How To Make & Manipulate Marionettes

Marionettes can range from simple to complicated, depending on your level of skill with building and manipulating these stringed puppets. To make and manipulate a marionette at home, you can use common household items or craft supplies and a few easy tips and tricks.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Two wooden strips or rulers
• Hammer and nails
• Drill
• String or twine
• Puppet-making supplies (craft items or household goods)
• Cardboard box

Marionette 101

1. Make the handles by nailing together two wooden rulers (or pieces of wood approximately the size and weight of a ruler) in a cross shape. Drill small holes in each end, for a total of four holes.
   Your handles will now resemble a plus sign; label the ends of the plus sign A, B, C and D, starting at the top and working in a clockwise direction.

2. Make the puppet out of household items like empty cans and plastic cups. Tie them together with string, paint a body and head, then use small plastic lids for hands and feet. Alternatively, you can buy craft supplies, make the head and body out of Styrofoam and paint it. Use yarn for the hair and felt to cut out clothing, hands and feet.
   Tie all of the body parts together with string.

3. To attach the puppet to the handle, tie strings through the holes in the ends of the handles and attach those strings to the head, arms and body of your marionette. Knot a string through hole "A" and attach this to your puppet's head, either through a hole in the head or via a very strong glue. Use the same mechanism to tie "B" to the puppet's right hand, "C" to the back of his torso (rear end) and "D" to his left hand. Knot securely.

4. Make your puppet dance. Practice moving the handles by tilting them from side to side and front to back, holding them at the intersection point with one hand ("A" should point toward your audience, "C" should point back to you). This will move the various parts of your marionette. Position your puppet in front of a mirror so you can see how he looks when he dances.
   For example, tilting your handles back will raise his head. When you lift the back of your handles his rear end will rise. If you lift up on either side, it will move the arms up and down.

5. Put on a puppet show. Cut a hole out of a cardboard box and position your marionette inside the box so that his body shows through the hole. Stand behind the box and hold up the handles, making him dance.

Tips & Warnings

• Think outside the box. You can use almost anything to make a marionette.
• If small children are making the marionette, have an adult do all the hammering and drilling.

References

• Essortment
• Puppets in Melbourne