How to Construct a Marionette

With the right tools, you can make a marionette like this at home.

Marionettes are puppets attached to strings that a person uses to give the illusion of an animated toy. They can be an entertaining option for children who want to put on performances and plays using puppets for their friends and families. Although marionettes are often expensive to buy, crafting them yourself is not a difficult task and is much more cost-efficient.

Things You'll Need

• Soft toy or paper cutout
• Thick string
• Scissors
• 4 sticks or rods

Instructions

1. Construct the controls for your marionette. Place two sticks parallel to one another and tie them tightly together at each end. Take the third stick and tie it tightly to one end of the two main sticks and perpendicular to them so that they form a T. Repeat on the other end with the fourth stick.

2. Carefully remove the head of your toy or paper puppet with sharp scissors. Repeat this with both legs and both arms.

3. Connect the appendages back together with thick string. If you're using a toy, sew each piece together to the thick thread and connect each piece back to the body of the toy. Leave an inch or two of thread between each connection. For instance, the head of the toy should connect to the body by an inch or two of thick string. If you're using paper, simply tape the string to the back sides of the pieces while leaving an inch or two excess.

4. Attach thick string to the top of the head, the arms and the ends of the legs. Finish by connecting these strings back to the stick controls. The string connected to the head should be tied to where the two main sticks join with one of the adjacent sticks, so it is not directly in the center of the controls. Connect the leg strings back to each end of the front stick that is adjacent to the two main sticks, and connect the two arm strings back to each end of the other stick.

Tips & Warnings

• Use a toy with long legs and arms, so you can move them readily.

• Your marionette can also be constructed from paper. To do this, simply draw a character on thick construction paper and cut it out.

References

• PBS Kids: Marionettes