What is the difference between a hand puppet and a glove puppet?

| Mari Jones

A very common question we are asked is “What is the difference between a hand puppet and a glove puppet?” 

Here are some of the main differences between hand and glove puppets. Please note that all our puppets are unique, and these features are a general guideline – there are always exceptions to every rule! Contact us to chat about the type of puppet you would like.

If you’re looking for a different type of puppet, just ask – we make all sorts!

Our Hand Puppets:

  • Can be any size, but are usually 50-85cm tall
  •  Have an internal foam structure and a stuffed body
  • Have a reinforced movable mouth
  • Can be gently hand washed
  • Can have a very wide variety of shapes
  • Can have added extras such as moving eyebrows, arm rods, moving ears etc
  • Also known as talking puppets, ventrioquist puppets, muppets, moving mouth puppets. 

Our Glove Puppets:

  • Are usually 25-35cm tall
  • Are flatter and less structured
  • Have a movable head and arms that you move with your thumb and fingers
  • Can be machine washed on a gentle setting
  • Have a basic glove shape

Examples

Here are some examples showing hand puppets and glove puppets of the same characters.

A Custom soft toy.
A hand puppet- 85cm tall
A Custom Glove Puppet Cave Troll
A Glove Puppet - 35cm tall
A Hand Puppet - 80cm tall
Custom Glove Puppet Pirate wearing a purple jacket and a black hat
A Glove Puppet - 40cm tall

Find out more about our hand puppets and glove puppets here:

For more information about different types of puppets, here are some great books!