A very old form of spectacle, Puppet Shows use some kind of puppetry to feature their characters in real-time (setting it apart from animation, including Puppet Stop Motion). Mostly seen within children's entertainment, but also used for satirical parodies, with puppets caricaturing real-life people.
There are two main categories of such shows:
- Hand Puppets, the most well-known being Jim Henson's Muppets.
- Marionettes, mostly using Supermarionation. Usually features down-to-scale decors.
Other possible types include:
- Animatronic puppets, a modern development of Muppets.
- People in Rubber Suits, a.k.a. Suitmation, which can appear alongside either type (on the same scale with hand puppets, or as giants with marionettes).
An otherwise human-centric show using a few puppet characters doesn't belong here. However, some Puppet Shows, while using mainly hand puppets or animatronics, may also involve some human characters and thus tread the line. Marionette shows can also make use of live animals to figure monsters. For the people who perform them, see Puppeteers.
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Animatronic Puppets
Films
- Child's Play (The lead characters — Chucky, Tiffany and Glen — are represented by animatronic puppets throughout the whole franchise. Also applied In-Universe for Seed of Chucky)
- The Dark Crystal
- Labyrinth (only had three human characters for most of the movie)
- Smoking Causes Coughing: Norbert 500, Norbert 1200 and the talking fish are animatronics. This film also features hand puppets and People in Rubber Suits.
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (largely live-action, but the main characters are these)
- Yo Soy Taíno
TV Series
- The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance
- Dinosaurs
- Dumbo's Circus
- Fourways Farm (the characters are all robots)
- Ninja Turtles: The Next Mutation, (again largely live-action save for the main characters, plus a hand puppet in the form of Canon Foreigner Wick)
- The Storyteller (the main characters are generally human, but monster characters and the Storyteller's dog are animatronic puppets)
- Swamp Critters
- TV Colosso
- Tweenies (overlaps with People in Rubber Suits)
- Welcome to Pooh Corner
Hand Puppets
Fan Works
Films
- The Happytime Murders
- Little Alvin and the Mini-Munks
- Meet the Feebles
- The Muppets Films & Specials:
- The Christmas Toy
- Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas
- The Great Muppet Caper
- Hey Cinderella!
- It's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie
- Muppet Classic Theater
- The Muppet Christmas Carol
- A Muppet Family Christmas
- The Muppet Movie
- The Muppet Musicians of Bremen
- Muppet Treasure Island
- Muppet*Vision 3D
- The Muppets (2011)
- The Muppets at Walt Disney World
- The Muppets Celebrate Jim Henson
- A Muppets Christmas: Letters to Santa
- Muppets from Space
- Muppets Haunted Mansion
- Muppets Most Wanted
- The Muppets Take Manhattan
- The Muppets' Wizard of Oz
- Sesame Street Presents: Follow That Bird
- The Tale of the Bunny Picnic
- Tales from Muppetland: The Frog Prince
- Smoking Causes Coughing: Chief Didier is a hand puppet. This film also features animatronics and People in Rubber Suits.
- Thunderbolt Fantasy
- Scooby-Doo! Adventures: The Mystery Map
Music
- Doctor Steel's rare live shows feature one, which include both hand and stick puppets.
- The videos for "Sing" and "Happier" by Ed Sheeran feature a puppet based on him.
TV Series
- 31 Minutos
- The Adventures of Timmy the Tooth
- Allegra's Window
- Ants in Your Pants
- Baby Einstein (in segments)
- The Basil Brush Show
- Le Bébęte Show
- The Barbarian and the Troll
- Between the Lions
- Big and Small
- Big Bag
- The Big Garage
- The Book of Pooh
- Käpt'n Blaubär
- Charlie Horse Music Pizza
- The Chica Show (Chica, Mrs. C, and Mr. C are puppets, but Chica is the only one of them to get a Toon Transformation. Kelly is live-action, Stitches is stuffed, and Bunji is a real-live rabbit).
