Tag Archives: fairytale shadow puppets

More New Fairytale Shadow Puppets…

Posted on by Collette Knowles
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Here are more progress puppets for our upcoming show “Fairytales of Wit, Wisdom and Witchcraft” (CLICK HERE to find out more). I have overshot my initial estimate for how long it would take me to make all the puppets, but if a job’s worth doing, it’s worth doing well and taking a little more time, I feel.

We have here now the puppets for “Goldilocks and the Three Bears”, “The Three Billy Goats Gruff”, “Little Red Riding Hood” and a few puppets for “Chicken Licken” or “Chicken Little” as I believe it is better known in America.

As I said in my previous post, (CLICK HERE TO VIEW) I have been using cereal and pizza boxes for environmental reasons and to show how much is possible using recycled materials. The cutting out has been with a combination of scissors, craft knife and Indonesian Shadow Puppet Chisels for some of the cut out details.

Making an articulated Goldilocks puppet that will be able to sit down in chairs…
Starting a Baby/Little Bear Puppet…
Mother/Middle sized bear started…
Finished Little/Baby and Middle sized/Mother Bear
Starting Big/Father Bear…
3 finished Bears together
Big Billy Goat Gruff…
Finished Big Billy goat and starting Middle sized Goat…
Middle sized goat and Little Goat started
The body is good but the head is too small, so a larger one is made
3 Billy Goats Gruff
Middle sized Goat has finishing cut out touches added
Starting the Troll…
Trial of elasticated jaw mech.
Drawing a Granny to go with Wolf and Red Riding Hood already complete…
Wolf’s head blown up on photocopier to make large articulated wolf’s head for swallowing people whole/talking
finished head with Granny drawing and puppet making list…
Granny roughly cut out with wolf in bed drawing…
2nd Wolf Head with Granny’s cap and glasses created by drawing round the first one
Separate bed and Granny head and bloated snoozing wolf started…
Snoozing Wolf on bed
Snoozing wolf with articulated tummy
Top half of Woodcutter
Complete Woodcutter with axe and scissors
Woodcutter and snoozing wolf
Fox for Chicken Licken
Fox, Chicken Licken and Acorn

If you have a question or a comment about the puppets do please put it on the post, I always to try to reply 🙂

I am taking bookings for this show and accompanying workshops from August 2025 onwards. It is particularly suitable for schools and libraries and fits in nicely with the light and shadow and traditional tales (fairy tales) topic.

If you need a show or a workshop sooner than this, do get in touch as I have many existing shows and workshops that we can do to meet your needs. Just get in touch and I will be happy to supply quotes and talk to you about your needs/event. We have puppet shows and workshops for indoors and outdoors, festivals, community events, theatres, youth theatres etc. CLICK HERE to contact me 🙂

Theatres or theatre companies please get in touch for puppet commissions, training, residencies, collaborations etc.

To stay up to date with this project and all my news, please subscribe for the newsletter.

If you want to see Rough Magic Theatre live, our Mad Hatter’s Tea Party show will be coming to Congleton Food Festival again this coming Sunday. More details on the WHERE YOU CAN SEE ME page.

This coming Saturday a long awaited new “Al & Kai’s Faboo News” episode will be premiering on You Tube. Subscribe to channel so you don’t miss it (@faboonews). Visit FabooNews.com to find out more about this fantastic puppet based positive news show for families.

Fairy tale Shadow Puppets Take Shape

Posted on by Collette Knowles
2

Here’s the progress so far on the new “Fairytales of Wit, Wisdom and Witchcraft” show.

I have been making all these shadow puppets out of repurposed cereal and pizza boxes. Firstly to show what is possible to achieve with free materials accessible to most people (including kids) and secondly to be more environmentally friendly.

I also intend to produce templates for simple versions of these puppets that people will be able to buy (further down the line). Please let me know if you would be interested in these.  You can subscribe to the newsletter to get all of my updates from the blog via email and be sure not to miss anything.

Frog Prince story puppets: Princess able to catch and play with a ball…
Upset/disgusted princess face variation…
Frog with princess
Both princess puppets (princess 2 has an inverted hand to pick up frog)
The princess’s father the king…
Young handsome prince (de-frogged)…
Goldilocks puppets:
Prototypes for a front facing puppet with changing expressions.
Creating a third puppet with articulated legs

Goldilocks: Mouth transformation test

If you would like to book the show for your school, library or studio theatre space or find out more, please check out the show page on our website (including trailer) by clicking HERE.

We are pencilling in tour dates from June 2025 onwards and don’t forget, we also do shadow puppet making workshops.

Also, if you would like to ask any questions or leave any comments, please do and I’ll be happy to answer.