Evolution has predisposed developing organisms to rely heavily on the repeated application of select biomechanical motifs to achieve robust growth. Within vertebrates, one prevalent architecture is the dermal condensate: these dense bundles of mesenchymal cells that as organizing centers for developing organs such as teeth, hair follicles, glands, and limbs. Though long recognized as significant, the study of these proto-organs has historically focused on biochemical regulation. This talk, however, will emphasize the mechanical role of these structures, illustrating how they can be viewed as self-organized actuators that drive tissue deformation. This discussion will be split into two parts: first, we will highlight some recently published results based on early feather morphogenesis, demonstrating how dermal condensates coordinate tissue-scale flows by localizing active contractile stresses. Second, we will use a model of the mammalian gliding membrane to examine the formation of condensates more closely, with an eye on clarifying the role of cell-matrix interactions and better understanding where condensate mechanics fits among competing hypotheses of limb growth.