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.](https://picturetopuppet.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Cave-Troll.jpg)
![A Custom Glove Puppet Cave Troll](https://picturetopuppet.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Cave-Troll-GP.jpg)
![](https://picturetopuppet.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Hand-Puppet-Pirate.jpg)
![Custom Glove Puppet Pirate wearing a purple jacket and a black hat](https://picturetopuppet.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Pirate-GP.jpg)
![Hand Puppet and Glove Puppet Comparison](https://picturetopuppet.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Granny-Norbag.jpg)
Find out more about our hand puppets and glove puppets here:
For more information about different types of puppets, here are some great books!
- Puppets and Puppet Theatre, by David Currell
- The complete book of puppetry by George Latshaw
- Puppetry and Puppets by Eileen Blumenthal