All of Marcus' props are made by band parents and much of the props they use have been recycled from years past. Anyone remember the giant flowers from 2004? They were made from PVC pipes, fun foam, electrical tape, and spray paint. The petals from those flowers became bird beaks in 2005. And much of the rolling props have been used for years as well. The "$12,000" rumor is ridiculous...it does take money to make the props (paint, nails, wheels, etc), but I can't imagine it costing so much to put them together.