AKA What’s a puppet?

At some point I’m going to add a proper definition of what a puppet is. In the meantime, I had a thought a few days ago about the difference between a puppet and a toy.

As discussed in this blog entry, a toy does not equate a puppet. Yes, you can turn toys into puppets (as with my marionette tutorial or recycling materials tutorial), but a toy by itself, with no modifications does not equal a puppet. 

What is a puppet then? A puppet is an object, manipulated and brought to life. A toy therefore, must be made to ‘come to life’, with anthropomorphic movements, with the appearance of the object having a thought process (ie. we see it ‘thinking’ and making choices, etc), emotions and so on. Just by moving a toy around, it does not suddenly turn into a puppet; likewise, just moving a puppet about doesn’t make it one either. The difference here is ‘believability’.

With my puppetry class, I told the participants that a puppet, which was just sitting on the table, is merely an object. But when I picked it up - which I actually did - and began moving it, the puppet ‘came to life’. It is the believability, emotions, thought processes, and connection with the audience which makes the object a puppet.

And this is where we get to my thought from the other day. I was watching a TV show about a woman who was hit by a car in an accident. A friend of the woman, who saw it happen, remarked that the woman lay on the ground, "as limp as a rag doll". Here, in this simple phrase, is a literal image of what I mean. A doll or toy is not, by nature, considered to have a ‘life’. It is without presence, just as your kettle in your kitchen does not have its own ‘life essence’ (unless, I suppose you’re a hippy). You wouldn’t, for instance, say that the woman lay on the ground, like a puppet. That gives the woman a completely different context, doesn’t it?

A puppet is not a toy, and a toy is not a puppet. A puppet must have some sort of emotional connection with the audience, and a believability to its movements that makes the object appear alive.

Want more? Help build a puppet!