Take your puppetry ideas to the next level with an exquisite custom handmade marionette! Whether it’s for a theatre show, an outreach project or simply a beautiful and unique item for your home, we can design and make the right marionette for you.
Simply send us a picture or description of your character and let us know what movements you’d like to prioritise, and we will figure out how to make your marionette work for you.
Our handmade string puppets can be made from wood, composition, textiles, plastics and a huge range of other materials and techniques. if you’re looking for a particular finish or texture, just let us know!
Here at Picture to Puppet, we can make bespoke marionettes of many styles and types, with controls ranging from a simple cross piece or wire to vertical control 9 string marionettes. In the first instance, we will talk to you in detail about how you would like to operate your puppet, and what you’re going to be using it for. Then we will suggest ways of making your optimum string puppet to meet your specification. We send drawings and swatches for you to check over in advance of making your puppet.
Our marionettes are expertly handmade here at our workshop in Leith.
Your custom string puppet could be made based on a photograph of a person, an animal or a character you’ve designed. If you’re not sure what you want yet, we also offer a design service.
Our standard lead time for custom builds is about 6-8 weeks. We also offer a 1-2 week speed build option which is 20% of your total order cost.
If you can dream it, we can make it. We get asked to make bespoke marionettes, mascot costumes, jack in the boxes, finger puppets… We’re always keen for a new challenge, so if you’re looking for something weird and wonderful, give us a shout!