* Foam latex skin that was poured over a fiberglass cast of Carlo Rambaldi’s own face.
* Eyeballs controlled with a complex network of rods, cables and pulleys.
* Mechanical blinking accomplished by a bicycle pump.
* Two separate heads were made: a speaking head and an underwater exploration head.
Neck:
* A thin rubber collar connected the head and body so the head could be turned.
Body:
* Acrylic foam rubber over a metal and rubber structure.
* Flexible foam rubber tail held inside a metal and rubber frame.
* The ET “heart” light created using plastic tubes containing a special liquid.
Hands and Feet:
* Foam latex and cloth fibers.
Movement:
* Animatronic motors, rods and cables.
* Puppeteers.
Voice:
* Pat Welsh, sound designer and Foley artist who also developed voices for the Star Wars trilogy.