To what degree do participants cultural experiences with puppet imagery shape their perception of and interactions with fabricated characters? was a question This Project explored how cultural perceptions impact puppet design choices and audience psychological reactions to different puppet-making styles, specifically stop-motion and hand-and-rod puppetry.

The study involved showcasing puppets to a small group of participants to gather feedback. The findings indicate that cultural experiences and preconceived notions about design significantly influence audience responses to puppets and their roles within narratives. The selected puppet styles were separated by 40 years, featuring Jim Henson's "Fraggle Rock" from the 1980s and Wes Anderson's "Isle of Dogs" from 2017, with each puppet crafted using the original techniques and designs.

Creating arm and rod puppet is centered around an anchor point in the form of a human arm. A clay head is modeled, with the resulting paper pattern being intricately formed around the anchor point, allowing the arm to control the puppet's speech, movement, and expressions. The head is rigged with a plate for durability, and soft fleece fabric is used for the skin. Fake fur is hand-dyed to texture, and a steel rod is sanded and cut, then placed in the arm of the puppets intricately wired hands. Following this, everything is sewn together, with the final touches being the addition of ping pong balls for eyes, ostrich feathers, and wool for hair. The end result will be a Fraggle.

click this button for the Isle of Dogs puppet: