The Puppet

Mouth Puppet

(Alternate name: Moving Mouth Puppet)

A type of hand puppet in which the mouth is articulated. It is usually made of flexible materials, allowing the thumb to be inserted into the lower jaw while the remaining fingers control the upper jaw. The puppet's jaws can thus be opened and closed, simulating speech.

Definition inspired by the Kenneth B. McKay book, Puppetry in Canada: An Art to Enchant, published by the Ontario Puppetry Association. Copyright 1980

Mouth and Rod Puppet

Mouth puppet in which the arms are controlled with rods. Manipulation can either be undertaken by a single puppeteer who controls the mouth with one hand and the two rods with the other, or by two puppeteers, allowing a greater range of arm movement.

Mouth and Human-Arm Puppet

The term "human arm" is used when one of the hands of the puppeteer become a hand - and thus an integral part - of the puppet. The puppeteer controls the head - or the mouth, in the case of a mouth puppet - with one of his or her hands, while the other hand becomes the hand of the puppet itself. Sometimes, two puppeteers share animation of the puppet, thus giving the puppet two "human" hands. When the puppet is a marotte, the French term marotte à main prenante is preferred.