Puppet Glossary: Terms and Definitions

The following is a puppet glossary of popular terms and definitions associated with the art of puppetry:

Black Light Puppet: puppets that are moved on stage with a background that is lit with an ultraviolet light. The effect gives the puppets a three-dimensional quality.
Bunraku Puppet: a Japanese style of puppetry where wood puppets are set against a background that is torch lit. The puppeteers are dressed in black, so as not to be seen; however, their shadows can be seen, enhancing the overall effect of the show. These puppets are generally half the size of a human and manipulated by several puppeteers.
Big Bird: one of the most well known Muppets from Jim Henson's Sesame Street. Big Bird is actually a full body puppet, entirely controlled by one person in a suit.
Carnival Puppet: typically associated with parades, such as the May Day parade and Mardi Gras, these puppets are giant creations that can be seen from a distance. They are moved by puppeteers who control one or more limbs, and can be made to float or rest on large platforms.
The Dark Crystal: a fantasy film written and directed by Jim Henson that was notable for its blend of animatronics and puppetry. The film was also popular because of its appeal to children and adults. Another popular film to come out of Henson's company was 1986's Labyrinth, starring David Bowie and Jennifer Connelly.
Eye Contact: the method of having a puppet look directly into the audience, much like a human would. This effect gives the impression that the puppet is aware of the audience. In turn, the audience pays more attention to the puppet.
Guignol: one of the most popular hand puppets to come from France. Guignol was designed by Laurent Mourguet in the early 19th century to mimic a peasant silk worker who almost found himself getting into trouble, but always managed to talk his way out.
Finger Puppet: a basic form of puppetry where faces are drawn or small costumes are applied to the fingers. This type of puppetry is very popular among younger children.
Hand Puppet: the most common form of puppetry, hand puppets are manipulated by the hand and arm. Generally the mouth is controlled by the opening and closing of the palm. Puppeteers are generally below a stage so as not to be seen. Notable hand puppets include Fozzie the Bear, Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy.
Hmong Dolls: designed in the mountainous regions of China, Vietnam, and Laos, these dolls are known for their exquisite craftsmanship and vibrant colors.
Howdy Doody: one of the first puppets to gain widespread popularity through television. Originally airing on NBC in the 1950s, Howdy Doody was a Western-themed marionette who mostly appealed to children.
Human Arm Puppet: a puppet manipulated by two puppeteers; generally, one puppeteer will control the head and mouth while another will perform arm and hand functions.
Kambali: an Indian stage for puppets made from split bamboo stems and woolen blankets.
Kermit the Frog: one of Jim Henson's most famous puppets. Kermit was first introduced in 1955 and was designed by sewing two ping-pong balls on a woman's green coat. Kermit became world-renowned from starring in Henson's Muppet films and on Sesame Street.
Lamb Chop: a famous sock puppet sheep that became popular in the late 1950s. Lamb Chop was intended to mimic a rambunctious 6-year-old girl and was voiced by Shari Lewis. Lamb Chop's show, Lamb Chop's Play-Along, won 5 consecutive Emmy awards.
Light Curtain Puppet: a form of puppetry where light is focused upon one section of the stage. This is done to emphasize the puppet and hide the puppeteer.
Lip Synchronization: the process of moving a puppet's mouth in agreement with the voice that it is intended to have. The practice stresses not moving a puppet's mouth randomly, and opening it wide for exaggerated or loud words.
Little Old Man: a traditional Mexican dance performed in the region of Patzcuaro. The Little Old Man refers to the Spanish rulers that governed the area. Puppets were made to represent them in a mocking way, where they would perform the dance with the puppets.
Marionette: often referred to as string puppets, marionettes are controlled by a system of strings attached to the limbs of a puppet. These strings are then manipulated by a puppeteer who stands above the puppet. This form of puppetry is believed to have begun in ancient Egypt. Marionettes are still seen today in popular films such as Being John Malkovich and Team America: World Police.
Mouth Action: the process a puppeteer uses to control the mouth features of a puppet. This process takes years to successfully master.
Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood: a long running PBS children's show hosted by Fred Rogers. The show was notable for its simplicity and use of puppets to enact scenes that demonstrated lessons for children.
Muffin the Mule: an early British television horse puppet that first aired in 1947. Muffin was a marionette that often danced while singing along to a piano, played by Annette Mills.
Muppets: specific puppets created by Jim Henson and made popular by movies like The Muppet Movie and the television show Sesame Street. Notable Muppets include Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, and Oscar the Grouch. Most of Henson's puppets are either rod or hand puppets.
