Puppets & Puppet Theatres

Puppets & Puppet Theatres has over 140 puppets for storytelling at home, in nursery and in the classroom. About 90 are hand puppets, from plush animals and dinosaurs to people puppets with movable mouths. There are also more than 40 finger-puppet sets, full-body ventriloquist puppets, marionettes, and tabletop and doorway puppet theatres.

Brands and favourites

• Folkmanis – realistic animal hand puppets, many with movable heads and paws.
• Silly Puppets – professional-style people and monster puppets, our largest puppet brand here.
• Aurora, Schylling, HABA and Melissa & Doug for younger children.
• Accoutrements for novelty finger puppets.

Ages and prices

About 68% of the age-graded puppets are rated from 3 years and 22% from 5–7. Ventriloquist and marionette puppets suit older children and performers. Puppets cost from £16, the median is £34, and 47 are under £30.

Why puppets?

Puppets give shy children a voice and turn bedtime stories into a show. They're also a long-standing classroom tool for circle time and language activities. A family set of hand puppets and a simple theatre can be enough for a whole afternoon of play.

Finger puppets and loose parts

Finger puppets are small, so they're not suitable for children under 3 unless graded "0+". Puppets with plastic eyes or sewn-on accessories should be checked for loose parts.

FAQs

Do puppet theatres come with puppets?

Some do. Others are the theatre only, and the listing says what's included.

Are Folkmanis puppets suitable for adults?

Yes. Their realistic animal puppets are popular with teachers, storytellers and collectors.

Which puppets are best for nursery or school?

Family and animal hand-puppet sets cover lots of stories at once. Finger-puppet sets are good for songs and rhymes with small groups.

The category page and brand page show the rest of the shop. Related ranges: Dress Up & Pretend Play and Stuffed Animals & Plush.