Tallest mechanical puppet

Asterion the Minotaur, created by François Delarozière (France) for the French puppeteers La Machine, stands an intimidating 14 m (42 ft 7 in) tall. The 47-tonne (51.8-ton) half-man half-bull giant – made from wood, leather and steel – first stalked the labyrinthine streets of Toulouse, France, on 1–4 November 2018 in a four-act performance inspired by Greek myths entitled Le Gardien du Temple. Asterion now resides at Halle de la Machine’s premises in the south-east of Toulouse, where up to 50 tourists at a time can ride upon him in a temple fixed to his back.

Asterion was the minotaur’s birth name. According to Greek myth, the beast was imprisoned within a labyrinth on the Mediterranean island of Crete.