Petrushka: sometimes known as the Russian equivalent to the English Punch, Petrushka had a raspy voice and performed in humorous scenes that were mostly slapstick.
Pinocchio: this fictional puppet was carved from pine wood and first appeared in 1883 in The Adventures of Pinocchio by Carol Collodi. In the story, Pinocchio was carved by a childless toymaker, Geppetto, and eventually transformed into a living human. The story of Pinocchio has since taken on many adaptations and been made into a Disney movie.
Posture: the overall position the puppet is placed in on stage. Proper posture allows the puppet to look more natural. This is done by keeping the puppet's head eye level with the audience and not allowing the body to lean to far from one side or another.
Professor: the term given to Victorian-era master puppeteers. The title is still used widely in Great Britain and America.
Punch and Judy: two popular British puppets that date back to the early 16th century. Punch and Judy, as well several other puppets, would act out short scenes with one puppeteer controlling each puppet.
Pupi Siciliani: a Sicilian form of marionettes invented in the early 1800s. The puppets are generally made to look like large armored medieval knights, which often reenact scenes of chivalry from classical European tales.
Puppet: a representational object generally manipulated by a puppeteer. In most cases, a puppet is made to look like a human, but a puppet can take on the form of anything, even an inanimate object.
Puppeteer: one who manipulates a puppet, performing acts that are generally involved in the depiction of theatrical movement. There may be one or many puppeteers controlling the movement of several puppets on a stage.
The Puppet Show: also known as mu'ouxi, this ancient Chinese form of puppetry was originally performed by manipulating large wooden dolls. It has since become a traditional Chinese art form that uses varying kinds of puppets.
Push Puppet: a novelty toy type puppet that is situated on a fixed platform and held taut by some mechanism. When a button is pushed the puppet moves erratically and then stops.
Rod Puppet: puppets that are mainly controlled with wire or wood rods attached to the arms or head. Puppeteers may control some portion of the puppets with their own body.
Scottish Falsetto Sock Puppet Theater: A popular sock puppet group that lampoons modern songs and current events.
Shadow Puppets: most likely the oldest form of puppetry, shadow puppets are made by blocking light on a surface to form silhouettes of the puppeteers representation. Shadow puppets can be made using a variety of constructed puppets and even different hand formations.
Sid and Marty Croft: two brothers who created the landmark television show H.R. Pufnstuf. The show featured an enigmatic group of large puppets who interacted with a real boy who was trapped in their fantasy world. Some have said the puppets on H.R. Pufnstuf had been inspired by drug use; however, the Crofts have denied this.
Sock Puppets: easily designed puppets made from sewing different materials to a sock and using the hand to mimic facial gestures.
Stop Motion Puppetry: a film technique where no live puppet manipulation takes place. Instead, puppets are put into a position and then captured by a camera. This process is done again and again, creating a seamless flow of images.
Supermarionation: developed in the 1960s by Gerry Anderson for his television show Thunderbirds. This technique allows a puppet's mouth to be controlled electronically, enabling lip-syncing with an actor. The marionette's movements are still controlled by a human.
Swazzle: a small metal device that is placed in the back of the mouth of a puppeteer to produce a raspy sound. Typically, this device is used to create the sound of Punch from the Punch and Judy show. Because the device is so small, many performers attach a string to it, so they can pull it out, if it slides down their throat.
Thai Hand Puppets: a strong cultural tradition from Thailand that uses highly stylized techniques to act out a ballet-like performance. Traditionally, a puppet is controlled by three puppeteers who train together for years.
Turkish Shadow Theater: this form of puppetry stems back to the 16th century where two-dimensional figures are placed against a background so that only their shadows are seen. Karagoz and Beberuhi were two common characters used in these performances.
Ventriloquist Dummy: a popular form of puppetry where the emphasis is placed on the performer's skill at pronouncing words with as little mouth movement as possible. This gives the impression that the dummy is doing the talking. Typically, the ventriloquist holds the dummy in their lap and controls the mouth with a hand.
Voice Throwing: the practice of ventriloquists that enables them to project their voice away from their mouth. This enables them to make it seem as if the puppet were talking. Usually, the practice is combined with as little mouth movement as possible.
Water Puppet: originating from Vietnam, this form of puppetry takes place on a shallow body of water with wood or inflated puppets floating on the surface of the water. The puppeteer only exposes their head and controls the puppets with a rod system.
Wayang Kulit: an Indonesian form of shadow puppetry commonly performed with the use of leather puppets. This form of theater is directly linked with cultural and historical traditions of the peoples in the Indonesian region. The puppets are created from buffalo hide and attached to wire rods. Wayang Kulit puppets are notable because of the intricacy with which they are carved.