UPDATE: Katy Perry's Super Bowl lion came together in eight weeks, Oregon creator says

Back at halftime of the Super Bowl, before the vagaries of football fortune broke hearts in the Northwest, Katy Perry's lion put on a flawless performance.

The massive, people-powered feline strutted confidently down the runway at the University of Phoenix stadium in Glendale Sunday, the pop singer seemingly welded to its back while she belted out the hit "Roar."

It was the culmination of a journey that started in a warehouse in Scappoose, where theatrical designer Michael Curry builds his sought-after pieces for producers and directors of high-profile stage shows. Michael Curry Design has constructed pieces for "The Lion King" on Broadway, multiple shows by Cirque du Soleil, the "Transformers" movie, the Olympics, Las Vegas casinos, major theme parks and many other performances.

A veil of secrecy shrouded this year's Super Bowl project, which wasn't posted on Michael Curry Design's Facebook page until after halftime Sunday.

"We hope you all enjoyed the Superbowl Halftime show today!," read the post, under a picture of the massive lion, posed in front of the Michael Curry Designs warehouse. "We're so proud of our piece."

"I called it!," responded one commenter. "I remember going to your studio while you guys were working on the Russian puppets for the Olympics and then seeing them in performance, the stuff you guys do is amazing."

-Mike Francis

-- Stuart Tomlinson

stomlinson@oregonian.com

503-221-8313

