Grave Jumpers

The Grave Jumper 2005

I've spent a few years designing and refining the basic platform that I use for building my pop-ups. I have worked with many materials and have settled on PVC as my medium of choice because it is very light weight, relatively cheap and can be submerged in water.

This Pop-Up works even when hung upside-down or sideways. The prop runs on less than 60 PSI and is very easy to set up and store once you have it built. The cost to build the basic unit is about $45.00. With motion sensor and solenoid it's about $100.00. You dress it in any store bought costume!

I've put together a detailed set of plans so you can construct your own grave jumper for Halloween.

The plans come with a complete shopping list, assembly instructions and tips & tricks for making this one of the most fun Halloween props you will ever own.

I purchase all of the parts at my local hardware store. Depending on the building codes in your state, you may have trouble finding the thin wall PVC in which case you will have to modify the design to make use of whatever you can get your hands on locally (or order it on-line).

GRAVE JUMPER PLANS

(click on image for video)

The Grave Jumper 2002

The "new and improved" grave jumper for 2002

I've video taped the jumping action and saved it here on the website for you to see.

The 2002 model uses the same pistons from last year, but now with a totally different lever mechanism.

The new grave jumper is a completely self contained (single) unit now. I can quickly set it in the graveyard, plug in the air hose connector and start scaring the kids.

The grave stone is attached to the base along with the grave jumper. It's head looks a little high in this picture, but actually sits about 3-4 inches below the top of the gravestone. In the upright position, it stands a little over 2 feet above the gravestone (about 4.5 feet total I think - I'll measure next time I get a chance)

(click on the image to see a short video)

While the design of the frame to the right is not exactly the same as the grave jumper I built in 2002, it is very similar and shows you the very simple construction out of PVC pipe.

The new design is a lot less weight and is not permanently attached to the gravestone like the older version was.

The head sits 18 inches off the ground when down and 48 inches off the ground when up. That's 30 inches of vertical travel in no time at all.

This is a fairly simple design and can be set up behind a gravestone, wall or window or in a barrel. It requires only 45-50 PSI to operate.

Here is a shot of the mechanism activated. You can click on the image to the right to see how it works without the costume in place.

The screen door closer has a good return spring, so the prop will work upside down (from the ceiling down) as well.

(click on the image for a short video)

The Grave Jumper 2001

The original grave jumper I built was attached at the shoulders directly to the end of the piston. This simple design worked out pretty well, but didn't have a lot of throw (height). The basic assembly is shown to the right without all of the padding, clothing and gloves.	Grave jumper front view
Here's a "face" shot of the piston with all of the PVC arm/shoulder assembly attached. The heads (not shown) are designed to attach to the 2 PVC posts that stick out. The 2 large metal L brackets will be staked into the ground for support (behind the gravestone) and the ends of the arms will be attached to the top edge of the gravestone to keep it facing forward.	Grave jumper top view
Here's a shot from the back (looking over the right shoulder). The top posts are a bit too horizontal in this picture. The head has smaller diameter PVC posts that slip inside the ends of the top pipes. A small screw through both pipes keep the head from flying off when the piston hits the top.	Grave jumper perspective view
Here's a front view with the piston fully extended. I didn't have the air compressor hooked up, so my wife was kind enough to hold it for me while I took the photo. You can see how big the gravestone (in the background) has to be to hide the grave jumper.	Grave jumper assembly extended