Toy Information » Puppets

Water Puppetry

ToyBusiness — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 21:59:37 +0000

An inanimate object that is meant to represent a person, animal or thing, manipulated in various ways can be considered a puppet. Puppetry is a craft that requires extraordinary skill brought about by years of practice. The puppeteer should have advance movement skills to manipulate the puppet and in the process develop a character. Puppeteers are the people behind presentations in a puppet theater. This is a very ancient form of theater.

Puppets and puppetry can range from the very simple to complex. A very different kind of puppetry that I have experienced is one that has a body of water as the stage. Puppeteers behind curtains manipulate the puppets through rods that are hidden under water. Water puppetry is not widely practiced and can only be viewed in some Asian countries. It is a unique way of presenting a different kind of culture.

Built for Viewing

ToyBusiness — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 16:33:49 +0000

Theatre is a collaborative form of fine art that uses live performers to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place. The performers may communicate this experience to their audience through combinations of gesture, speech, song, music, or dance. The Maverick Theater is a storefront theater in the city of Fullerton, California, in Orange County. This theater was founded in 2002 by Artistic Director Brian Newell.

Another well-known theater is the Factory Theater which is a Chicago theater company founded in 1992. Originally working out of a 50-seat storefront theater in the Rogers Park neighborhood in the northern part of Chicago, the company has produced over 70 shows during its existence with all original scripts written by ensemble members. The typical schedule during the first five seasons of the Factory Theater was a Thursday evening show, a Friday/Saturday mainstage show, and a Friday/Saturday late-night show.

Handy Wonders

ToyBusiness — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 16:50:20 +0000

When buying toys for your children, one must always think about the benefits they may get from them. Play time is one of the important activities for any fruitful childhood, but having the ability to incorporate the development of various skills and creative learning is always an added bonus. Learning can actually be fun so long as you know how to transform it into a play session.

The kids hand puppets are one of the few toys that provide numerous benefits for your child. It stimulates your child’s creativity and imagination, and this is one of the ways by which your child can share what his thoughts are. It provides a channel by which the child can convey what he feels and a great way to raise his feelings. Oftentimes parents hardly get to communicate well with their child, and it is through these puppets that kids get to express themselves. There are lots of other benefits of these handy wonders, but more importantly, these things will get your child to talk indirectly to you.

Water Puppets

ToyBusiness — Tue, 19 Apr 2011 18:01:54 +0000

I just had the experience of watching a different kind of puppet show. The show is performed in a puppet show theatre that has a stage filled with water. Puppets are moved using long sticks by skilled puppeteers behind the stage. It appears as if the puppets are moving on their own. The water puppet show has been part of the Vietnamese culture which has travelled to other parts of the world.

Although the show itself is in Vietnamese, it is not difficult to have an understanding of the plot. It is, in fact, very informative as it shows snippets of the Vietnamese daily life. It may not be very exciting compared to other theatre shows, but it is something different. At the end of the show, the ‘performers’ come out to take a bow. They are big hardy men who have mastered the skill of making puppets perform on a stage of water.

Fun Activity for Kids

ToyBusiness — Fri, 21 Jan 2011 18:38:30 +0000

Puppets are some of the best toys that help develop a child’s imagination. They are simple enough to be played with and can provide children with hours of fun. The whole family can spend one weekend making puppet crafts and a kids puppet theater. From then on, you can stage puppet shows any time you want.

Kids can think about stories they’d like to tell via puppetry. Encourage them to put up a show when grandparents or aunts and uncles come. The puppet theater can also be shared with playmates and friends that visit and used when someone celebrates a birthday.

The Best Kids Entertainment

ToyBusiness — Wed, 15 Sep 2010 21:43:46 +0000

When my son turned two this year, there were some things I could no longer do. When he was a year old he would watch patiently as I put on my own puppet show for him. As he got older he became wiser and less patient. He couldn’t sit through any of my puppet shows. He knew the stuffed animals which acted as puppets were hiding behind my back He needed something more creative so I got him one of those kids puppet theaters you see in toy stores.

Kids puppet theaters are so cool. They come complete with a stage and a curtain. You can buy the puppets separately. This is a big improvement from hiding puppets behind your back. My only problem now is trying to come up with creative storylines. I also need to keep my son from opening the curtains and peeking at the puppets.

hand puppets

ToyBusiness — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 23:06:46 +0000

The age between 0-5 is crucial for child development. No other time in one’s life will rival the capacity to learn of that time. That is why preschool is important. That is why I’m in a preschool teacher. One of the great teaching techniques that I use is teaching with hand puppets.

Small kids have very short attention spans. In order to teach them you will need for them to focus in a play atmosphere. That is what hand puppets do. That way, you maximize their learning. That is also why most children shows have hand puppets. Try it in your home and be convinced.

hand puppets

ToyBusiness — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 18:07:43 +0000

The joy in playing with puppets is in how they can tell stories through the player’s voice and simple hand movements. One of the most important techniques in puppetry is continuous motion. A puppet that remains still has a dull, lifeless appearance and is said to be dead. Motion should shift from one portion of the puppet to another, so that one moment the puppet is moving its head and the next moment shifting its torso or repositioning an arm. The experienced puppeteer is able to make hand puppets do motions such as crossing or uncrossing the arms or tilting the head. He should also be able to give life to the story by making life-like sounds like sighing or laughing.

Children can be taught to make their own hand puppets. By gathering materials such as toilet paper tubes, old socks, masking tape, fabric and yarn, they can come up with a hand puppet that they like. They can also make the hand puppet look like the character in a story that they have in mind. Not only is it entertaining, it is also educational. It develops their creative skills in making up stories and sharing them in a fun way.

Folkmanis finger puppets

ToyBusiness — Thu, 14 May 2009 21:46:20 +0000

Bring home some creative fun and surprise your kids at the things they can do with their new toys. Folkmanis finger puppets can be used by anyone. Members of the family can take turns using them to entertain the others. Even little children can manipulate these cute toys which will provide hours of fun.

A finger puppet fits snugly on a finger of a child. It inspires creativity and imagination as a child concocts stories and dialogues where her puppet can do many things. Buy several types of finger puppets to encourage more story lines. Your child will have fun sharing her toys with friends. Watch as they create a world of their own.

hand puppets

ToyBusiness — Sun, 03 May 2009 02:11:01 +0000

Puppets are very useful in developing a child’s imagination. Take a pause from the television or DVD and try to do some story telling with your child. Widen your child’s imagination by giving him different hand puppets and start with a narrative so he can continue the story. Involve yourself by being another character and making sounds.

Continue to be amazed as your child’s mind leads you to a new wonder. Intently listen to his new thoughts and you’ll surely have fun entertaining yourself with the stories he came up with.