Brian and Toby Froud break down the design of the 7 Gelfling Clans

Netflix

Like for the 1982 Dark Crystal film, Brian Froud is the creature designer on Netflix’s prequel series “Age of Resistance” and now with his son Toby Froud , senior costume & creature supervisor .

In this excerpt from IndieWire they give us some insight into their Gelfling designs:

Brian Froud only had to conceive of two Gelfling for the movie — the dark-haired Jen and the platinum-blonde Kira — but in the prequel series, he has a whole race of Gelfling to tackle and define within their respective clans.

“Our challenge was for the prequel — to have so many new Gelflings — was to differentiate between the different tribes; not only the costumes, but in the sculpt of the faces,” said Brian Froud. “They come to life through the artistry of the puppeteers, and then that’s the moment where it takes the breath away, where you go, ‘That is the surreal moment.’ Something that started as a few little lines on a piece of paper, it’s gone on this journey with everybody, and it’s such an extraordinarily magical thing when you see these things come to life.”

Below is a breakdown of the seven Gelfling clans and how the Frouds made them distinct through anatomy and costuming, based on each clan’s culture and environment.

1. Grottan Clan

“The Grottan are the cave dwellers. They have bigger ears and bigger eyes. Being in the cave, they develop differently,” said Toby Froud.

Physical Characteristics: Big eyes that are photosensitive, larger ears. They’re also pale…

2. Stonewood Clan

“They’re the more woodland warrior, [a] classic type of gelfling. They are strong and tribal in their clan and they probably become more dedicated to the castle in that point of history as well. They’re protecting the laws as part of the castle guard,” said Toby Froud.

Physical Characteristics: Dark hair and strong

3. Vapra Clan

“The Vapra are of the air, the mountains. They are the higher clan of gelfling, certainly because of the All-Maudra is the head of that clan, but also the head of all gelflings in their society,” said Froud. “They’re sort of pale and they think themselves higher above. They don’t like Grottans, they look down on them.”

Physical Characteristics: Fair skin with white hair, often found elaborately braided

4. Drenchen Clan

“They are from the marshes, and they are most amphibious, wetland, swamp-like Gelfling clan. They have the feeling of algae and moss, that seaweed-type quality to them,” said Froud.

Physical Characteristics: Greenish tinge, gills and wings used for swimming. Incredibly strong.

5. Sifa Clan

“The Sifas are obviously the sailors, they are the sea, they travel wide via ship,” said Froud. “They are gypsies as well. They have that quality to them, sort of colorful, pirate-like almost. But they don’t trust other clans either.”

Physical Characteristics: Many of them appear to have russet hair and favor blue attire.

6. Dousan Clan

“The Dousan then are of the deserts, the nomads. They’re also the most secretive and they aren’t seen by many because they keep to themselves,” said Froud. “They have green markings and paintwork on them and their skin turns different colors. Whether it be through berries that they’ve eaten or just genetics. They have a great relationship with geometry and magic that is unknown to other Gelfling.

Physical Characteristics: Colorful, painted skin

7. Spriton Clan

“The Spriton are the more of the land, the farmer race of Gelfling. Tonally those guys are more russet and auburn tone to them,” said Froud. “Harvest, things like that, that’s all they’re about really. And you’ll sort of see that in Kylan, who is a Spriton himself; he’s peaceful and he’s loving. He wants peace.”

Physical Characteristics: Tan skins, darker hair

Read the rest of ‘The Dark Crystal’ Gelfling Guide: How to Tell the 7 Different Clans Apart.

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