Simple Pole
This is a very simple giant to make and doesn't need a lot of assistance. Together with a head, it cost less than £20.
Items used are an offcut of guttering, a length of plastic waste pipe, a second-hand backpack frame and a charity shop fashion belt, with a few bolts.
This is a picture of the whole frame, shoulders at the top, and harness at the bottom.
The waste pipe will fit into the base of the head and the shoulders need to be positioned at the right height proportionately. Here they are fixed in place by a piece of studding pushed through the pipe and fixed at the top by a bolt holing it in place, taking these out held dismantle the giant for storage.
An old army backpack frame is used to provide a harness to 'wear' the giant, and the waste pipe is pushed into two pipe brackets fixed to the frame. Dismantling this just requires the pipe to be pulled out. The backpack frame didn't come with a support strap, though many do, so a fashion belt was bought from a charity shop and threaded through the frame to give the extra support needed. This is important as without it the giant might pull itself off the wearers shoulders sideways.
This is the giant frame as its worn, backpack frame over the shoulders, and belt done up.....
....and a front view for good measure!
The head and clothes make the giant what it is, and here the giant has been dressed in an old decorating sheet with an England 'football' flag pinned to the front. It's meant to be St George.
Here it is with the head added.....
...and then with arms and a cowl added. It wasn't done here, but some giant builders add canes (or poles if very heavy) to the end of the arms so they can wave them about.
This is the final giant about to go for a walk around Sidmouth. On very important addition has been the sight hole in the front. In this case it was added late because the cloth was very see-though in dull weather when we were making it, but in sunlight became opaque.
This was a very easy to do giant and taught us a lot about what making and using a giant involved. This was of St George, but change the head and clothes and it can be many other characters that imagination can conjure-up, but the frame can stay the same.