Start with a paper bag and add a few decorations to make an easy hand puppet. Make puppets in this project that either have a mouth that opens and closes, or eyes that open and close. How the bag's flap and the flap's crease are decorated determine the type of puppet. The play in this project, Clever Gretel, is based on a Brothers Grimm folktale from Germany.
This is the third in a series of puppet making projects that include plays based on folktales from cultures around the world and back in time. A German folktale from the Brothers Grimm is the basis for a play, Clever Gretel, using puppets in this project.
Related crafts: For more puppet fun, see the Clip-Art Bag Puppets craft project. This time make paper bag puppets using clip art! A quick, easy and fun activity for families and groups. Make a couple of opera singer hand puppets from Tenor and Diva Paper Bag Puppets. Or see the Cat and Owl Paper Bag Puppets craft project for how to make animal puppets using paper bags.
For more puppet craft projects, many with plays, see Puppets Around the World craft project index.
Choose the puppets that you want to make. Make the puppets for the play included in this project, or create a play of your own centered around the puppets you choose. For the play Clever Gretel, the Gretel, Mayor and Banker puppets are needed, as are the Roasting Chicken props. See the play for more details.
These patterns are for cutouts to decorate the paper bags for each character. There is also one pattern for a play prop—roasting chickens. Make the props following the Stick Puppets instructions. The cutouts are sized for use with lunch-size paper bags. Lunch-size bags are about 5¼" by 3¼" by 10½" in size. You can scale the patterns down to fit smaller bags. In the Adobe Reader Print window, select Page Scaling: Tile all pages, then enter a percentage in the Tile Scale: box.
Patterns are Adobe PDF files. The Adobe Reader is available for free.
All of Aunt Annie's project patterns are designed to be printed on standard letter-size paper (8.5"x11" or A4). When printing from Adobe Reader, you may need to select Auto-Rotate and Center or Choose paper source by PDF page size to ensure the best fit.
If you printed a black & white pattern, color the puppet cutouts any colors you like. Each pattern includes two sets of eyes—complete eyes and separate parts of eyes. Pick the type you prefer and color them.
Colored paper cutouts are another choice. To make them, cut out the patterns, trace around them on colored paper, and cut.
Instead of using cutouts, you may color directly on the paper bag. You can also use a mix of cutouts and coloring: for example, use cutout eyes and a drawn nose.
Cut out the puppet cutouts.
Glue the cutouts to the bag as illustrated for each puppet. Pay careful attention to what is glued inside the crease and under the flap.
Gretel's mouth opens and closes as you move your hand. For the open mouth, glue the mouth cutout under the flap, aligning the bottom edge to the crease where the flap falls. For the closed mouth, glue the upper lip on the flap and the lower lip just below the mouth.
The Mayor's eyes open and close as you move your hand. Glue the eyes on the crease where the bottom of the flap falls. For the nose to have a 3D look, fold it in half and fold the glue tabs in. Apply glue on tabs.
The Banker's eyes open and close as you move your hand. Glue the eyes on the crease where the bottom of the flap falls. Make a shirt on the bag before gluing on the collar and bow tie. Either color a rectangle on the bag, or glue on a white or colored paper rectangle.
Add any additional decorations you might like to complete the puppet. Yarn or fake fur can be added for texture. Additional cutouts for clothing or tools could also be added.
To operate a puppet, slip your hand into the bag and put four fingers in the flap. Open and close your hand to move the flap.
Puppet Play: Perform the play included in the project. A Brothers Grimm folktale from Germany is presented in the play, Clever Gretel, using these puppets and props.
Think of what your puppets will do. Where does your play take place? Write down what the puppets will say and figure out how they will move. Will more than two puppets be on stage at once? Do you need a friend to help? Rehearse your play a few times, and then perform it for family and friends.
That's it! The puppets are done! Now put on a play!
Tip: Some paper bag puppets are designed to open their mouths.
Tip: And others are designed to open and close their eyes.
Tip: Tape or glue the roasted chicken props to bamboo skewers.
Tip: See the Cat and Owl Paper Bag Puppets craft project for how to make animal puppets using paper bags.
Tip: See the Tenor and Diva Paper Bag Puppets craft project for printable cutouts to make some funny opera singer puppets.
