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How to Make a Pig Marionette

Making puppets is just as much fun as playing with them. As the puppet creator, you have the ability to express your own creativity by adding personality quirks--making them uniquely your own. Just as with kites and train sets, you may start out by guiding your child in making puppets, but find that your little pig marionette has won its way into your heart and become a treasured member of the family, bringing delighted giggles and guffaws with every performance.

Things You'll Need

  • 1 small pot pink paint
  • 1 small pot champagne paint
  • 1 medium art paint brush
  • 8 feet of clear fishing line
  • 1-inch diameter heavy cardboard tube, at least 4 inches
  • 3 Styrofoam cups
  • 2 waggle eyes
  • 4 small cotton balls
  • 1 large cotton ball
  • 2 pink pipe cleaner
  • 2 wooden dowels with threading tags
  • 1 small pot of glue
  • 1 bundle pink embroidery thread
  • 1 embroidery needle
  • 1 pair of crafting scissors
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Instructions

    • 1
      Crafting materials

      Cut the tube into four equal lengths of at least 1 inch each. Cut the bottoms off the Styrofoam cups before painting the pig marionette. The legs, body parts and head can be any length you choose. You can use a smaller cup for the piggy's head.

    • 2
      Cut the bottoms

      Glue the two cups that match in size together at the mouth to make the body.
      Paint the four tubes, which make the legs of the string puppets, the body and the remaining Styrofoam cup pink.

    • 3
      Cotton balls for feet and snout

      Paint the cotton balls with the champagne paint, and allow the pig marionette to dry.

    • 4
      Piggy eyes

      Glue the waggle eyes to the head of the string puppet, and allow to dry.

    • 5
      Unique pigs

      Embroider the large cotton ball to form two lines or dots for making puppets snouts. Embroider the small cotton balls with three lines, representing the toes of the pig marionette.

    • 6
      Piggy tail

      Cut the pink pipe cleaners to the length you desire for the tail and the ears. A part of the fun of making puppets is the ability to twist and curl the pipe cleaners for the tail. Attach the tail to the rear of the body and the ears to either side of the head by piercing the cups with one end of the pipe cleaner, pushing through about a 1/4 of an inch and bending to fix in place.

    • 7
      Marionnettes

      Cut the dowel rods into two even pieces. Line the pieces up evenly, and wrap them in the center, so they stay together holding the pattern of four directions. This accommodates mobility.

    • 8
      Fishing line

      Cut 4 even lengths of the fishing line, and string them through the ends at the dowel rod tags. Attach one end by the tail, one at the neck of the pig marionette, one by the top of the head and one by the snout.

    • 9
      Make body parts movable.

      String the legs loosely to the body of the string puppet with the fishing line, starting at the feet with the cotton balls. Loosely attach the head to the body with the remaining fishing line, and glue the cotton ball snout making puppets to enchant the entire family.

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