The Art of Puppetry

Puppets and puppetry have long fascinated man and been a part of his culture. Greek accounts of fifth century BC refer to figures operated by strings and to traveling players putting on puppet shows. As one historian argues, ôGlove puppets may be very ancient. Speaight mentions that the Greek word koree as meaning both a sleeve that covers the hand, and a small statueö (Observations, 2003, 2). Like singing, however, some of the earliest forms of puppets and puppetry were central to religious ceremonies. Tribal hinged masks or jointed skulls probably represent the most primitive forms of puppets, used by African tribes. In agriculture-related festivals Native Americans used puppets and the Egyptians favored terra cotta as their favorite material from which to fashion puppets. Puppets and puppetry have evolved for centuries with a variety of countries contributing to the dif

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udy puppet shows (Staddon, 2003, 1). While puppets were popular with the masses, especially those of the Commedia dellÆarte which often satirized authorities and poked fun at the injustices of life, puppetry was also popular among the high ranking. In his diaries, Samuel Pepys makes the first mention of open-air puppet performances. As Staddon (2003) writes, ôPepys writes that he watched the puppets a few times, once he stopped for a show in Hyde Park and it made him late for an appointment with the kingö (1-2). Puppets and puppetry also enjoy a rich history in America. The more famous American puppets and puppeteers show the variety of puppets and forms of puppetry that have evolved in American culture. Howdy Doody was a marionette, Kukla Fran and Ollie were hand puppets, and the puppets of Mr. Rogers, Paul Winchell and Jerry Mahoney are ventriloquist dummies. Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy were perhaps the most popular American puppet and puppeteer act in history. Hand puppets also enjoyed enormous popularity in the form of Shari LewisÆ Lamb Chop. The diversity and popularity of Jim HensonÆs rod puppets known as the Muppets pervade American culture. Aside from entertainment, puppetry enables the puppeteer to extend
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Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page)