Triceratops is a 26” long full-body glove. A tank-like plant eater with plated armor, he sports three soft foam huge flesh piercing horns on his head for protection against meat eating predators. As with all Prehistoric Puppets, he is fully flexible down to his swishing tail! A great learning and role playing puppet for ages 4 to extinct. Made of a super soft molded polyurethane foam realistically painted. Inventor Michael Maddi pointed out to TDmonthly that Puppetoys make great characters in little kids' home videos. Launch date: February 2008.

This dinosaur is a 32”-long, full-body glove puppet. Ceratasaur is a stealth, forest-dwelling meat eater with three boney horns and razor-like soft foam teeth. As with all Prehistoric Puppets, he is fully flexible down to his swishing tail! He comes with his own stand for play or display and is a great learning and role-playing puppet for ages 4 to extinct. The product is made of a super-soft, molded polyurethane foam, and is realistically painted.

Is a 32” long full body glove puppet. Spinosaurus is a fierce meat eater with an alligator head with shorter spike-like soft foam teeth and large fin on his back. As with all Prehistoric Puppets he is fully flexible down to his swishing tail! And he comes with his own stand for play or display! A great learning and role playing puppet for ages 4 to extinct.

Made of a super soft molded polyurethane foam realistically painted.

Is a 32” long full body glove puppet. Tyrannosaurus Rex is a menacing meat eater with long spike-like soft foam teeth. As with all Prehistoric Puppets he is fully flexible down to his swishing tail! And he comes with his own stand for play or display! A great learning and role playing puppet for ages 4 to extinct.

Made of a super soft molded polyurethane foam realistically painted.

HaPe introduces 7 new Hand Glove Animal Puppets to its range of over 40 puppets.    Children will love including these colorful and friendly animals – there’s a Pink Flaming, Kangaroo, Zebra, Panda and even a Guinea Pig.  The velour cover is stretchable and allows for easy movement by little ones and even for roles performed by parents and caregivers.  Puppets have a snug cuff and are approximately 8 ¾” tall.  Suggested retail is $5.95 each. 

Put side-by-side with a real, live cat, it would be hard to tell the difference from this puppet. True to its breed, this cat looks and feels like the living feline — floppy, relaxed and almost boneless. It is made of long, spiky plush in browns and tans with white paws and face, and has a long, fluffy tail.
— This relaxed feline garnered a TDmonthly Top Toy 2007 award for its realistic fur and overall appearance, as well as its friendly persona. It’s a loveable creature that kids can carry around while “speaking” to others by manipulating its mouth.
—  As of 05/13/2011 this product had 4.7 out of 5 stars from 13 reviews on Amazon.com. Cons: One user said that the eyes looked "demented and pretty scary" and that "Its little mouth is red and open, as though ready to take little nips out of me while I sleep."

Where to Buy: Really Great Toys

From the popular Nickelodeon cartoon “Dora the Explorer” come these new collectible finger puppets. Based on characters from the show, including Dora, Boots and Swiper, each puppet comes with a background card and child-sized ring. These puppets are part of a new Nickelodeon collection that Imperial Toys promises will also feature Diego, SpongeBob SquarePants and The Backyardigans. Launch date: Fall 2007.

Each party cracker in this set of six contains a finger puppet along with a paper party hat and a joke. The wrapping is decorated with Christmas-type hats and scarves. “The gifts inside these crackers are unique to this type of product,” Betty Roland of Robin Reed told TDmonthly. “Normally, they have a novelty gift such as a horn, small ball or balloon. Christmas Crackers have been an English tradition for over 155 years.”

This string puppet has an airplane-type control that, when rocked side-to-side like an airplane dipping its wings, causes the puppet to walk or dance. It measures approximately 12” from the control to the feet.
— Owner Lynn Robillard of Toys in the Attic in Manchester, Vt., told TDmonthly in summer 2007 that marionettes from Sunny & Co. are a best-selling product line in her store. The smaller ones sell better than the larger she said, and the absolute favorite is “a toss up between the deer and the moose.”

A finger puppet version of Pandy from the Mandy & Pandy book.

This 18”-tall turkey puppet needs only a hand to come alive. Designed in multitextured and multihued plush, it's a true representation of the cherished American icon. Featuring a one or two-handed design, the turkey's tail displays proudly. Launch date: August 2007.

This puppet looks like a real frog and has stretchable legs just like one, too. It is fashioned in micro-fiber fabrics and features a movable mouth and front legs. The puppet is 15" long. Launch date: August 2007.

