Hand puppets and finger puppets from Folkmanis, Living Puppets and The Puppet Company
A hand puppet can whisper a secret, fall asleep in the middle of a story, or hide behind a child’s shoulder. That makes it something to talk to, which is why hand puppets turn up in children’s bedrooms as well as in nurseries, classrooms and therapy rooms. At daliono.com you’ll find hand puppets from Folkmanis, Living Puppets and The Puppet Company, finger puppets from Folkmanis and The Puppet Company, Punch and Judy puppets for German Kasperle theatre, and dolls from Rubens Barn and Joyk.
Folkmanis hand puppets
Hedgehogs, red foxes, owls and other animals, modelled closely on the real thing, many of them with a movable mouth. Folkmanis has been designing hand puppets since 1976.
Living Puppets hand puppets
Animals, monsters and human characters with expressive faces, plus Elmo, Bert, Cookie Monster and friends from Sesame Street.
The Puppet Company hand puppets
Hand puppets from the British company The Puppet Company: long-sleeved animals such as the giraffe and the wolf, birds, monsters and soft hand puppets for babies.
Finger puppets
Small animals and characters from Folkmanis and The Puppet Company, most of them for a single finger. They fit in any pocket and are always close to hand.
Punch and Judy puppets
Hand puppets for Kasperle theatre, Germany’s answer to Punch and Judy, and for fairy tales, from Kasper to the wizard.
Dolls
Swedish-designed soft dolls from Rubens Barn and empathy dolls from Joyk, for use at home and in care settings.
Choosing a hand puppet: Folkmanis, Living Puppets or The Puppet Company
Folkmanis models its animals closely on nature, and on many of them you can work the mouth, the front legs or the head, sometimes more than one at once. Living Puppets are at their best in conversation: their big faces make a feeling easy to read, and some characters, among them Elmo, Bert and Cookie Monster, come in more than one size. The Puppet Company’s long-sleeved animal hand puppets cover the whole forearm, and their baby range is soft enough for the very youngest.
A child playing alone often wants something to cuddle as well as to play with. For a nursery group, a large hand puppet that everyone can see works well. As a present from grandparents, a hand puppet is something a child tells stories with rather than just looks at.
Hand puppets for nurseries, schools and therapy
At nursery and primary school, a hand puppet often becomes a regular member of the group: it says good morning, asks a question or introduces a topic. Speech and language therapists know that a syllable is easier to repeat twenty times when an animal is listening. Therapeutic work goes a step further: a child can say something through a hand puppet without having to say it in their own voice.
Finger puppets for story time and small groups
Several finger puppets fit on one hand, and two are enough for a conversation. In a group, every child can have one instead of waiting for the one shared hand puppet. Finger puppets from Folkmanis and The Puppet Company are small enough to travel in a coat pocket or a handbag.
Punch and Judy puppets for Kasperle theatre
In Germany, the traditional glove puppet theatre is called Kasperle theatre. Its hero, Kasper, is the German cousin of Mr Punch. His cast includes Gretel, the grandmother, the robber and the policeman, and the policeman will look familiar to anyone who grew up with Punch and Judy. Most of our Kasperle puppets are made by munabo, by hand in a Czech workshop, and many come in a universal size for the hands of adults and children alike.
Soft toys and dolls
For cuddling, there are plush animals from Anima and Hansa Creation. Alongside them you’ll find soft dolls from Rubens Barn and empathy dolls from Joyk.
If you need help choosing, we’re happy to advise through our contact form.