Over the past few days this question has been on my mind a lot; because 90% of people who find my site are drawn by the lists of free puppet patterns I have posted. The problem is there aren’t many in those lists, and I’m sure people are disappointed to find such a small number on the net.

Why are there so few free patterns available? There are a couple of reasons:

1. I haven’t gotten around to linking to them yet! I have a huge database of puppetry links, and it takes me a while to sort through and upload all of the relevant ones. Also, I try and upload a couple at a time in order to save legwork; but I don’t do it often. So if you’d like me to add or find a particular pattern, let me know.
2. Puppet makers are like magicians; some techniques are simply not for public consumption. After all, there’s no need for puppet makers if everyone knew how to do it. Puppet creation is a highly skilled craft after all, and I think much of the industry would rather build and sell puppets than to offer patterns.
3. Having said that, puppet makers are business people, and have recognised that the general public wants to be able to make their own puppets. Though from the above I make it sound like puppet makers are closed off and unwilling to share, it’s not true. All of the makers I’ve met have been extremely willing to share their techniques and ideas. But that isn’t to say they’re willing to do it for free: making a puppet, especially one that is highly professional in design and operation, is a time-consuming thing. Furthermore, making a pattern and set of instructions is even more time-consuming, because you have to find a way to explain it all easily to someone who might not have a lot of craft experience. To that end, offering a free puppet pattern is like giving away several weeks worth of work - and wages.
4. Following on from the above point, there are plenty of puppet makers who sell their patterns, and some offer a freebie as an enticement. You’re more likely to find patterns for sale than free ones, because as mentioned, puppet makers are business people and want to earn a living from their work. We’d much rather earn it from puppetry than by doing a ‘normal job’, so some people broaden their product range to include patterns.
5. Most people I would suggest are looking for puppet patterns to make with children, or in the classroom. This presents an even greater problem for the puppet maker, because any pattern and instructions must be child-safe. Difficult to do when pretty much all of the puppet types use some form of sharp object to cut materials with.
6. The last point is perhaps one of the biggest reasons. With the advent of the internet, people have been sharing more and more information. However, I don’t think the puppetry community has quite caught up. The theatrical industry in general doesn’t spend much time online - much of it being taken up by doing work offline - and while the younger generations of puppeteers are getting online, the older ones are behind the eight-ball when it comes to creating websites, keeping them up to date, or even selling their wares online. Very few Australian puppet makers have their own website for instance; my guess is their traditional forms of getting work is just fine for them. (I’m not saying the older generation are not net-savvy, just that they haven’t caught up with the technology available, and perhaps haven’t the time or money to get set up online).

So what to do about this lack of free puppet patterns? My suggestion - and I know I’m biased - is to have a look at some of the ones on sale. There are plenty of puppet makers that sell patterns online these days. I’m currently selling shadow and finger puppet patterns. … The truth of the matter is, it’s just too much work to let it all go for free. You should definitely read the article on dispelling some myths about free patterns, or the one on why so many characters are missing.

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