How to Operate a Puppet

To operate a puppet correctly and as believably as possible takes practice in front of a mirror to get the animation right. What you see in the mirror is what your audience will see when you do your performance.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

1. Place your hand into the puppet. Stick your fingers through the loops on the top and bottom of the mouth, which holds your hand into place and makes it easier to maneuver the mouth.

2. Play with the puppet in front of the mirror, opening the mouth to synchronize it with every syllable in each word that you say. In other words, if you say the word "ca-ter-pil-lar" you will open the mouth at the start of each of the four syllables in the word and close it at the end of each syllable so you will open and close the mouth four times.

3. Hold the head of the puppet straight, not looking too far up or too far down. Give it a little animation during the production. In other words, tilt the head when listening or confused, nod when agreeing or look down slightly when shy or guilty.

4. Find a comfortable position behind the stage so that you can hold the puppet so that it is the right height–so it is not too high so your arm shows and not too low so the head rests on the curtain and that you can keep the right position comfortably throughout the performance.

5. Operate the arms depending upon the type of puppet you are using. Some puppets have a glove arm for your other hand, one rod for one hand or double rods for both hands. Move the arms in animation with the puppets words and according to its mood.

Tips & Warnings

• Keep the mouth of the puppet closed when the puppet is not talking. If you leave the mouth hanging open, it looks unnatural.
• Make sure to synchronize every word with the movement of the puppet's mouth. Unsynchronized mouth movement can be distracting to the audience.
• For small puppets with no operable mouth, place the puppet on your hand placing one thumb in one arm and your pinky finger in the other. Stick the other three fingers of your hand inside the head of the puppet.