately I pulled out the idol sketches that I had done years ago and set out to bring it to life. First, fabricating the armature, I then began packing on and refining the clay. Utilizing very limited photographic reference of the original props, I endeavored to create a sculpture as close to the originals as possible with a  blend of styles between the hero prop used in the title sequence and the slightly less refined aged and weathered stage prop seen on the show.

This  sort of refined primitive style idol came to life in clay. Then the months long process of creating silicone molds, casting and assembling the pieces, seaming, filling, and smoothing, the castings were finally ready for finishing. I had to develop a six step process to prime and paint the sculptures with the realistic gold finish and patina that the piece needed. Weighing in at a solid 10 lbs these sculptures show all of the personality of the original prop.

The idol was a labor of love and required a modicum of my own interpretation to bring the judgmental Monkey to fruition. I hope  other “Tales of the Gold Monkey” fans out there enjoy this project as much as I enjoyed making them.