Fairy Tale Puppets

In language arts you are studying fairy tales. Choose a favorite character the fairy tale you are studying to build into a puppet. Try to get your inspiration from the traditional fairy tales, not the Disney version.

For my example, I am making the Sea Witch from The Little Mermaid. No matter which character you choose, the beginning steps of making your puppet are the same.

Step 1: Build the mouth plate

We begin with a couple of chipboard pieces that will give the structure to the mouth of our puppet.

Begin by tracing 1/2 a cup circle.

Use a ruler to extend each side by 2” and box in the bottom.

Then cut out this shape and trace it. Cut out the traced shape so you have two identical arched pieces. Cut out the second arch as well.

Place the two pieces on your work surface with the flat sides abutting. Make sure there is a little space between them and then tape them together. Masking tape works well here.

This is the base of your mouth plate.

Take a piece of craft foam and measure out a strip of foam that is about ½ an inch wide and 6 inches long.

Attach this to one side of your mouth plate with tape. You want to tuck the ends under when you tape them to form a loop you can easily, yet securely, put your 4 fingers through.

Step 2 - Prep the felt for your mouth plate

Now grab a piece of felt you would like to use as the inside of your puppet’s mouth. Trace the mouth plate on the felt and cut the felt out.

Step 3 - Prep the sock

Set aside the mouth plate and felt. Grab your tube sock. With a Sharpie, mark where the curve of the toe ends and the straight sides of the sock begin. Then cut off the curved toe portion.

At this time, if you want your puppet to be a color other than your sock color, grab a bingo dauber and color it. This will make your sock wet, so you’ll need to give it time to dry before going on the next steps.

Step 4 - Attach the mouth plate to the sock

Once dry, set your mouth plate on top of your sock. Make sure the mouth plate is folded along the tape line. The curve of the mouth plate should be about ½ inch down from the cut end of the sock. Use a Sharpie and mark the flat end of the mouth plate on the sock.

Use your scissors to cut a straight line from the cut end of the sock down to the Sharpie marks. It’s best to do this along the natural side creases of the sock. Then place the mouth plate inside the sock as shown.

Now start to glue the sock end around the mouth plate to form your puppet’s mouth.

Then glue the felt piece you cut earlier to the inside of the mouth to cover up and those rough ends.

Step 5 - Test your puppet

Put the puppet on your hand by inserting your hand into the base of the sock. You want to make sure the side of the mouth plate with the foam trip is aligned with your 4 fingers. Slip your fingers between the foam strip and the chipboard of the mouth plate. Put your thumb under the bottom portion of your mouth plate. Move your hand and fingers to make the puppet talk and otherwise move its mouth.

Step 6 - Decorate your puppet!

Now the really fun part! Add details to bring your puppet to life. Get creative!