Hand or Glove Puppets

Essentially a head and a body, the glove puppet is the most accessible and easily adapted type of puppet. One puppeteer can work 2 glove puppets at once, and they are often performed above the puppeteer’s head on a small stage known as a booth.

One of the most famous glove puppets in the UK is Mr Punch, a fine example of a mobile glove puppet stage. Glove puppets are able to be fast and dexterous which means they are excellently suited for comedy and slapstick.

However there are examples of glove puppets which can have very exquisite detail, such as the Chinese glove puppets in the exhibition, which have jointed hands and are made to perform nuanced movements such as somersaults and fight scenes. Chinese hand puppets are unique - they are extremely difficult to perform, but can achieve breath-taking movement

Featured Puppet: Chinese Glove Puppets