Measuring 48” long and covered with gold “scales,” this puppet is based on the traditional Chinese dragon. The eyes, tongue and mouth can all be controlled by a hand inside the puppet’s head.  Finishing details include bright gold fabric on the claws and horns, soft plastic teeth, and a long snake-like tongue.  —“Red or Blue Dragon from Folkmanis,” Molly McMullin, manager of Twirl in Ranchos de Taos, N.M., told TDmonthly when asked to name the store’s best-selling plush or puppet in early summer 2008.
—“[We] reorder [Folkmanis] about every eight weeks,” said Diana Nelson, owner of Kazoo & Company in Denver, Colo.
—Twenty-nine percent of the 62 retailers surveyed named Folkmanis as their best-selling line of plush.

The most critical difference between this realistic 8” tall hand puppet and the real thing is the soft, shaggy fleece that makes up his “spines.” Spaces to engage all five fingers allow kids to move his arms, legs and head. Turn him inside out and he appears to curl into a tight ball, the hedgehog's natural defense response in the wild to protect against predators.
— “They continually upgrade and the favorite ones change seasonally; they change [their products] based on what’s new and exciting,” Ray Goodhart, owner of Ages & