Making Puppets from Recycled Materials
A lot of puppet-making guides that I have read recommend using wood for sturdy, well-functioning puppets. When I started making puppets at age nine, however, I did not have access to wood-carving tools, so I turned to cardboard and paper instead. My goal for this project was to take my use of recycled materials one step further. As I began looking for ways to incorporate other unconventional materials into my work, I discovered that basically anything can turn into a puppet if you look at it the right way.
Hummingbird
Easily the smallest puppet in my collection, the hummingbird often captures people’s attention with its sparkling appearance and miniature details. This tiny puppet was made using a bottle cap for the body, a can tab for the tail, a paper connector beak, clear plastic wings, a recycled scrap of fabric, and lots of seed beads.
Porcupine
The idea for this puppet originated in my art class at school where, staring at a couple of hardened, unusable paintbrushes, I wondered wether I could turn them into something else. After collecting a few dozen old paintbrushes from my school, family, and friends, I began constructing the porcupine, using the brushes as quills and creating art with them in an nontraditional way. Other materials used include scraps of fabric from old sweaters and boots, as well as marker caps for the feet and a paint tube cap for the nose.
Sea Turtle
An old backpack with a broken zipper might seem pretty useless, but to me, it was the perfect opportunity to create another puppet. The backpack provided the turtle’s shell while the straps transformed into flippers. The back flippers were made using the brims of old hats while the head is an empty can, attached by what was formerly a shirt sleeve in order to provide movement and retractability. For the final touches, I cut up plastic containers, gluing them to the head and flippers to create some scaly texture.
Vaquita Porpoise
Because of its status on the critically endangered species list, I decided to give the vaquita an almost transparent appearance which emphasizes both the danger of this species’ extinction and the negative impact of plastic in our oceans. While the vaquita’s main threat comes from active fishing nets, it is one of many marine creatures endangered by abandoned plastic debris in seawater. This puppet was created using clear plastic containers and two wooden chopsticks for the controls.
Sea Otter
A fun, interactive, and playful puppet, the sea otter is simple and easy to control. Made almost entirely out of fabric, with two tin cans to give the body some structure and recycled paper underneath the fabric on the head, this puppet has a lot of freedom for movement, giving it a bouncy and playful personality. Like many of my puppets, this sea otter has clear glass eyes with hand-painted backs to give it more life.