Puppeteering Pointers

Q: Can we change the clothes that the puppets are wearing?

You are permitted to change the clothes that the puppets are wearing, but there are certain guidelines that your group needs to consider when choosing an updated style.

First, remember that the puppet's clothes need to be taken off and put on feet first. Never pull the clothing over the puppet's head. This could damage the puppet.

When choosing new clothes, remember to take into consideration the age, gender, personality and original look of the puppet character. For example, Stephen Arthurs is 11 years old and featured in the Physical Abuse program. He likes to do lots of fun stuff with his friends, and should be dressed like an average adolescent boy, in blue jeans and a t-shirt. It's important that Stephen wears a shirt that is either short-sleeved or has rolled-up long sleeves so that the scar on his arm is visible. Most puppets wear clothing sizes 2T-4T. Mandy Puccini from the Deafness Program wears a girls' size 10 or 12.

Avoid dressing the puppets in solid black or white, overly busy prints, clothing with snap or zipper crotches, sleeveless shirts, v-necks, uniforms or logo/licensed clothing. The puppets may not be dressed to promote any products to the children in the audience. Once the clothing is purchased, try it on the puppet before making the necessary hole in the back of the shirt for the puppeteer's arm. Some alterations may be needed. Be sure to stitch the clothing to the puppet's body at the shoulders and waist, to insure that it doesn't fall off during a performance. Also, be sure not to dress any two puppets alike who will be performing together.

Keep in mind that clothing which adheres to the above guidelines can be purchased for all puppet characters from the KOB International Headquarters.

If your group has a special event or situation for which you feel the puppets need to be dressed in a way that does not comply with these standards, please contact the international office to discuss the details and request a copyright release.

Q: Is it OK if we replace the question and answer period with a puppet review?

The question and answer portion of KOB presentations is an integral part of the curriculum and is not optional. The research, development, writing and field testing processes are carefully undertaken by our professional staff. Through these processes, which generally take a year or more, we make very specific choices regarding how to best present information about each topic. A puppet review is selected and scripted only when our research and sound educational practice indicate that a review would be the most effective way to present the information. Scripts that do not have puppet reviews are designed to elicit questions, and it would be a disservice to your audience to fail to provide the opportunity for those questions to be asked.

Also, conducting a puppet review which is not scripted and provided by The Kids on the Block, Inc. is a violation of the copyright. We do understand that there may be a rare occasion that replacing a question and answer period with a puppet review may serve a specific educational purpose. If you feel that your group has encountered such a situation, you must receive a written copyright release from KOB Headquarters. Please contact our staff to request a release application form.

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Last changed:
ŠKeeping Up with the Kids, Spring, 2002