Puppetry: An Ancient Form of Storytelling

/in , /by

Puppetry is an ancient form of storytelling where a person, called a puppeteer, manipulates a figure resembling a human, animal, creature, or inanimate object. In Water for Elephants, playing Denver’s Buell Theatre Feb 11-22, 2026, puppets and puppeteers are used to enhance the storytelling. Take, for example, Silver Star, the prized horse and equestrian act in the Benzini Brothers Circus. The 2006 novel by Sara Gruen uses imagery to describe the horse, the 2011 motion picture uses a real horse, and in the Broadway musical, Silver Star is represented both by a puppet and puppeteer and also by an aerialist suspended on a silk ribbon.

Review the different types of puppets below.

Body puppet depicting bright red cardinal mascot with yellow beakBody

Most familiar as sports mascots. These puppets are usually worn like costumes and manipulated by the person wearing the puppet.

Bunraku Japanese puppetBunraku

Traditional Japanese puppet using half-life-sized wooden dolls for storytelling. The dolls are manipulated by puppeteers who are dressed in black and sometimes masked.

Variety of colorful finger puppets representing an elephant, monkey, and clown.

Finger

Manipulated by a single finger moving, allowing a puppeteer to have multiple puppets on one hand.

 

Assortment of colorful sock puppets in bright pink, red, blue, yellow and orangeHand

Worn over the puppeteer’s hand like a glove, with fingers fitting into the head and arms of the puppet to create movement. A sock puppet is a familiar form of a hand puppet without using arms— only head and body movement.

Marotte puppet of figures on sticksMarotte

A stick puppet featuring a head carved or placed on a stick; manipulated by holding the stick.

Classic pinocchio marionette puppet with blue bowtie, white collar, yellow shirt and red suspendersMarionette

A puppet with a complete body manipulated from above by strings connected to the puppet’s limbs.

Elaborate mask with dimond pattern on face and colorful feathers as hairMask

A cover for one’s face that represents a character, figurehead, or feature, and completely hides the wearer’s face. Masks have a long history in theatre, with the Greek comedy and tragedy masks representing arts and drama. Masks are used in many festivals, religious ceremonies, rituals, and celebrations.

Bright blue background with puppet on rods depicting an old man with white mustache and eyebrowsRod

Uses metal or wooden rods attached beneath the figure for manipulation. Typically, the rods are connected to the puppet figures’ limbs. These puppets can be manipulated by a puppeteer using one arm to wear the hand puppet and one arm moving the puppet’s arm, attached to a rod. If the puppet has two arms or additional figure extensions, more puppeteers can assist.

Black and white shadow puppets depicting 2 dinosaurs fightingShadow

These puppets are created by placing a figure between a light source and a screen, making a shadow. Typically, these figures are flat cutouts, but puppeteers can also use hands to create shadow puppetry

Article originally appeared in Water for Elephants study guide.

You might also like
The Grinch, dressed in a green furry costume with a red Santa hat, holds a large pink and white striped cake on a platter. Next to the Grinch is another character dressed as Max the dog, wearing antlers and holding a sack. They are standing in front of colorful cartoon-like scenery from Whoville.An Interview with Annie‘s Creative Team
DCPA’s 2024/25 Broadway Season Announcement, Added Attractions
an actor dressed as a black spotted cat in the Broadway National Tour of CatsCommunity: Seven Shows To Engage Kids When It’s Cold
Three individuals are seated around a small round table covered with a black cloth. They are positioned in front of an empty auditorium with rows of red seats. The person on the left is wearing a dark gray t-shirt and jeans, the person in the middle is wearing a light blue button-up shirt and glasses, and the person on the right is wearing a black polo shirt and jeans.Filleting Questions from the Fishbowl
The Greek Theater and Colonnade of Civic Benefactors pictured with a large patch of flowersGoing Greek in Denver
The Grinch, dressed in a green furry costume with a red Santa hat, holds a large pink and white striped cake on a platter. Next to the Grinch is another character dressed as Max the dog, wearing antlers and holding a sack. They are standing in front of colorful cartoon-like scenery from Whoville.Grinch Helps Rediscover the Magic of Christmas