Our Story

Walter Klassen FX was founded in 1988 by Walter Klassen in Toronto, Canada.

Walter, “the Materializer/Colourblind Hippie”, was born in Curitiba, Brazil in 1947 to a family of German Mennonites. When he was 7 years old, his family immigrated to Canada. He went on to study Mechanical Engineering Technology at Toronto Metropolitan University, and moved to Europe after graduating. There, he studied leather working, sculpting, moulding, and mask-making under the masters while living in a hippie commune.

Returning to Toronto after the birth of his daughter, he opened Asylum, a leather goods store, but was later drawn towards media work which allowed him to put his engineering skills and creativity to use.

Thus, Walter sold his store and founded Walter Klassen FX.

Starting out in a small studio space on the east side of Toronto, Walter Klassen FX specialized in creating animatronics, such as groovy skeletons and life-like deer. As the company grew, Walter Klassen FX branched out into all areas of prop-making, gaining talented team members with many new skills, from textile work to 3D modeling and printing.

Beyond prop work, Walter became well known in the Steadicam community, who reached out to him for a solution to mitigate the back pain many of them were experiencing. Working with local camera operators, Walter developed the back-mounting Steadicam vest and other accessories.

With each new department added, Walter expanded the company into more rooms and even floors of the studio’s building, making it all the way to the roof (where he built a treehouse)!

This magical studio was where amazing props and costumes for iconic movies and films such The Handmaid’s Tale, The Shape of Water, Suicide Squad, Scott Pilgrim vs the World, and The Umbrella Academy were made.

After 30 years in the original studio, Walter Klassen FX was in need of a change.

In spring of 2023, Walter Klassen FX moved into a new studio that was custom built for their needs on the west side of Toronto.

For his own part, Walter spent his final years with family and friends, and taking care of his plants. Walter passed away peacefully in late spring 2025.

Walter Klassen FX strives to honour the legacy of its founder and namesake in everything we do, from building cool things for international organizations to maintaining the fun and creative workplace Walter fostered for 40 years with the company.

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