Hey — still updating the site. Some things might be off. Doing my best to fix everything.
Armature Puppet
Stop-Motion Animation Tools
The story of how I founded Armature Puppet — the first Ukrainian workshop for designing and manufacturing professional tools for stop-motion animation.
My passion for stop-motion began in 2006, when I was creating my first clay animations and submitting them to student film festivals. This early exposure to the craft sparked an interest that only grew stronger over the years.
In 2009, I saw Coraline for the first time. The behind-the-scenes footage from Aardman and Laika studios had a huge impact on me. I realized that professional puppets didn’t use wire skeletons like mine — they used complex jointed armatures.
That discovery became my new goal: to build or obtain a real stop-motion animation armature.
I began searching for someone in Ukraine who made armatures and found a man named Oleh Pedan. I messaged him on Facebook asking if he could make me one, explaining that I was a student with a limited budget. His response was blunt: “$400. I’ve spent 20 years to make this not cheap.” It was an unreachable amount for me at the time, and my enthusiasm faded temporarily.
In 2015, now living in Kyiv, I contacted him again — this time asking if he could teach me how to make animation armatures myself. He said he didn’t have time to teach, but surprisingly gave me a welding machine — in a shoebox — and wished me luck.
But without experience, welding micro-components at home was nearly impossible.
I kept looking for professionals. Welders thought my parts were too small. Jewelers said they were too large. Then a woman from my church introduced me to an engineer from Sumy named Oleksii Shaparenko. That introduction marked the true beginning of my journey into building stop-motion tools in Ukraine.
Oleksii Shaparenko
Engineer and co-founder of the Armature Puppet
Danylo Maliuha
founder of the Armature Puppet
The Foundation of Armature Puppet
Oleksii and I spent 8 months developing my first fully articulated armature. It was a slow process, but it gave me a new level of freedom in animation.
Stop Motion Animation Skeleton and Winder Systems — Armature Puppet
Once the armature was done, the next challenge was the RIG — a support system for holding puppets and objects in place. Oleksii built the first basic rig for me. I posted photos of it on Instagram, and to my surprise, other animators began asking questions. That’s when I realized there could be real demand for these tools.
Main focus areas of the Armature Puppet workshop:
— Custom and serial ball and socket armatures for puppet animation
— Wшinders and Rig systems for holdig objects and characters
— Production of tools for stop-motion animation in Ukraine
We decided to optimize and scale the production process. I had experience in creating promotional content, and Oleksii had technical expertise. Together, we designed a standard armature with fixed proportions and a modular rigging system.
Oleksii created precise blueprints and calculations. We introduced laser-cut steel plates and micro-welding to speed up manufacturing. He even built a custom micro-welding machine. For the first time, we could make rigs and armatures in small batches — no longer one at a time by hand.
Small-Scale Manufacturing in Ukraine
Later, a third collaborator joined us — Yurii Kushnir from Lviv. He had experience with CNC machining and metal fittings. We started outsourcing precision parts to him: joints, bone segments, connectors. Some components were made on a lathe, others on CNC milling machines.
Components for rig systems, manufactured using CNC lathe and mill machines.
By 2019, we had multiple models: The B-1 armature, handmade from brass
A Family skeleton designed for an animated TV show (2020)
Stainless steel models in 21 cm and 24 cm sizes, made with laser cutting, micro-welding, and soldering.
Danylo Maliuha with full skeleton series designed for an animated TV show (2020)
This shift from handcrafted prototypes to small-scale manufacturing was a major milestone — not only for us but for the entire Ukrainian stop-motion animation community. For the first time, creators had access to high-quality animation tools made locally.
Products and Innovations
By then, we had:
Steel and brass armatures
Rig systems for puppets weighing up to 2 kg
Miniature rigs for objects under 800 g
All produced with CNC technology — the first of their kind in Ukraine.
Rig Systems — Armature Puppet
We became the only domestic producer of high-quality stop-motion rigging systems and customizable armatures.
We also developed two WINDER systems over time:
Armature Puppet — Winder System Stenley Steel V1 XY Axis (2019)
Armature Puppet — Winder System Aluminium V2 X/Y Axis (2021)
Our manufacturing combined laser-cutting, CNC milling, turning, and micro-welding.
We sold our products to Ukrainian animation studios and internationally via Etsy. Among our Ukrainian clients: Yurii Motrych, Anastasiia Falileieva, Mariia Ozirna, Novatorfilm, DzvonkMotion, SoDaze, Imago, and others.
Developing the Industry
We weren’t just making tools — we were building an ecosystem. Only a handful of companies in the world created similar tools. We were proud to be one of them, and the only one in Ukraine.
I officially registered as a private entrepreneur and created the Armature Puppet brand. We launched a website and a YouTube channel where I shared tutorials on using the tools and explained how to move from basic wire to professional setups.
YouTube channel where I shared tutorials on how to use stop-motion animation tools.
We were the first company in Ukraine to manufacture this type of professional animation equipment at scale. While the tools might have seemed expensive by local standards, they were not just purchases — they were investments in quality, stability, and professional growth.
The Beginning of the Path
''The craftsman who once refused to build me an armature became, indirectly, a mentor. Oleh Pedan didn’t give me the “fish,” but he pointed me toward the river.''
His refusal became the spark for everything that followed. He passed away in 2020. But that first contact with him set me on a path that has defined my professional life.
I talk more about his influence in the video “Types of Stop-Motion Animation” on the Armature Puppet YouTube channel.
Story by Danylo Maliuha, founder of Armature Puppet.