Many puppets can be made from easily available materials at home, such as old gloves, socks, wooden spoons, etc. *Make them! There are many books on puppet making, from simple stick puppets to finger, glove, marionette and more. Check to be sure arms are not sewn shut, that there will be ample room for your hand, and that the stuffed animal is constructed sturdily enough for your purposes. *Stuffed animals: many stuffed animals may be modified for use as puppets by removing the interior stuffing. Still, some of my best puppets were bought very cheaply on eBay. A used puppet bought online might not be in the condition you anticipate. You will not b able to try out the puppet, and its size might not be what you expect. *Online: new and used puppets are easily available online, but there are special considerations. Eyes can be changed as needed with either hot-glued wiggle eyes, or with peel-and-stick felt pieces cut to the shape, size and expression you want. Surface dirt can be wiped away with a window cleaning solution or cleaning wipe. Most puppets can be washed in a washing machine on delicate cycle. *Used: yard sales, thrift shops, and consignment shops are great places to find puppets. Most school and personal use of these puppets is perfectly acceptable, however. Book character puppets are often sold in bookstores, but you may need copyright permission to use them in a paid performance. There are many excellent commercially made puppets that make great puppet partners. *New puppets: toy stores, bookstores, mail order catalogs, and craft fairs. Try looking in the following places for you puppet:

Some of my favorites were found in such unlikely places as airport stores, doll stores, online, at resale shops and yard sales and at a book sale. Once you start looking, you will find puppets in many places. But if the puppet has a mouth that you intend to use, it is important for the mouth to move naturally and easily. Some of my favorite puppets have no mouths at all. Some puppets have “hard” mouths that are difficult to work. With a mouth that is easily manipulated (if it has a mouth).Audiences will quickly become bored and squirmy trying to see a puppet that is too small for its movements to be easily watched. That is large enough to be seen by the largest audience you intend to use the puppet for.Be sure the audience can see the puppet’s eyes modify the eyes if needed. The puppet’s eye contact with the audience is an important aspect of its interaction with the audience. That has eyes and other features that can be easily seen by the audience.A puppet that is too small or too large for your hand will have awkward movements, or could slide off your hand in performance. That fits your hand snugly but comfortably enough to manipulate easily and does not constrict your hand movements.That you can give an appropriate voice: you might find it difficult to give a shark a voice that feels comfortable to you.With a loveable, appealing character: who wants to watch a boring puppet?.All puppets are not suitable for stage puppetry, and all stories are not suitable for telling with a puppet.

Puppet selection is critical to a successful puppet play.

Puppetry basics