- Chicken Minute
- Cousin Skeeter
- Crank Yankers
- Crash & Bernstein
- Curiosity Shop
- DC Follies
- Donkey Hodie
- Don't Eat the Neighbours
- Eureeka's Castle
- The Ferals
- Fox Clubhouse (first season)
- Gerbert
- Giggle And Hoot
- The Good Night Show
- The Great Space Coaster
- Greg the Bunny
- Les Guignols de l'Info
- Hallo Spencer
- Hector's House
- Helpsters
- It's a Big Big World
- Iris The Happy Professor
- Jack's Big Music Show
- Johnny and the Sprites
- Julie's Greenroom
- The Junior Christian Science Bible Lesson Program
- Kikiriki
- Kingdom Adventure
- Kukla, Fran, and Ollie
- Lamb Chop's Play-Along
- Land O'Hands
- LazyTown
- Let's Be Real
- The Lets Go Show
- The Letter People
- Die Liewe Heksie
- Lift-Off
- Li'l Horrors
- Little Mermaid's Island
- Lomax, the Hound of Music
- Michael Bentine's Potty Time
- Les Minikeums
- Mister K's Clubhouse
- Mister Rogers' Neighborhood
- Mongrels
- Mother Goose Treasury
- Mr. Dressup
- Mr. Meaty
- The Mr. Potato Head Show
- The Muppets TV Shows:
- Bear in the Big Blue House
- Dog City (as a Framing Story to the animation)
- Fraggle Rock
- Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock (although, pedantically, they are no longer officially Muppets)
- The Jim Henson Hour
- Mopatop's Shop
- The Muppet Show
- The Muppets (2015)
- The Muppets Mayhem
- Muppets Now
- Muppets Tonight
- Sam and Friends
- Sesame Street
- The Wubbulous World of Dr. Seuss
- Nanalan'
- The Noddy Shop
- Noodle And Doodle
- Oobi (also fits under Muppet shows)
- The Pajanimals
- Panda Bear Daycare
- Peppermint Park
- Pets
- Pili Fantasy: War of Dragons
- Puppets Who Kill
- The Puzzle Place
- Readalong
- Roger and the Rottentrolls
- Rosie & Jim (although it mostly focuses on real life)
- A Scare at Bedtime (interspersed with live-action segments)
- Seemore's Playhouse
- The Sifl and Olly Show
- Slniečko
- Slumberkins
- The Sooty Show
- Space Knights
- Spitting Image
- The Sprout Sharing Show
- St. Bear's Dolls Hospital
- The Studio K Show
- The Sunny Side Up Show
- Süsü, a sárkány
- Takalani Sesame
- Téléchat
- Téléfrançais!
- Terrahawks
- Tiger & Toni
- That Puppet Game Show
- Thunderbolt Fantasy
- Toby Terrier and His Video Pals
- Today's Special
- Tots TV
- Under the Umbrella Tree
- Weinerville
- What's in the Bible?
- Wimzie's House
- Wonder Showzen
- Wulin Warriors
- Yonderland
- Zoboomafoo (the title character is sometimes a puppet)
Stage Shows
Web Videos
- Arlo
- Don't Hug Me I'm Scared (with one character who is a person in a suit and some computer animation)
- The Funday Pawpet Show
- Glove and Boots
- Godziban
- Neil's Puppet Dreams
- Puppet History
- Puppet Power
- Puppet Reviews Stuff
- Santana
- Skippy Shorts
- Steve D'Monster
- Technicolor Dreams
Marionettes
Films
Theatre
Web Videos
TV Series
- Anytime Tales (overlaps with Stop Motion)
- The numerous Augsburger Puppenkiste productions in Germany
- B.R.A.T.S. of the Lost Nebula
- Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons
- Fireball XL5
- The Investigator (failed pilot)
- Joe 90
- Die Liewe Heksie
- Mr. Squiggle
- Rimini Riddle
- The Secret Service (hybrid with live-action)
- Space Patrol (the British series)
- Star Fleet / Bomber X
- Stingray
- Strange Hill High
- Supercar
- Topo Gigio
- Thunderbirds
Suitmation
Films
TV Series
- Smoking Causes Coughing: The Tobacco Force fight human-sized monsters who are People in Rubber Suits. At some point a little girl looks at a video that they have made, and comments that the monster looks fake. This film also features hand puppets and animatronics.
- Where the Wild Things Are
TV Series
- The Banana Splits
- Bananas in Pyjamas
- Barney & Friends
- Boohbah
- Bookaboo
- The Bugaloos
- Far Out Space Nuts
- Here's Humphrey
- Hip Hop Harry
- H.R. Pufnstuf
- Inai Inai Baa!
- In the Night Garden...
- Johnson and Friends
- Land of the Lost (1974)
- Lidsville
- The Lost Saucer
- Magic Mountain
- Odisea Burbujas
- Okaasan to Issho
- Sigmund and the Sea Monsters
- Teletubbies
- Wilbur
- Yo Gabba Gabba!
