Hand or glove puppets are typically moved directly by the hand and fingers of the puppeteer inside them.
Hand puppets have a hollow cloth body designed to fit snugly over a person's hand. According to standard descriptions, the fingers fit into the head and arms and can make the puppet move. This allows the puppeteer to manipulate different parts of the puppet from within.
Understanding the Movement Mechanism
The movement of a hand puppet is simple yet effective:
- Fitting the Hand: The puppeteer inserts their hand into the puppet's body.
- Finger Placement: The index finger often goes into the puppet's head, allowing the puppeteer to lift, turn, and nod the head. The thumb and other fingers typically go into the puppet's arms or hands, enabling them to gesticulate or appear to grab things.
- Generating Action: By bending, straightening, or wiggling their fingers and hand inside the puppet, the puppeteer brings the character to life.
Key Aspects of Movement
- Head Movement: Primarily controlled by the finger (usually the index) inserted into the head.
- Arm Movement: Controlled by the fingers (often thumb and one or two others) inserted into the arm sections.
- Overall Body: The entire puppet's position and posture are controlled by the puppeteer's wrist and lower part of the hand inside the main body.
This direct manipulation method makes hand puppets highly expressive for simple actions and dialogue, powered directly by the puppeteer's hand and finger movements.