This is Hale Bop, inspired by the comet Hale-Bopp. Children love his silly nose and exaggerated pointy head. His spaghetti-thin arms and legs and tubby body will make you laugh. Like all Diabolo puppets, he has a built-in squeaker and is fully lined. Great for boys and girls ages 3 and up.

Meet Gorg, the newest creation from Diabolo Puppets: a funky, zany, spiky hand puppet with a truly outgoing personality. Like all Diabolo puppets, he has a built-in squeaker. He is fully lined and his body, spikes and feet are lightly stuffed. Great for boys and girls ages 3 and up.

Olive is a full body hand puppet. She is a little girl with a friendly, goofy face and long hair. Like all Diabolo puppets, her mouth has a built-in squeaker. Olive is fully lined with a cute pink skirt, striped leggings and stuffed feet. A great hand puppet for boys and girls ages 3 and up.

Leo is a full body hand puppet. He is a little boy with a friendly, gap-toothed grin and a mop of unruly yarn hair. Like all Diabolo puppets, his mouth has a built-in squeaker. Leo is fully lined with a cute collar and dangly arms and legs with stuffed feet. A great hand puppet for boys and girls ages 3 and up.

The mosquito has a long nose or stinger, long triangular fleece wings on his back and soft antennae and arms.

The doe-doe bird is a cross between a toucan and a duck.

The fly is a fat little insect puppet with big google eyes and a gaping grin.

Adventure Planet has new Vinyl Sound Puppets with all of your favorite animals. Listen to them roar!

Kids can tune in to the hottest sound around with this singing plush puppet. Each Pet Yapper plays three favorite children's songs, "Old MacDonald," "London Bridge" and "Frere Jacques," in its own distinctive voice. Favorite tunes have never been sung quite this way before. Calypso the Cat is just one of eight styles in the Russ My Pet Yapper assortment, which also includes dogs, a cow, a pig, a frog and a monkey. They're all surface washable, too. This doll measures 12” x 12” x 12” and weighs 1 lb.
— "My Pet Yapper by Russ" was the best selling puppet in the store of Jamie Burdette, owner of LB Toys in Media, Pa. Two of 62 retailers specifically cited the Yappers as customer favorites.
— Burdette said she sold about a dozen of the puppets a month, which is close to the average sales in puppets for most retailers TDmonthly spoke with in spring 2007.
— "When you move your hand inside the mouth, the Yapper will sing each note of the song. So, the Cat will meow the notes, the Dog will bark them, and so on," said Arline Wall, senior vice president of product development and marketing for Russ Berrie.

This 8” mouse is an addition to Folkmanis' 2007 stable of new animals, which also includes the Teddy Bear and the Fluffy Cat. The Brown Mouse comes with a workable mouth as well as a detailed educational hang tag for young puppeteers. The puppet measures 4" x 6" x 8" and weighs 3.2 oz.
— "The mouse from Folkmanis" is what's selling in plush at Lasso the Moon Wonderful Toys in Helena, Mont., Owner Amy Barrett said.
— Eighteen of 62 retailers who spoke with TDmonthly in spring 2007 agreed with Barrett about the popularity of Folkmanis with their customers.
— Specialty retail sales of Folkmanis puppets range from a few units a month to as many as 50 units a month.

The full body Baby Puppet is a perfect pretend pal. The cute character is easily animated with a working mouth. It's fun to play with and sure to inspire the imagination of kids, adults and drama departments alike. All Melissa & Doug people puppets have removable clothing and include a hand-operating rod. The Baby is constructed with super-soft quality fleece, measures 4" x 8" x 18" and weighs 11.2 oz.
— "We sell quite a few puppets from Melissa & Doug," said Char Mcaulay, manager of Toy Town in Casper, Wyo., when she talked to TDmonthly about store sales in the spring of 2007.

The 25 cm bee is part of Diabolo's line of zany, expressive and colorful hand puppets that "squeak, squeak." The bee has blue fleece wings sewn onto its back and has small black eyes as well as a cute, happy expression. To make her fly, just rotate your wrist and forearm back and forth quickly to make her wings lift out a bit and her arms and antennae flip-flop about. Other puppets in this line include the doe-doe bird, the fly and the ladybug.
— "If I had to say, our best sellers in plush would [include] anything from the Diabolo line," said Tom England, owner of Dancing Bear Toys and Gifts in Frederick, Md.

These are professional stage sized versions of our popular half-body puppets. Big Brother and Big Sister measure 24 inches tall and are light weight and very easy to operate the extra large, wide mouth. They come with a Plexiglas control rod to manipulate the arm. Available in 3 skin colors.

Wholesale price: $25.00 each or $45.00 for the pair. (Available as half-body puppets at half the size and over half the price for $11.00 each, inquire for more detail).