Musings on a Marionette An object like a puppet has a birth when it is created, an adulthood when it earns its income, its old age and retirement when it is handled gently and put away from use. It has often become brittle and the glues that held it together are failing. It rushes towards the inevitable: the trash bin or, if it is fortunate, a cherished spot on a shelf or cabinet.
There are as many forms of puppets as there are countries of origin and ways of manipulating them. A “marionette triangle” is a puppet controlled from above, often by wires or a combination of wires and strings. Such direct control to the head allows for a confident and sure handling of the head. Strings on the arms allow for a different style of control than wires, yet both have their advantages. Their bodies are usually a combination of wood, leather and cloth, a typical construction of marionettes until the second half of the 19th century. From 1950 on puppeteers began using many innovative new products favored by the wood and fabric industries, designed to acquaint us with their cash registers and to lighten our wallets.
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