Miracle Workshop

“Magic, Powered By Tech and Teamwork”

Project Title: Miracle Workshop
Team Members: Raisa Chowdhury, Josh Danzig, Alex Gobeler, Atul Goel, Niharika Jain, Dustin Stephan
Faculty Advisor: Dave Culyba, Brenda Harger, Ricardo Washington

The Idea

Give Kids The World (GKTW) — a nonprofit resort for critically ill children and their families and a longtime ETC partner — had a problem: how could they revive Tom Foolery, a long-silent animatronic puppet who once delighted guests in their Castle of Miracles?

The puppet had been operated high above the atrium by a hidden puppeteer — something that involved climbing to the top of the castle into a cramped, overheated space. It was unsustainable. As a result, Tom had ended up gathering dust.

The Miracle Workshop team was formed with the goal of bringing him back to life. They wanted to rebuild Tom from the inside out — giving him not only a new animatronic body, but also a new platform that would allow any volunteer to bring him to life. And though the project was planned only for the spring semester, it evolved into something greater: a cross-semester initiative that carried on through the summer and into the fall through CMU’s Creative Good Fund, a grant that supports ETC projects with positive social impact.

The Process

The team began by engineering an entirely new animatronic head for Tom Foolery. Using 3D-printed parts and modern servos, they replaced his fragile mechanical base with a more stable, expressive structure. Synchronized audio playback and LED lighting brought added warmth and life to his character.

Next, the team built a custom show control system using control interface softwares QLab and TouchOSC. Designed for simplicity and scalability, the interface allowed GKTW staff and volunteers to easily control Tom’s voice lines, gestures, and show sequences with a tablet. The system included both automated “idle” modes and live-trigger options for direct interaction with guests.

With support from the Creative Good Fund, they continued past the initial semester. They used the extra time to refine Tom’s character animations, add voice line libraries, and improve interface responsiveness based on real-time feedback from Village staff. They also documented the system extensively — from wiring diagrams to user guides — ensuring sustainability for future operators.

During their on-site trip to Florida in the fall, the team tested and installed the full system inside the Castle of Miracles, calibrating timing, audio levels, and guest-facing responses in a live environment. They left knowing they had made something that would last.

The Impact

By the end of summer, Tom Foolery was fully reanimated — speaking again to guests in the Castle of Miracles with a voice that was funny, comforting, and unmistakably his own.

The revitalized Tom now operates through a reliable, modular show system that can be run by anyone — volunteer or staff. No ladders, no puppetry background, no overheating crawlspaces. Just magic at the press of a button.

The project’s extended timeline meant the team was able to make something more than a prototype. They delivered a robust, ready-to-operate installation that immediately became part of the Village’s daily experience. It continues to be to this day, with many families greeted by Tom’s cheerful voice on arrival.

The work was celebrated both at the ETC and within GKTW’s community, where the team was credited for their thoughtfulness, compassion, and commitment to craft.