How to Make a Muppet-Style Puppet for Kids

Use felt or fleece fabric to create Muppet-like skin.

Kids may find a traditional Muppet-style puppet difficult to play with because it is manipulated with two hands and might be too heavy for their small hands and arms. Muppet-style puppets for kids look similar to Muppets but are easier to manipulate with small hands. They feature a design similar to sock puppets and are manipulated with one hand. They are also lighter, making them suitable for young children.

Things You'll Need

• Paper
• Pencil or marker
• Scissors
• Masking tape
• 1 yard urethane foam, 1/4-inch to 1/2-inch thick
• 1 yard felt fabric, any color
• 1/4 yard red felt fabric
• Dressmaker's pins
• Needle
• Thread
• Sewing machine
• Polyester fiberfill (optional)
• Saw
• Styrofoam ball
• Black marker
• Hot glue gun
• 1/4 yard pink felt fabric

Instructions

Create the Pattern

1. Ask a child to place her hand and forearm on a piece of paper with her fingers and thumb forming the shape of a puppet's open mouth. It should look like a "U" tilted on its side. Trace around the child's hand and upper half of her forearm, leaving 2 inches to 3 inches of extra space around her hand and forearm.

2. Put a piece of paper under your drawing. Cut around the traced lines with scissors. These pieces form the puppet's head and neck.

3. Fold a piece of paper in half. Put one of the head pieces on top of the folded paper, with the edges of the open mouth aligned with the fold. Trace around the mouth opening.

4. Label the top half of the traced mouth opening "top piece" and the bottom half "bottom piece."

5. Cut around the tracing, leaving an extra 1/2-inch of space all around. Unfold the paper.

6. Fold the mouth piece in half horizontally. Cut along the fold. These are the top and bottom pieces that cover the puppet's mouth.

7. Align the bottom edge of the top mouth piece with the tope edge of the bottom one. Tape them along the aligned edges with masking tape.

8. Align the open mouth on one of the head pieces with the left edges of the taped mouth pieces. Tape the pieces together along the edges where they meet. Repeat this process with the remaining head piece by taping it to the right side of the mouth piece.

9. Fold the mouth piece in half vertically and align the head pieces. Tape the head pieces together where they meet. Do not tape the bottoms of the head pieces together.

10. Ask a child to put her hand in the puppet. Push the mouth pieces inward once the child's hand is inside. If the child is comfortable moving her hand inside the puppet, use the pattern. If the puppet is too tight or loose, cut larger or smaller pieces accordingly.

11. Draw the puppet's arm and hand on paper. A rectangle works well for the arm.

12. Cut the arm and hand out of the paper as a single piece.

Sew the Puppet

1. Remove the tape from the paper puppet to separate each piece. This is the puppet's pattern.

2. Place each pattern piece, except for the arm, over the urethane foam. Trace around each piece. Cut out the pieces.

3. Place each pattern piece, except for the arm and mouth, over the felt fabric you're using for the puppet's skin. Trace around each piece. Cut out the pieces.

4. Place the arm pattern piece on top of the fabric you're using for the skin. Trace around it four times to create four arm pieces. Cut out the pieces.

5. Place the mouth pieces over red felt fabric. Trace around the pieces. Cut out the pieces.

6. Put a head piece cut from the puppet's skin on top of the other head piece cut from the skin, with the fabric's right sides together. Put these pieces on top of a foam head piece. Put the remaining foam head piece on top of these pieces.

7. Align the edges of the head pieces. Pin them together along their edges with dressmaker's pins. Don't pin the mouth opening.

8. Sew the four head pieces together with a needle and thread. Do not sew the mouth opening or the bottoms of the pieces. Remove the pins.

9. Put the top mouth piece cut from the red fabric on top of the top mouth piece cut from the foam with their edges aligned. The red fabric's right side should face you. Sew them together.

10. Put the bottom mouth piece cut from the red fabric on top of the bottom mouth piece cut from the foam with their edges aligned. The red fabric's right side should face you. Sew them together.

11. Put the top mouth piece on top of the bottom mouth piece with their straight edges aligned and the foam facing you. Sew along the aligned straight edges using whip stitches.

12. Pin the mouth piece to the puppet's mouth opening with the foam facing you. Alternatively, use basting stitches. Sew the mouth piece to the mouth opening.

13. Turn the puppet inside out.

14. Pin two of the fabric arm pieces together with the hands aligned. Sew them together with a sewing machine. Leave the top of the arm open if you want to stuff the arm.

15. Pin the remaining fabric arm pieces together with the hands aligned. Sew them together with a sewing machine. Leave the top of the arm open if you want to stuff the arm.

16. Turn the arms inside out. Fill the arms with polyester fiberfill if you're stuffing the arms.

17. Pin the top of one arm to the right side of the puppet and the other arm to the left side. Sew the arms to the puppet along the tops of the arms using whip stitches.

Decorate the Puppet

1. Saw a styrofoam ball in half. Draw a round pupil on each half with a black marker.

2. Glue each eye to the puppet's head with a hot glue gun. For a Kermit-style puppet, glue each eye close to the top of the head with each one slightly off-center.

3. Draw a tongue on pink felt fabric. A U-shape works well. Cut out the tongue.

4. Glue the tongue to the bottom of the mouth with its top edge aligned with the center of the seams inside the mouth.

Tips & Warnings

• If you're having trouble creating the pattern, purchase a pattern from a fabric or puppet store.

• If you don't have a sewing machine, stitch the arms by hand.

• Use a patterned fabric for the puppet's skin.

• If you want to create hair, glue yarn or a mop head to the puppet.

• Dress the puppet in children's clothes.

• Hem the bottom of the puppet by hand if you aren't adding clothing.

• Overstuffing the puppet's arms will result in stiff, unmovable arms.

References

• School of Puppetry; What Are Muppet-Type Puppets?; September 2007

Resources

• Indy Mogul; How to Make a Muppet-Style Puppet; Erik Beck; May 2007
• Puppet Kaos; How to Make a Moving Mouth Puppet; Kelvin Kao; October 2007
• The Muppets' Ultimate Picture Gallery; Images of Muppet Characters; Michael Baldasare; September 2011