History Main / PeoplePuppets

* Music/{{NSYNC}} milked this concept as much as possible for their album ''No Strings Attached''. The cover portrays them dangling from strings like puppets and the video for "Bye Bye Bye" portrays them as marionettes being controlled by a PsychoExGirlfriend and breaking free of her control. The debut television performance of the song had about dancers dangling from strings controlled by GiantHandsOfDoom while the band performed and their tour promoting the album opens with them dangling from the roof and dressed in like patchwork dolls.

Subtrope of BodySnatcher. Not to be confused with PuppetPermutation, in which a character is transformed into a ''literal'' puppet. Also not to be confused with MeatPuppet which is a type of manipulated [[BodyAndHost Host]]. See also LivingDollCollector; and PlayingWithPuppets for when the puppeteer starts toying with his puppet, usually in a cruel fashion.

Some guys just feel the need to be in control... of everything. Including you. No, not with [[PuppeteerParasite possession]], not through [[TheChessmaster manipulation]]; we mean ''literally'' controlling your body, forcing you to move as he wishes, and turning you into his personal PeoplePuppets.

Occasionally corpses can be animated and used as PeoplePuppets, but if a corpse's every motion is not explicitly controlled by its animator, then there's a good chance it's just an [[ZombieApocalypse average zombie]].

The ability to turn people into PeoplePuppets is often a very specific form of MindOverMatter.

* ''GhostTrick'': [[spoiler: Yomiel]] is a 'manipulator' who can control other people's bodies against their will. [[spoiler: As well as his own corpse, or those of animals.]]

* Genzou and Koshiro from ''{{Genzo}}'' are the Kings of this trope. They can do marvels with their puppets, ranging from decoys to sleeping gases to exploding dolls to Puppets made of flesh. Genzo is also frequently shown while making said puppets in [[NIghtmareFuel disturbing detail...]]

* In ''Film/ANightmareOnElmStreet3DreamWarriors'', Freddy Krueger does this literally to poor Philip -- first animating one of his own carved puppets, then [[NightmareFuel graphically stringing him along by his bloody tendons]] until he [[DrivenToSuicide forces him to leap from a high tower]].

* In ''{{Ratatouille}}'', Remy is able to control Linguini like a marionette by pulling on the hairs on his head.

* In the ''Series/DoctorWho'' episode "The Shakespeare Code", The Carrionites use a puppet to control Shakespeare.

** In the episode "Midnight" an alien entity takes control of the Doctor's body, paralyzing him and forcing him to repeat.

** Ninja from the Nara clan can use a version of this power through shadow manipulation; if their shadow ([[ShadowPin which they can warp]]) touches the target's, the target has no choice but to mimic their exact motions. Shikamaru makes particularly good use of this technique in his battles.

* Music/{{NSYNC}}'s music video for their song "Bye Bye Bye" portrays them as marionettes being controlled by a PsychoExGirlfriend and breaking free of her control. The cover of their album ''No Strings Attached'' plays up the same puppet imagery.

--> -- '''WesternAnimation/KimPossible''', ''Ill-Suited''

* The Guru of ''[[SlyCooper Sly 3]]'' is capable of mind-controlling Mooks by hopping onto their backs. He uses this primarily to make them ram into obstacles.

* ''KamenRiderFourze'' has the Pyxis Zodiarts, based on the Pyxis constellation, or the compass. In addition to being able to find things with special appendages on his arms, he can use those same appendages to control people, forcing them to move wherever he wants them to. Albeit with a very stiff, obviously unnatural gait.

* In [[Left4Dead Left 4 Dead 2]], the Jockey has the ability to ride Survivors, forcing them to run in any direction he guides them. The Survivor can resist a little, but is too panicked to throw the Jockey or drop to the ground.

* A rather nasty example occurs in ''WesternAnimation/StarWarsTheCloneWars'', in which ''the corpse'' of a clone trooper in poorly-lit cargo bay is used as a puppet by a large spider-like droid in order to trick the rest of the squad.[[hottip:*:They didn't fall for it.]]

