A puppet doll has been known to mankind since time immemorial. Her device is genius simple. This theatrical doll, controlled by a puppeteer with the help of several threads, has been successfully used in our time.
The relationship between the steward and the ruled has long been used to compare a person with a puppet whose actions and life are led by someone from above. It is not known who and when the puppet doll was invented, but it has been used for many centuries in all corners of the Earth. It is assumed that, as an alternative to the static images of various gods, people invented a simple figurine. Her head and limbs were set in motion with the help of strands tied to them, which were led by a person. The box with puppets was an obligatory attribute of ancient theaters, in which the most famous subjects of those times were played. Since most theater stories were based on religious themes, even these dolls got their name from the name of the figurine of Our Lady - Marionette, Marion.
Distribution of puppet dolls
Some historians believe that the first such dolls appeared in ancient Egypt. Representations with them were associated with various festivities of this country. The puppet doll was also known in the states of Latin America, in ancient Greece, the Roman Empire and in the territory of modern Syria. And in the eastern countries (China, Vietnam, Indonesia) puppets are an integral part of any solemn performances. In the East, they still love puppet theater, many residents go to performances, even knowing the story of the play by heart. In modern Greece and Italy, you can still meet people giving performances in the so-called “Bethlehem Box”. All plots of such a spectacle are associated with the Christian religion. At the beginning of its history, a puppet doll, as a rule, was an attribute of wandering actors, but already in the 16th century, it gradually began to part with its wandering life, as small theaters began to appear, visually resembling many famous scenes of that time. Puppets performed the most popular operas in combination with ballets. Most of the plays were very long (5 acts). Each year, the art of such a theater improved, and the puppeteers achieved maximum accuracy by imitating human gestures. Over time, puppets spread throughout Europe. They appeared in the Russian Empire.
How to make a puppet?
In our country, recently interest in these dolls has renewed again. Many people make them on their own, because you will not especially find them on sale. The most important thing in this matter is to thoroughly study the structure of the doll’s body and the principles of its action. A puppet with your own hands can be made of different materials, but most often such a doll is made of wood. Movable limbs (legs, arms) and a head, which can be made from any material at hand, are attached to the body made of wood, clay or fabric. The doll is dressed, and the face is decorated. It should be borne in mind that such dolls should be small, since it is very difficult to manage massive and heavy ones. The threads attached to the limbs and the head are attached to a special beam (wagon), consisting of a rod and a movable beam and a fixed bar attached to its axis. Raising the sides corresponds to raising the legs of the doll. The main threads include manual, temporal and dorsal. They can be replaced with thick fishing line. With their help, the main movements of the puppet are carried out. To reproduce more complex actions, additional threads will be required.