In England, puppet shows were banned entirely from 1469 to 1570. As a result, puppeteers were often persecuted by religious authorities. Many believed that puppetry was associated with black magic and devil worship. Though these early Greek puppet shows were probably quite different from the shows we see today, they laid the foundation for the development of modern puppetry.ĭuring the Middle Ages, puppeteers were often regarded with suspicion and fear. The first recorded use of puppets in a theatrical setting was in Greece in the 5th century BCE. Some historians believe that puppets may have even been used in ancient Egypt to perform magic tricks. The word "puppet" comes from the Latin word "puppis," which means "little girl." Puppets were originally used in religious ceremonies and ritualistic dances. These shows were often humorous or satirical, and they frequently commented on current events or political figures. This type of performance was called "pantomime," which comes from the Greek words for "all" and "mimesis," meaning imitative behavior. The first known puppet show was performed in Greece in the 5th century BC. In fact, some archaeologists believe that ancient cave paintings depict stick figures being manipulated in a way that is similar to modern-day puppetry! However, it is believed that puppets were being used long before that. The first recorded mention of puppets dates back to the 4th century BC, when Aristotle wrote about them in his treatise "On the Soul." Using puppets allows children to try on new personalities, emotions, and goals.įactoyd: Puppets have been found in ancient cultures in Egypt, India, China, and Japan.P uppetry has been used as a form of entertainment, art, and even political commentary. Though the specific origins of puppetry are lost to history, we do know that the art form has been used for thousands of years to entertain, educate, and enlighten people of all ages. Puppets give kids cover to confront new challenges and troubling subjects: kids often use puppets to act out and say things that they wouldn’t say or do on their own. Children use their imaginations to provide voice, plot, and purpose to their puppet characters. Playing with puppets helps children develop coordination and manual dexterity. Hand puppets have been a popular toy form for more than a century. Puppets belong in the play world of individual children too. And, of course, since 1969 Jim Henson’s Sesame Street puppet characters have taught children the world over their numbers, letters, and more. Shari Lewis, a ventriloquist and puppeteer, featured her characters Lamb Chop, Hush Puppy, Charlie Horse, and others on a number of TV series that entertained children from the 1950s to the 1990s. Howdy shared his TV audiences with Kukla, Fran, and Ollie. Charlie McCarthy led the way for Howdy Doody, a little puppet with his very own television series in the 1950s. In the 20th century, television spread the popularity of puppets among children and adults and produced some beloved American icons. Eventually puppet theater included secular stories and comedies, and puppetry became a popular form of rowdy entertainment at carnivals, fairs, and market gatherings.Įuropeans brought puppets to the New World, and the playful figures entertained Americans in street theaters and later in vaudeville houses and on public stages across the country. In Europe, the Christian church used puppets to present morality plays. Early Chinese and Japanese puppeteers fashioned miniature figures for religious ceremonies and the telling of folktales and epic stories of gods and heroes. Plato and Aristotle wrote of puppets, and ancient puppeteers presented the Iliad and the Odyssey using figures made of clay and ivory. Because the toy form appears long ago in nearly every culture in Asia, Europe, and the Americas, no one really knows where it began. Puppets may have originated in the Egypt of the pharaohs or in India nearly 6,000 years ago.
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