The world’s biggest spider is coming to Portland

Tom Dwyer is bringing Arachno Giganticus to Makers Faire at OMSI

Feature- Arachno

Time’s ticking down for one of the strangest events we’ve ever been involved in… on Friday we’ll be preparing to welcome Arachno Giganticus, a 10-foot-tall spider, to Portland Mini Maker Faire at Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI). Tom was a understandably a little nervous about being responsible for a gigantic venomous spider tromping through crowds of children, but the breeder says the spider’s very well trained, that the “Boise Incident” was just a lot of hype and Fake News, and that no Arachno Giganticus has eaten a person in months. Sounds good, what could possibly go wrong? Maybe we should tell you a little more about it…

The Maker Movement

The Maker Movement is, very quietly, creeping across the country. It started roughly in 2005 with the founding of Make Magazine, a publication dedicated to the artisans, artists, crafters, and just plain curious people who like to spend their time creating new and novel things that don’t fit neatly into other categories. Makers cover robotics, 3D printing, sculpting, electronics, science, metalwork, woodwork, sewing, arts and crafts… it would almost be easier to find something that DOESN’T fit under the Maker Umbrella! But what do you do when you spend your nights in a garage tinkering? How do you share your pride and joy with the world? The Makers Faire is the place, and the first one was held in San Mateo County in 2006. It was an immediate hit and cities began clamoring for their own way to take part, so “Mini Makers Faires”, held in coordination with the main Makers Faire organizers, were spawned. Now the event has spread across the country and around the world, with Makers Faires in Europe, Asia, South America, and Africa. Portland has had its own Mini Maker Faire since 2011 and they’re expecting this year’s event to attract hundreds of exhibitors and thousands of people to OMSI.

Tom Dwyer gets involved

How did Tom Dwyer Automotive get involved with a giant spider at a geek builder convention? Through one of our employees. Charles Letherwood is our outreach coordinator, the guy who does everything at our shop that has nothing to do with cars. He’s been a designer and builder for many years on projects from medical products to kid’s museums to stage sets. A couple years ago Charles started working on an idea for a giant spider costume because, as he says, “who hasn’t wanted to wreak havoc as a ten foot tall spider?” The spider made some head-turning appearances around Portland (including Sellwood’s Monster March) until last year until it made its first appearance to an unsuspecting general public in Bella Organic’s Haunted Corn Maze on Sauvie’s Island. When Makers Faire put out a call for exhibitors, Charles was there and Arachno Giganticus was added to the list. Our shop got involved because Tom is a great supporter of his employees’ lives outside the shop… from our recent Dropbox Derby team to to our Competitive Dart Team to James Magmer’s trashfishing sculpture, we can usually count on Tom to get behind us.

A little bit about the big spider

Arachno Giganticus (or Boris, as he’s affectionately called) is a live 10-foot-tall spider. OK, “live” is fortunately a bit of an overstatement here, but he IS a 10’ tall, full-motion, walking, talking, creeping and crawling spider that will absolutely instill phobias in the strongest people. Boris is the result of hundreds of hours of obsessive and coffee-fueled work. His dimensions change depending on which way he’s creeping, but mostly he’s about 10’ tall, about 12’ long, and about 14’ to 16’ wide. Boris is composed almost entirely of PVC, clothing, duct tape, zip ties, and garbage bags, but with generous dollops of chicken wire and hot glue and a few bicycle helmets and gadgetry as spice. His eight eyes twinkle and glow, his insectioid voice chirps and hisses, slime drips from his jaws and venom drips from his stinger. Razor-sharp tusks grab at the unsuspecting as his steel-crushing jaws open to receive them. Bony spines clutch hapless prey securely as Boris’ back legs spin them into a web pod for… later. But fearsome as he is, Boris is a push-over when it comes to kids. Some hesitate to approach at first, but even the littlest ones get over their fear eventually. There’s nothing quite as heartwarming as seeing a child laughing and playing with the hideous monster who terrified them just moments before!

Boris at the Maker Faire

The most important step to meeting Boris (or staying as far away from him as you possibly can) is knowing where he’ll be. He’ll be arriving at OMSI in his titanium-reinforced transport cage on Friday afternoon, and Saturday the doors open and the carnage fun begins. Portland Mini Makers Faire runs Saturday & Sunday, September 15 & 16, 9:30am-5:30pm at OMSI, 1945 SE Water Ave in Portland. Tickets are still available at $16 for adults (14-62), $10 for youth (3-13), $10 for seniors (63+), and OMSI members receive 50% off. Scroll on down for pictures of Arachno Giganticus at the Sellwood Monster March, and click here to see all the other Makers that will be waiting for you at the Faire! See you there!