A steampunk accessory that comes with a little storyworld

LaMech and GeMech are tiny robots from another time (and timeline). They started as a sculpting project and meandered into a storytelling exercise in a steampunk world.

I sculpted the original, and hand-cast each one in translucent resin. They are hand-painted by myself and Micah Smith.

But the robot was only half the project. I set out to create a complete package that could go right onto store shelves. The outer package exudes Victorian propriety, with its dark pinstripes and weathered cover.

The inside is a splash of colorful art, things to examine and explore. Inside the box lid is a miniature poster, created by Fox Castillo, for the Ladies' or Gentlemen's Mechanical Companion. (The two are identical except for the chain attachments.)

On top of the robot is its users manual, which walks you through the basics of booting up your new friend, and warns you of the dangers he might pose, if allowed to go into Automaton Dementia. The manual instructs us to always keep our special shutdown key handy, in case of a rogue robot emergency.