Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About Puppets

A puppet is a small-scale figure of a human or otheris a kind of puppet that is operated on a stage lit
living being often constructed with jointed limbs,only with black lighting with both hides the puppeteer
appropriately painted and costumed, and movedand accentuates the colors of the puppet.
usually on a small stage by a rod or by hand fromOther kinds are the Bunraku which originated from
below or by strings or wires from above. It is usuallyJapan; the Ventriloquist dummy; the Rod puppet
controlled by an external force and its movement iswhich is similar to a marionette; but is operated by a
not inherent but is caused. Puppets are used torod rather than strings; the Marotte which is a
entertain in lieu of real people.simplified rod puppet that is just a head and/or body
The use of puppets has a long history. Greeks wereon a stick; a Shadow puppet which is a 2-dimensional
the first ones to use puppets for entertainment.rod puppet that operated behind a screen and a light
Since Greeks were fond of theatrical presentations,source projected from the rear creates a shadow of
and producing such large shows was ratherthe puppet on the screen that can be seen by the
expensive, puppets were employed to take theaudience; the Water Puppetry which is native to
place of real actors. Puppets were made to resembleVietnam; the Wayang which is an Indonesian puppet;
real characters and their movements are caused bythe Human-Arm Puppet or a Two-Man Puppet which
manipulating the sticks, wires or strings usuallyis similar to a hand puppet but is larger and requires
attached to their head, hands, limbs and feet.two puppeteers; the BuDaiXi which is a Chinese
Kinds of Puppetspuppet show; the Digital Puppet which is a digitally
The first kind of puppet is the Marionette puppetanimated figure; and the Finger Puppet which is small
which is usually suspended and controlled by akind that only fits onto a single finger.
number of strings. Another kind is the hand puppet,Modern puppets are improved by digital innovations
which is controlled by one hand that occupies theand by the mastery of puppeteers. The art of
interior of the puppet. A Ticklebug is a four-leggedpuppetry has been developed and today, puppetry is
puppet, similar to a hand puppet but created byused to create affordable entertainment for all.
drawing features on the hand itself. Black light puppet