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How to Design Hand Puppets

by Scriptone on July 20, 2008

Table of Contents

How to Design Hand Puppets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Intro: How to Design Hand Puppets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Step 1: Choose head shape . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Step 2: Lining the Head & Chin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Step 3: Insert linings and mouth supports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Step 4: Insert thumb pocket . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Step 5: Decide on your mouth hinge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Step 6: Add neck . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Step 7: Add accessories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Related Instructables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Comments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

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Intro: How to Design Hand Puppets
Make do with household items, to design a unique puppet!

If you enjoy construction, gluing and sewing and take time and care with details, you can finish several puppets over a 2 weeks.

Check out ways you can use puppetry for educational purposes:

http://www.nostrings.org.uk/
http://www.youtube.com/user/nostringspuppets

Step 1: Choose head shape

I cut out small paper circles "thumbnail sculptures" then experimented with designing head shapes.

The more v-shaped slits you cut, you will come up with an egg head shape.

The fabric I used for the puppets here is EVA. Its a strong, soft, lightweight foam, similar to foam used in camping mats.
(I got a 4 metre piece for $6.)

It is sewn with polyester thread.

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Step 2: Lining the Head & Chin
Cover the top half of head with fleece. Line inside with lightweight fabric and outside with fleece, or terry toweling, or even an old quilt. Fleece is great because it doesn't
fray. I used invisible thread to sew the fleece to the EVA foam.

Make the chin in the same way as head top.

The chin shape will be half the size of the top half of the head.

Image Notes
1. V cut to fit hand more comfortably

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http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-Design-Hand-Puppets/
Step 3: Insert linings and mouth supports
You will need 2 linings to sandwhich ths cardboard mouth. (I use EVA as it is softer and lighter).

Image Notes
1. Trace around chin and head top shapes

Image Notes
1. Trace out orange mouth lining

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 Image Notes
1. Trace EVA smaller to insert between orange fabric and striped lining

Step 4: Insert thumb pocket

The red felt is to fit your thumb in for moving the chin.

Invisible thread is your best friend here.

Image Notes
1. Thumb space - Sewn with invisible thread to chin area.

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Step 5: Decide on your mouth hinge
Do you want a tight mouth hinge or a loose one?

The loose one is less tiring to control. Leave 2cm between top of head and chin for a loose hinge.

A tight hinge is sewn at the corner of head and chin corners.

Image Notes
1. Loose hinge

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 Image Notes
1. Tight hinge

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Step 6: Add neck
Fold over a piece of fleece that roughly fits larger than neck space.

Fold in half. Begin sewing with invisible thread from the back.

Sew to head top and chin until you have a "sleeve" for your hand to fit through. Use a shorter section of fleece then join a longer sleeve with another fabric to save fleece.

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 Image Notes
1. Loose hinge

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Step 7: Add accessories
For the eyes I used cut spoons and to add a bit of shine to the pupils, cut black plastic bags.

On other puppets I used ping pong balls sliced in half. I then spilled a little foam / pva glue inside and left to dry overnight. The nose is a bit of felt sewn over sponge ball.

Eyelashes are black frilly wool. Eyelids for the magenta quilt puppet head are made of orange felt cut in a crescent then glued to the back of ping pong ball.

The hair is a short bit of knitted wool. You can improvise with anything at hand.

You create different characters by rearranging the angle and placement and size of the accessories. The pupils are usually placed a bit cross-eyed (near the nose), to
give an appearance of looking directly at the audience at every angle.

Image Notes Image Notes

1. Sponge sewn nose with blue felt 1. This fabric is a quilt cover
2. Hair cut off old doll 2. Orange eyelashes made from frilly multicolored wool
3. White wool knitted in triangular and rectangular pieces

Image Notes
1. This puppet appears slightly cranky because the brows are quite closely
knitted

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 Image Notes
1. Glue purple / black felt first for throat shape. The glue on pink heart for tongue
shape

Related Instructables

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seem alive! by puppet head Puppet for $25 caitlinsdad by little_noob ryanninjasheep
robert the robot (video) by by indymogul
rosemarybeetle

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Comments
5 comments Add Comment

stripedstarfish says: Nov 25, 2009. 8:03 PM REPLY

wow! this ible is exactly what i need. i've spent time looking everywhere for this info - Thanks!!

Scriptone says: Dec 9, 2009. 9:54 PM REPLY

You're welcome, it takes a bit of hand sewing though, but if you don't mind it its quite simple to do. (There's lots of make puppets tutes on YTube too to
do with performance which are pretty good.)

ravleen says: Jul 30, 2008. 7:34 AM REPLY

Those things are ccuuuuuuuuute!!!!!!!!!

plane phanatic says: Jul 20, 2008. 9:21 AM REPLY

Awesome Job! The finished product looks amazing! 5/5 stars

Scriptone says: Jul 20, 2008. 3:30 PM REPLY

Thanks so much! I'll add more details when I have time.

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