I hope this isn't considered blaspheme in the puppet world...I really am a newbie,but why are the hand puppets mostly made out of foam rubber? I have made only a few puppets and I have stuffed them with poly fill. Is that just horrible? I would like  to try to use the foam...where is the best place to get it?

Puppetry is the World of Fantasy.......................... Most use foam because is easy to get, easy to work with, and very versatile. there nothing wrong with using poly fill or combining the two. I say use what materials you fill most comfortable working with. I encourage you to explore the world of foam and all the other possibilities of building materials.

I Love your little purple puppet, it reminds me of a baby frog........................ very sweet and innocent.

Billy D.

I have combined latex and foam. Great results.

Like Billy said, there are so many possibilities of materials.

No Blasphemy, No foul.

Have fun!

Thank you SO much for your answers...and for the compliment on my little purple puppet. I will definitely do some experimenting with different materials.

I agree no one should be limited to foam to make puppets.  Just look at some of the amazing  puppets Sonny has made using latex. 

The reason I use foam is because its easy to get (I get mine at JoAnn Fabric), easy to work with(requires no special tools or skill) and its very versatile.  That being said I've been considering building a puppet or two out of wood and perhaps leather just for fun.

Theoretically, using carefully-engineered hollow foam heads and bodies is lighter than using Poly-Fil to bulk them up and fill them out. They are also more flexible and elastic than a Poly-Fil stuffed object. I think that is why Jim Henson and other TV puppetry pioneers from the Fifties and Sixties often used foam rubber, instead of using teddy bear technology. It might be odd to think of it that way, but a puppet is a tool, almost a kind of simple hand-operated machine, which only sometimes LOOKS like a doll or stuffed animal.

Having said that, and as the others here have already said, it's all good. I personally love old fashioned hand and string puppets made of wood or paper mache, myself.

Welcome to the group!



Ron G.

The most important rule I've found in puppetmaking is-Have Fun Doing it. Every one is different and Everyone has a different way of doing things. Who knows, maybe you will come up with something no one else has thought of. Steve

I just wanted to say Welcome to the group it seems that you got an answer to your question.

Good luck with your project.......

Daryl H

I agree no one should be limited to foam to make puppets.  Just look at some of the amazing  puppets Sonny has made using latex. 

I love you