The early foamcore mock-up of the set

BUILDING THE LAB

How do you build a giant, Frankenstein-inspired laboratory? It starts with large-scale foam fabrication. Shown here, our sculptor Hiroe begins the process by cutting and shaping massive foam blocks, which were later refined into the textured walls of the laboratory set.

Carving the Foam

Once the foam has its basic shape, we put it back on the stage to see what else needed to get added. In some cases we had overhanging bits using expanding foam glue to stick a piece on that we couldn’t sculpt during the first phase. From here we move on to creating the stone tiles for the floor.

Finished Set

As an homage to the early Frankenstein films, the segments were designed and executed entirely in black and white. Rather than relying solely on post-production treatment, the monochromatic aesthetic was built directly into the physical environment, with all sets and props painted in a carefully calibrated grayscale palette. This approach allowed the textures, shapes, and lighting to read clearly on camera, resulting in a striking visual that translates with strong contrast and impact on screen.

The set pieces were designed to balance character-driven humor with the heightened atmosphere of a mad scientist’s laboratory. Elements such as the couch, oversized machinery, and the operating table were built to feel functional yet exaggerated, reinforcing the playful horror tone of the segment. Large nautical logs were incorporated to tie the environment back to the show’s oceanic world, grounding the classic laboratory imagery in a distinctly Patrick Star–inspired setting and creating a cohesive, story-driven space.

COUCH

It’s a central figure in so many TV shows: The Simpsons, Married with Children, All in the Family, going all the way back to I Love Lucy. The Couch must be great. I designed and built this one myself, going through a few rounds of notes and iterations with the Creative Directors to get the look just right.

Chopping the Couch

The couch had to get chopped in half, so a duplicate had to be made. It was fun pretending to take a chainsaw to it!

OVERSIZED ARMREST

Sometimes puppets have to come in scales, which means sets need to accomodate them. In this case, Dr. Plankenstein had a different puppet that we used in Close-Ups, so the art department had to fabricate an equally larger portion of the couch for him to rest on.

Sometimes you make a foamcore mock up and it’s not very good, so you just wing it.

MACHINES

We had a lot of fun designing and creating background machines that had that old school science-fiction feel. We incorporated real knobs and mechanical pieces from old appliances and electronics to add to the haphazard nature of these machines.
Taking inspiration from the classic Universal Monster movies, these had to feel as if they were from a very specific era. They had to look science-fiction-y, but not like they were from the future. I worked with my builders, giving notes on various designs to help bring it into the world of Patgor.

OPERATING TABLE

Every monster needs a table to receive bolts of lightning from!

LOGS

ROOF PIECE

Props and scale models played a critical role in the storytelling of this project, helping to ground the heightened visual style in a tangible, believable world. Each element was carefully designed to support the narrative and enhance the atmosphere, reinforcing character, mood, and scale while giving the environment a sense of history and intention. By integrating these physical details directly into the set, the story was able to unfold visually, allowing the world itself to communicate as much as the action on screen.

SKULL DOOR

The lab’s door and skull-shaped handle were such a fun assignment, I had to take them on myself. The door was made from planks of MDF, and the skull door handle was sculpted out of epoxy resin.

TV SET

ROTARY TELEPHONE

POPCORN BAG

POKER STICK

CHAINSAW!

BARRELS & CRATES