marionette, Slithy Tove II (Jabberwocky)

The Toronto Guild of Puppetry, organized in 1953, actively served as a volunteer training ground for amateur puppeteers in Toronto until it was dissolved in 1989. From the early 1960s on, the Guild's activities centred on an annual production using hand puppets, marionettes, and rod puppets. Members worked cooperatively on these large-scale shows, which were presented as a means of raising operating funds for the groups. A number of the Guild's early members became semi-professional, and some went on to make puppetry a career.

Adapted from Figuratively Speaking : Puppetry in Ontario by Ken McKay, copyright 1990. Courtesy of the Ontario Puppetry Association and Ken McKay.

(Alternate name: String Puppet)

This category of puppet is controlled from above using strings. Marionettes are usually fully articulated, with strings linking the different parts of the body - head, torso, arms, legs - to a hand-held "control". Several different types of controls exist, with various degrees of complexity (vertical, horizontal, angled). Marionettes can be made of a wide range of materials: wood, paper, fabric, foam rubber, etc.

Tandem Marionette

Marionette combining two characters - sometimes more - which are usually placed side by side and attached to the same control. This type of puppet is most often used when similar characters must make identical movements; e.g., a corps de ballet.

Trick Marionette

A marionette constructed and strung in a way that allows it to perform precise and intricate activities (e.g., juggling, performing complex manoeuvres on a trapeze), or to transform (e.g., when one character changes into another). In the latter case, it should be noted that the term "transformation marionette" can also be used.