Giant puppets

Giant puppets

& Other oddities

Our giant puppets are from 4 to 6 meters high.
They are entirely articulated, the head too, the eyes, the shoulders, the arms and the legs.
According to the models, they are equiped with lights and/or an autonomous sound system.

We cultivate a passionate care regarding their making, from the conception to the articulation, the dexterity and the manipulation of it.
Extremely malleable, they irrupt in the city and bring a new perspective to it, they allow the people from the city to find their childhood eyes back, they draw an original relationship of oversizing and scale between the people and their daily life.
The company Archibald Caramantran was founded in 2005 in the Drôme department.
Its Artistic Director, Olivier Hagenloch was one of the co-founder of the company « Les Grandes Personnes » created in 1998 at Aubervillers, with Christophe Evette (Les Grandes Personnes) and Stéphane Meppiel (Les Géants du Sud).
In 1998, Olivier Hagenloch found himself with Christophe Evette, Stéphane Meppiel, Babette and Jean Martin on the building work of the « Carnavalcade de Banlieues Bleues » in Saint-Denis. They were hired as crafters and sculptors for this big parade that was lead by Bernard Souroque, Jacques Pornon and Martin Meppiel.
They built six huge puppets with a stick that were approximately 6 meters high, from a drawing of Mokeït.
There began the wonderful adventure of the Giant Puppets.
Distant Heir of the giants’ inventions from the North of Europe or Catalonia, or closer to us, the puppets of Peter Minshall from Trinidad or from the English Bread and Puppet Theater.

The whole story is being told in detail on the website « Grandes Personnes »:
https://www.lesgrandespersonnes.org/Transmission

Along the years, the technical skills and the materials of the making have evolved but the fundamental idea remains the same. Most of the elements that make the puppets what they are maintained as they interract with the public (depending on the puppeteers).
They are made with fabric, resin, paper, leather, aluminum, plastic, bungee cords, carabiners…
Our puppets weigh between 15 and 30 kg depending on the model.
We also craft smaller puppets (semi-giant) for kids and teenagers.

Olivier Hagenloch

Sculptor, Puppeteers and Stage Director.
Trained in the Animation School of Emile Cohl, Olivier Hagenloch co-founded in 1998 the company of the giant puppets « Les Grandes Personnes » with which he participated to many shows and classes in France and abroad (Europe, South America, Russia, China, Africa).
« Le Fleuve » Big Parade, Burkina Faso, 2003
« Habanos » Oversize Show, Havana, Cuba, 2004
« La Grande Famille » Big parade, Burkina Faso, 2005
« Opening of the Football World Cup» Johannesburg, South Africa, 2010.
He will be trained in 1999 by Puran Bhatt to manipulate the « Kathpuli » puppets in India.
He created the « Bicoque théâtre » Street theatre for puppets and other oddities in 2012.
Today, he produces shows and cultural events within the company Archibald Caramantran of which he has been the Artistic Director since 2005.
He works for the circus, the Opera and the Street Theatre in France and abroad.

Yacouba Sawadogo

Sculptor, puppeteers, actor
Yacouba was born in 1984 in Darsalam in Burkina Faso.
Farmer, beekeeper, mason or upholsterer, he has multiplied his experiences.
While he still was a water carrier, he met the company « Les Grandes Personnes » in 2002 in Boromo.
He was then trained to the manipulation and the making of puppets by Stéphane Meppiel.
Since 2005 he’s regularly participated to parades in different countries : Senegal, Guinea, Mali, Ghana, France, China, Romania, Switzerland, Germany, Belgium…
He also animates classes (for adults and children) to teach the making of Giant Puppets but also to pass on the awareness of Giant Puppets’ manipulation.
He joined the company Archibald Caramantran in 2017.