** Corona's Nephilim Fist in ''Manga/MagicalGirlLyricalNanohaVivid'' is a variation of this power where the controller uses it on herself. This allows her to [[PowerCopying perfectly execute moves other people's moves at near-reaction speed]] by programming the spell to act semi-autonomously to trigger techniques at certain conditions, and at full strength, it lets her keep on fighting at full strength even after her limbs are broken as long as she remains conscious.

* ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'' has several ninja puppeteers from the Hidden Sand Village, but they've only been used human beings as puppets a few times, most noticeably by Chiyo to Sakura (though the latter fully consents to it) and by Sasori to a bunch of modified corpses during their battle against each other.

* ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'' has several puppeteers, but living people have only been used as puppets twice; once by the heroes (Chiyo to Sakura, though as an aid instead of taking over) and once by the villain (Sasori) in the same battle.
** A handful of ninjas have demonstrated a combination of this power and shadow manipulation, if their shadow ([[ShadowPin which they can warp]]) touches the target's, the target has no choice but to mimic their exact motions. Specifically, Shikamaru does this to Kin Tsuchi in the Chuunin exams.
** [[spoiler:Nagato]]/Pain could do this with chakra alone and and move corpses, that is provided they have chakra receivers pierced in their bodies. It's implied at walking proximity to him, his chakra was such that he could control a living person without any issue. However, the first person we saw him try it on happened to be [[spoiler: Naruto, who has the demon fox's chakra as well as his own Sage chakra allowing him to resist control by him.]] Naruto even uses the phrase "dead people puppets" when referring to Pain in the Viz translation of Chapter 551 [[spoiler:when realizing that this time, the resurrected Nagato is wielding those powers himself]].

* ''MassEffect'' -- '''ASSUMING DIRECT CONTROL'''

** Corona's Nephilim Fist in ''Manga/MagicalGirlLyricalNanohaVivid'' is a variation of this power where the controller uses it on herself. [[PowerCopying Among other things]], it also allows her to keep on fighting at full strength even after her body is broken as long as she remains conscious.

* [[spoiler: Vivio]] during the final battle of ''MagicalGirlLyricalNanoha [=StrikerS=]''. Nanoha managed to take out Quattro and her mind control over [[spoiler: her daughter]], but unfortunately, the [[KillSat Saint's Cradle]] was still controlling her body through [[MineralMacGuffin the Relic]] implanted in her to defend itself. So [[spoiler: Nanoha warns Vivio that "this will hurt a little" and has to blast the forcibly aged ''and'' still body-controlled PersonOfMassDestruction some more times. [[ApologeticAttacker She]] [[IDidWhatIHadToDo wasn't exactly happy about it, obviously]], but Vivio didn't hold it against her Mama.]]
** The killer in ''[[AllThereInTheManual StrikerS Sound Stage X]]'' had this ability, [[PsychicAssistedSuicide forcing targets to kill themselves.]] Subaru managed to reach a victim just in time to see this in action, giving her front row seats to the scene of [[CanOnlyMoveTheEyes a man desperately begging to be saved and screaming a frightened "I don't want to die!"]] shortly before he stabbed himself in the throat. Yeah, the Sound Stage wasn't very nice to Subaru's emotional health.

* Given a few hours of effort, [[spoiler: Regent]] from ''Literature/{{Worm}}'' can 'learn' a person's nervous system and assume direct control of their entire body -- including their powers if they have any.

* One psychic in the ''{{Fingerprints}}'' series has this as his power. There's another who can achieve the same effect through general MindControl.

* ''PrincessTutu'' has several examples with TheChessmaster Drosselmeyer: When he captures Princess Tutu and brings her to his dimension, he forces her to dance and actually attempts to turn her into a puppet, so that he will be in complete control. Near the end of the series, [[spoiler:he uses his abilities to try to force Fakir, the only other person who can control the story, to write Ahiru's death -- Fakir is able to stop him by [[{{Fingore}} stabbing himself in the hand]].]]

* Slade during [[{{Batman}} Batman and Robin]] uses Damian's body by means of an implant inserted in Damian's spine to attack Dick and try to get revenge on him. Dick figures out what's going on, and it ends rather badly for Slade.