Puppets and puppeteers have been used to entertain people for centuries. If you are looking for something a little different for your children’s party puppeteers are a great choice. There are a variety of different puppeteer acts to choose from. The following article describes some popular performances that have been enjoyed for generations.

Hand puppets are simple puppets that are controlled by hand for facial expressions and by arm to make body movements. Single hand puppets don’t make much of a show but as they are easy to manipulate one person can control one or even a whole host of characters that disappear and reappear back on stage.

Simple hand puppets have limited movement but can be adapted for some degree of articulate facial expression. More fluid movement can be achieved by adapting hand puppets further. A popular way of obtaining more movement in the arms and legs is by attaching rods. Other puppets may contain switches or levers inside to control limbs or use strings from above. Kermit the frog is a famous example of a well adapted hand puppet that is capable of producing a range of movements and expressions.

Finger puppets are much more simple forms of hand puppets that just cover the fingers. Finger puppets consist of a tube of fabric that covers the whole finger. They are easy to make and fun to perform and play with. Finger puppets can be used well to add extra action to hand puppet shows by playing small parts and helping to build the scene.

Ventriloquism has been used to entertain people in many different cultures throughout history. Ventriloquism originally emerged in ancient Greek culture where it played a ceremonial role. Holy men would use dummies to channel spirits and pass on messages from other realms.

Ventriloquism is a simple concept which is part of its large appeal. In a ventriloquism show a performer will take to the stage with a dummy usually sat on their lap. The ventriloquist performs a routine where they play two roles; the ventriloquist and the character of their individual dummy. When the dummy speaks the ventriloquist keeps their lips sealed so that it appears that the dummy has a life of its own.

Ventriloquism is a good form of entertainment for young children in particular. Many ventriloquists have wacky or cute dummies that appeal to younger children. Many of them are brightly coloured or may resemble animals such as Orville the duck. Ventriloquist routines often contain a lot of crowd participation which also makes them popular for entertaining groups of children.