Puppet

[8] The art of puppetry called Bommalattam is mentioned in Tamil literature Silappadikaram, which is written around 2nd century B.C.

They might, for example, incorporate performing objects such as torn paper for snow, or a sign board with words as narrative devices within a production.

Developed in Japan over a thousand years ago and formalised and combined with shamisen music at the end of the 16th century, the puppeteers dress to remain neutral against a black background, although their presence as a kind of 'shadow' figure adds a mysterious power to the puppet.

The Little Girl Giant Puppet is an initiative by the MJF Charitable Foundation to promote Puppetry and to spread the message of female empowerment in Sri Lanka.

This giant puppet measured 14 ft and was built under the direction of Swedish artist Felix Widen Norgren (Director, Compania Pirata) in collaboration with Power of Play PVT LTD, Sri Lanka.

This form of puppet has limited application and is used mainly in pre-schools or kindergartens for storytelling with young children.

The puppets stand on a stage divided into an unlit background and a well-lit foreground, meeting to form a "curtain" of light.

[13] This form of puppetry is complex and sophisticated to operate, requiring greater manipulative control than a finger, glove or rod puppet.

The puppet play performed by the Von Trapp children with Maria in The Sound of Music is a marionette show.

Señor Wences was a Spanish ventriloquist who became popular through his appearances on the American program The Ed Sullivan Show.

Similarly, chinface puppetry involves puppet features drawn or attached onto an upside-down chin.

A push puppet consists of a segmented character on a base which is kept under tension until the button on the bottom is pressed.

The best known examples of rod puppets are Jim Henson's Muppets, most notably Muppet characters such as Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, Gonzo and others, many Sesame Street characters such as Elmo, Bert, Grover and Abby Cadabby, and the main cast of Fraggle Rock.

Shadow puppets can form solid silhouettes or be decorated with various amounts of cut-out details.

The hand is opened and closed to simulate the movement of the puppet's "mouth" and give the impression of speaking.

Supermarionation is a method of puppetry invented by Gerry Anderson, which he used in his television shows Stingray and Thunderbirds.

[citation needed] The toy theatre is a puppet cut out of paper and stuck onto card.

Water puppets bring wry humor to scenes of farming, fishing, festival events such as buffalo fights, and children's games of marbles and coin-toss.

Lion dogs romp like puppies while dragons exhale fire and smoke and shoot sprays of water at the audience.

Performances of up to 18 short scenes are usually introduced by a pig-tailed bumpkin known as Teu, and accompanied by a small folk orchestra.

[16] Painted wooden heads, hands made just by stuffing clothes or cotton into the sleeve of the dress, with painted appearances, angled eyebrows, mustache for men and nose ring for ladies, and huge expressive eyes all over, manikins are hung with dresses produced using sequined old textures.

Rajasthan puppetry performances are typically accompanied by lively folk songs and dances, creating a vibrant and engaging atmosphere.

The stories depicted in the puppet shows often revolve around historical events, mythological tales, social issues, and moral lessons.

The word puppet can mean a political leader installed, supported and controlled by powerful external forces without legitimacy in the country itself.

An example is Vidkun Quisling, a Norwegian fascist leader during the Second World War who collaborated with Nazi Germany and led a puppet government.

In a more general sense, a puppet is any person who is controlled by another by reasons of (for instance) undue influence, intellectual deficiency, or lack of character or charisma.

Science fiction writer Robert A. Heinlein's novel The Puppet Masters depicts alien parasites who attach themselves to human beings and control their actions.

It alludes to folk-magic and witchcraft, where a poppet is a special doll created to represent a person for the purpose of casting healing, fertility, or binding spells.

Sock puppet is used on social media as a term to describe fake accounts used to spread political disinformation.