Puppet Traditions

Puppetry is an ancient theatrical art form and there does not appear to be one specific origin for this art form. Almost every culture in the world has some form of puppetry that is native to their culture. Some of these include Burmese marionettes, Thailand's shadow puppets, and vietnamese water puppets. In the United States, puppet shows are usually thought of as children's shows, probably because the puppets used the most in the United States are like the simple paper bag puppets pictured below. Many times these simple puppets are used to appeal to the children's imaginations to teach them ideas or concepts that may be hard for them to understand or accept from adults.



1. Simple Paper Bag Hand Puppets

The act of giving life to an inanimate object provides the artist with an anonymity and separation from the audience that can not be acheived in other types of theater. This is the reason puppetry can also be used to address adult audiences. Our textbook says, "Puppets pass on myths and legends, illustrate moral teachings and philosophical questions, and present stories of emotional complexity. They are used in political activism and rituals of magic and healing." (Felner 140). The anonymity can help protect the artist from retribution, particularly in the instance of political activism.

Puppets can vary significantly in size and complexity. They can be small and simple like the paper bag hand puppets shown above. However, they can be huge and extremely complex like the giant marionette puppet use in a street play in Germany, shown in the picture below.

2. Giant Puppets in a street play in Germany.

One of the biggest influences on the modern veiw of puppetry in the United States and the world over would have to be Jim Henson and his muppets. Jim Henson used puppets combined with human actors in a couple of different television shows and these shows made his muppets extremely popular. "Seseme Street" was a children's educational show that used the muppets and human actors to teach young children. The best use of puppets, in my opinion, was in his television show that combined his muppets and human actors in a variety show for the simple purpose of entertainment. This was "The Muppet Show" and a couple of video clips from this show are below.

Pacon Creative Products. Rainbow Paper Bag Puppets. Pacon Corporation. 2004. Web.

2 April, 2011. http://www.pacon.com/projects/PaperBagPuppets.htm

Emily. Not Your Average Puppet Show. Rober Media, LLC. 11 November, 2009. Web.

2 April, 2011. http://theberry.com/2009/11/11/not-your-average-puppet-show/

The Muppets Studio, LLC. The Muppets: Bohemian Rhapsody. The Muppets Studio, LLC.

23 November, 2009. Web. 2 April, 2011. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tgbNymZ7vqY

The Muppets Studio, LLC. Muppet Show Moreno and Animal. The Muppets Studio, LLC.

2006. Web. 2 April, 2011.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0yvHWyvexZA&feature=related

Felner, Mira, Claudia Orenstein. The World of Theater, Tradition and Innovation. Boston: Pearson Education, Inc. 2006. Print.