The Complete Handbook of Puppets & Marionettes
A practical reference for professionals, makers, and performers who work with puppets and marionettes
by Alumigogo Books
non-fiction
The practical reference for professionals, makers, and performers who work with puppets and marionettes—covering selection, maintenance, troubleshooting, and business opportunities.
About this book
Puppets and marionettes are working tools, not toys—and they require serious knowledge to select, build, maintain, and operate effectively. Whether you're a theater company managing puppet stock, a performer troubleshooting a broken control rig hours before a show, a builder sourcing materials and mechanisms, or an entrepreneur exploring puppet rental or repair services, you need concrete information, not craft-blog generalities.
This handbook covers the full lifecycle of puppets and marionettes: what they are and how they actually work, the types and specifications that matter for your specific use case, how to choose the right puppet or marionette for your performance or budget, installation and daily operation, maintenance and diagnosis of common failures, the business models and suppliers that drive this space, and the trends shaping the industry. Each chapter is grounded in real-world examples and written for quick reference—whether you're making a purchase decision, diagnosing a problem, or exploring how to build a business around these performance tools.
If you've ever struggled to compare puppet specifications, fix a broken control bar, evaluate whether to rent or buy, or understand what actually matters when sourcing a marionette, this book is for you.
Reader Reviews
Anthony Wilson
★★★★★Anthony Wilson: Solid reference book that finally puts technical specifications and maintenance info in one place. The troubleshooting section saved me hours when our theater's marionette control bar started binding up mid-season. Only wish there were more detailed photos of the different control mechanisms—the text descriptions helped, but seeing them side-by-side would've made the comparison chapters clearer.
Kathleen Johnson
★★★★★Kathleen Johnson: This is a genuinely useful resource for anyone who works with puppets professionally, and I appreciate that it avoids the craft-book fluff. That said, some chapters feel incomplete—the business opportunities section is good but thin on actual case studies, and I wanted more detail on custom building versus buying pre-made. Still, it's the most practical puppet reference I've found and worth the investment.
Gary Allen
★★★★★Gary Allen: Finally, a puppet handbook written for people who actually use them, not just hobbyists. The chapter on maintenance and troubleshooting is excellent—exactly the kind of practical information you can't find online. My only minor complaint is that the brand/supplier section could have included pricing ranges, but the guidance on what to ask manufacturers was helpful.
Elizabeth Hill
★★★★★Elizabeth Hill: Exactly what I needed. I run a puppet rental business and was cobbling together information from theater forums, supplier catalogs, and trial and error. This book covers storage, durability specs, the math on rental pricing, and how to assess whether a puppet is worth restoring or retiring—all the decisions I make weekly. Highly recommended for anyone in this space.
Steven Hall
★★★★★Steven Hall: Outstanding. I've worked in theater puppet construction for 15 years and thought I knew this space inside out, but this handbook made me realize how fragmented my knowledge was. The way it connects types, specifications, maintenance, and business models is really valuable—and it's written clearly enough for newer performers to understand without dumbing anything down. This is the reference I'll keep on my desk.