Lou Nasti was known as the Geppetto of Brooklyn for his glasses, his bushy gray mustache and, above all, his preternatural ability to grant sentience to toys. Using his robotics expertise, he animated legions of puppets and dolls for holiday displays around the world.

His animatronics have been famous in the Dyker Heights neighborhood of Brooklyn, where tourists flock to see lawns filled with extravagant Christmas decorations. Some families in the area spend thousands of dollars on their displays.