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
- The Dark Crystal
- Labyrinth (only had three human characters for most of the movie)
- 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
- 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
- The Tale of the Bunny Picnic
- Tales from Muppetland: The Frog Prince
- Thunderbolt Fantasy
- Scooby-Doo! Adventures: The Mystery Map
- Strings (2004)
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 Bébête Show
- The Barbarian and the Troll
- Between the Lions
- 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
- DC Follies
- Donkey Hodie
- Don't Eat the Neighbours
- Eureeka's Castle
- The Ferals
- Gerbert
- 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
- Kitty Cats
- Lamb Chop's Play-Along
- LazyTown
- 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 Rogers' Neighborhood
- Mongrels
- Mother Goose Treasury
- Mr. Dressup
- Mr. Meaty
- The Mr. Potato Head Show
- The Muppets TV Shows:
- Nanalan'
- The Noddy Shop
- 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
- Roger and the Rottentrolls
- Rosie and 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
- 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
- Joe 90
- Die Liewe Heksie
- Mr. Squiggle
- Rimini Riddle
- Space Patrol (the British series)
- Star Fleet / Bomber X
- Stingray
- Strange Hill High
- Supercar
- Topo Gigio
- Thunderbirds
Suitmation
Films
TV Series
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!
