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How to Make Styrofoam Gooney Bird Marionettes

A marionette is a type of puppet that is animated by strings that lead from the puppet to handles, controlled by the puppeteer, that move the arms, legs and head of a puppet. The movements can be very lifelike. While many marionettes are very complex, requiring skillful construction, simple marionettes can be made easily at home. The parts are readily available in any craft store and can be assembled in an afternoon.

Things You'll Need

Two 1/2-inch by 1/2-inch sticks, 12 inches long
Fast-drying glue
Yellow craft foam
Sharp pencil
1 3-inch Styrofoam ball
2 2-inch Styrofoam balls
4-lb.-test monofilament line
1 6-foot pink feather boa
1 6-foot yellow feather boa
Extra feathers
12 mm google eyes
2 3/4-inch steel washers

Instructions

- 1
  Glue the two sticks together to form an X to make the handle of the marionette.
- 2
  Construct the head by gluing the google eyes to either side of one of the 2-inch foam balls. Cut out a beak from the craft foam and glue it to the ball.
- 3
  Attach the neck: Cut a 1-foot section of the pink feather boa. Poke a hole in the back of the head. Insert the end of the boa into the hole and glue it in place. Poke a hole in the 3-inch foam ball, which will form the body. Insert the other end of the pink boa and glue it in the hole.
- 4
  Construct the feet and legs: Cut the remaining 2-inch Styrofoam ball in half. Cut two 18-inch lengths of the yellow boa. Tie one end of each boa length to a steel washer. Push the washers into the foam of the curved top of each of the ball halves. Cut out two feet with pointy toes from the craft foam and glue them to the flat bottoms of the ball halves. Glue feathers on top of each of the ball halves.
- 5
  Attach the legs to the body: Poke two holes in opposite sides of the 3-inch foam ball. Each hole should be 90 degrees from the neck. Insert each end of the yellow boa lengths that form the legs into each hole and glue them in place.
- 6
  Cover the body by gluing the remaining pink feather boa onto the 3-inch ball. Start with the end of the boa and glue it on in a spiral until the entire ball is covered. Insert some long feathers into the back of the 3-inch ball to form the tail.
- 7
  Cut two 4-foot lengths of monofilament fishing line. Tie an end of each length to the middle of each boa that forms the legs. Tie the other ends to either end of one crossbeam of the wooden handle.
- 8
  Cut two more lengths of monofilament fishing line: a 2 1/2-foot length and a 3-foot length. Poke a hole in the top of the foam ball that forms the head and glue one end of the 2 1/2-foot length of monofilament line into it. Tie the other end to the front end of the other crossbeam of the handle. Poke a hole in the top of the 3-inch ball that forms the body, and glue the end of the 3-foot length of line into it. Tie the other end to the center of the handle. Use the back crossbeam to control the puppet.
- 9
  Glue some of the feathers to the top of the head to finish the marionette.

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