Puppet making
The making of puppets, movable models of people/animals usually moved by strings controlled from above or by a hand inside, and usually for use in puppet theatre.
Status | Currently viable |
Historic area of significance | |
Area currently practised | |
Origin in the UK |
History
Puppet making must be viewed in the context of puppet theatre, as the two are dependent on each other. Puppets are increasingly used in all types of entertainment, so it seems highly probable that the craft of puppet making is also growing.
Techniques
Local forms
Sub-crafts
Issues affecting the viability of the craft
There are very few people who actually train to make puppets. The poorer work tends to come from makers who are not puppeteers because they are less likely to take into account the issues of performance, such as the effects of weight and other implications that relate only to performance.
Support organisations
-
PuppeteersUK – the networking organisation for puppetry in the United Kingdom.
- The Punch and Judy Fellowship
- The Punch and Judy College of Professors
Craftspeople currently known
- Caroline Astell-Burt
- Chris Wylie
- John Roberts
- Lyndie Wright
- Stephen Mottram
- Toby Olie
There is a list of puppet makers on the Puppeteers UK website.
Other information
References