eChapter Name: Preparation of Various Types of Puppets and Presentation of Puppetry, Preparation and Presentation of Slides and Flannel Graphs
9789358877670
eBook Name: HANDBOOK OF AUDIO - VISUAL COMMUNICATION TOOLS AND RECORDINGS
by P Jaisridhar, M. Senthil Kumar, S. Abirami, B. M. Pooja
A puppet is an object resembling a human, animal, or mythical figure, animated or manipulated by a puppeteer. Puppetry, an ancient form of theatre dating back to the 5th century BC in Ancient Greece, encompasses a wide array of puppet types, crafted from diverse materials to suit various forms and purposes.
Puppets vary greatly in complexity, from simple constructions to intricate designs. The puppeteer controls movements using hands, arms, or devices like rods or strings, manipulating the puppet’s body, head, limbs, and sometimes its mouth and eyes. Often, the puppeteer provides the character’s voice, synchronizing speech with puppet movements, which together convey narratives and stories.
Among the simpler puppet types are finger puppets, miniature figures fitting onto a single finger, and sock puppets, created and animated by inserting a hand into a sock, manipulating the hand to simulate the puppet’s mouth movements. Hand puppets, including live-hand puppets operated by one hand inside the puppet, and larger versions like live-hand puppets requiring two puppeteers, also feature prominently.