The Krewe of Chewbacchus is, by long-standing constitutional principle, the first truly open-source parade. There is, accordingly, no single “best” or “right” way to build a contraption — only general principles, accumulated wisdom, and, on parade day, the quiet judgement of the Lineup Coordinator. All fandoms are accepted in good faith; members may build almost anything to roll in the parade, provided it can be pushed, pedalled, pulled, or electric-powered (particle propulsion is also accepted, with appropriate documentation).
The historical fleet has included tricycles, shopping carts, robotic power chairs, rickshaws, golf carts, converted ice-cream vans, several rolling bookshelves, and at least one device the engineers refused to name on the record. What follows are the most important guidelines for designing something that will, on parade night, actually roll.
The ten commandments of contraption-building
- Build it drunk-proof. Don’t build something overly difficult to operate. The simplest, most versatile design is almost always the right one. The Guide cannot stress this enough.
- 11 feet tall and under. Anything taller will not pass under the power lines and tree line on the route. Contraptions over 11 feet brought to the lineup will be politely but firmly asked not to roll.
- No riders on float-like structures. People riding trikes, pushing carts, or seated in golf carts are fine. People riding atop float structures are not — Chewbacchus is, in the city’s eyes, a walking parade, and traditional float parades require inspection and strapping procedures the Krewe declines to undertake.
- Test before rolling. The contraption must move easily at slow speeds, stop and start as needed, be safe, and be functional. Gaps in a parade are normal and acceptable; contraptions that can’t manoeuvre at parade pace and create hassle and hazard for everyone behind them are not. The Krewe reserves the right to ask a problem contraption to be chained to a telephone pole and abandoned for the duration.
- Standard shopping carts are made for linoleum, not New Orleans potholes. If building onto a standard shopping-cart chassis, replace the small standard casters with big heavy-duty casters or pneumatic tires from Harbor Freight. The bigger the caster, the better. For self-built trailers and chassis: swivel casters on the front, rigid casters on the back. Swivel front, rigid back. The contraption will, on parade night, thank the builder.
- Solid rubber casters beat pneumatic tires — no flat tires, no maintenance. Pneumatic-tire builds should carry a can of Fix-A-Flat for parade day. Just in case.
- Pack an Oh Shit Kit. Things go wrong on parade day. The kit lives at Parade Day; build a contraption-specific version and bring it.
- Bring a chain and padlock. If a contraption breaks down beyond field repair and must be abandoned mid-route, locking it to a stop sign or telephone pole gives the builder a fighting chance of recovering it after the parade. Without a lock, the chances are notably worse.
- 12V power systems are the recommended standard for everything. Deep-cycle marine-grade 12V batteries are the tried-and-true method for powering lighting, sound, and animatronic components. Almost every accessory worth bringing speaks 12V natively.
- Build the chassis around the function. Light, simple, structurally solid. Think about what the contraption needs to do — throw storage, music, tool storage — and design backwards from there. The creative possibilities are, as the Guide is contractually required to note, endless.