Hyderabad: 

Every year on March 21, people celebrate World Puppetry Day to honour the magic, delight and fun of puppetry.

History

According to historians, puppets existed before actors in theatre. These inanimate actors were performing well enough to amuse a diverse range of audiences from all over the world even before real people were put on stage.

Taiwan, Japan, and China all had their own puppetry traditions. Puppetry has been practiced in ancient Greece since the fifth century B.C., according to ancient written records discovered in the writings of Herodotus and Xenophon. European puppetry was influenced by the puppetry shows that were presented in front of the general public in these Greek plays.

Additionally, there is archeological proof that puppets existed in Egypt as early as 2000 B.C. Humans used string to move wooden figures to represent tasks like kneading bread during this time.

The Italian commedia dell'arte, an earlier theater style, served as the model for the traditional British "Punch and Judy" puppetry in the 16th century. This show gained widespread popularity and continued to be performed until the 19th century under various modifications.

Puppetry in India dates back to 2500 B.C., when the Indus Valley Civilisation flourished. A terracotta doll with a detachable head that could be controlled by a string was discovered by archaeologists. Puppets are also mentioned in a number of Indian classical texts, including the Ramayana and the Mahabharata.

World Puppetry Day was conceived by Iranian puppet theater artist Javad Zolfaghari. During the UNIMA World Congress in 2000, he suggested a topic for discussion. March 21 was designated as World Puppetry Day by UNIMA in 2002. March 21, 2003, was the first official World Puppetry Day.

The International Puppetry Association, or Union Internationale de la Marionnette (UNIMA), was established in Prague in 1929. Puppeteers in the US kept their craft under wraps. Puppetry artists didn't start disclosing more details about their work until the first half of the 20th century. They also started performing puppet shows in public. Tony Sarg, a well-known puppeteer at the time, was primarily responsible for this.

The Puppeteers of America was founded in 1937 as a result of the public's interest in puppets. Jim Henson established UNIMA-USA in 1966. British UNIMA, UNIMA-France, UMIMA Pakistan, and UNIMA Australia all did the same.

The first puppet animator Aleksandr Shiryaev was the first puppet animator. He was the ballet master of Saint Petersburg’s Mariinsky Theater and created the world’s first puppet animation film in 1906.

Fascinating Facts About Puppets

In Vietnam, water puppets are common. These puppets, which are inspired by Vietnamese rice fields, narrate stories about the country's customs and culture.

A water-based puppet show: Using rods, the water puppets sway elegantly four feet above the water. The largest-ever puppet animation movie. Using stop-motion animation, 1,500 handcrafted puppets were needed for this movie. The most popular are string puppets, also known as Marionettes, in which the dolls are moved by strings.

Life-size Japan's Bunraku puppets: Operators of wood-carved puppets, which are as large as people, dress entirely in black for dramatic effect.

Puppets in India:

India has a rich and ancient tradition of string puppets or marionettes. Marionettes having joint limbs controlled by strings allow far greater flexibility and are, therefore, the most articulate of the puppets. Rajasthan, Odisha, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu are some of the regions where this form of puppetry has flourished.

String Puppets

Rajasthan: The traditional marionettes of Rajasthan are known as Kathputli. Carved from a single piece of wood, these puppets are like large dolls that are colourfully dressed. Their costumes and headgears are designed in the medieval Rajasthani style of dress, which is prevalent even today.

Odisha : The string puppets of Odisha are known as Kundhei. Made of light wood, the Odisha puppets have no legs but wear long flowing skirts. They have more joints and are, therefore, more versatile, articulate and easy to manipulate.

Karnataka : The string puppets of Karnataka are called Gombeyatta. They are styled and designed like the characters of Yakshagana, the traditional theater form of the region. The Gombeyatta puppet figures are highly stylized and have joints at the legs, shoulders, elbows, hips and knees. These puppets are manipulated by five to seven strings tied to a prop.

Tamil Nadu : Puppets from Tamil Nadu, known as Bommalattam combine the techniques of both rod and string puppets. They are made of wood and the strings for manipulation are tied to an iron ring which the puppeteer wears like a crown on his head.

Shadow Puppets

Karnataka : The shadow theatre of Karnataka is known as Togalu Gombeyatta. These puppets are mostly small in size. The puppets however differ in size according to their social status, for instance, large size for kings and religious characters and smaller size for common people or servants.

Andhra Pradesh : Tholu Bommalata, Andhra Pradesh’s shadow theatre has the richest and strongest tradition. The puppets are large in size and have jointed waist, shoulders, elbows and knees. They are coloured on both sides. Hence, these puppets throw coloured shadows on the screen. The music is dominantly influenced by the classical music of the region and the theme of the puppet plays are drawn from the Ramayana, Mahabharata and Puranas.

Odisha : The most theatrically exciting is the Ravanachhaya of Orissa. The puppets are in one piece and have no joints. They are not coloured, hence throw opaque shadows on the screen. The manipulation requires great dexterity, since there are no joints. The puppets are made of deer skin and are conceived in bold dramatic poses. Apart from human and animal characters, many props such as trees, mountains, chariots, etc. are also used.

Rod Puppets

West Bengal : The traditional rod puppet form of West Bengal is known as Putul Nautch. They are carved from wood and follow the various artistic styles of a particular region. In Nadia district of West Bengal, rod-puppets used to be of human size like the Bunraku puppets of Japan. This form is now almost extinct. The Bengal rod-puppets, which survive are about 3 to 4 feet in height and are costumed like the actors of Jatra, a traditional theatre form prevalent in the State.

Bihar : The traditional Rod puppet of Bihar is known as Yampuri. These puppets are made of wood. Unlike the traditional Rod puppets of West Bengal and Orissa, these puppets are in one piece and have no joints.

Glove Puppets

Glove puppets, are also known as sleeve, hand or palm puppets. The head is made of either papier mache, cloth or wood, with two hands emerging from just below the neck.

Kerala : In Kerala, the traditional glove puppet play is called Pavakoothu. It came into existence during the 18th century due to the influence of Kathakali, the famous classical dance-drama of Kerala, on puppet performances. In Pavakoothu, the height of a puppet varies from one foot to two feet. The head and the arms are carved of wood and joined together with thick cloth, cut and stitched into a small bag.

Some of the most famous puppets

Pinocchio

Punch and Judy

Howdy Doody

Lamb Chop

Kermit the Frog

Elmo

Daniel Striped Tiger

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