The marionette is one of the oldest types of puppet, and it is what most of use think of when we think of puppets. These puppets are articulated, often with many joints and other controls. Strings or wires are attached to the joints. The puppeteer stands above the stage and operates these stings to control the movements of the puppet.
Another very old type of puppet is the hand or glove puppet. Hand puppets of this type are often operated from below, inside a booth. European Punch and Judy shows are an example of this type or puppetry. A sock puppet is a basic version of a hand puppet, and it is sometimes used in such a way as to be chatting with the puppeteer.
A human arm puppet operated by two people. One person operates the body and head of the puppet, while another places his hand inside the sleeve of the puppet to operate the arm and hands. This type of puppetry requires a high level of suspension of disbelief on the part of the members of the audience, because they can see the two operators of the puppet during the performance.
Rod puppets are large puppets with a central rod attached to the head and two rods attached to the hands. The puppeteer can operate the puppet from below, moving the hand rods to make gestures, and the central rod to raise or rotate the head.
Shadow puppets are puppets that are placed between a light source and a thin screen, through which the audience can watch the performance on the other side. This type of puppetry is very popular in Southeast Asia, particularly Indonesia. The topics are often religious or mythological in nature.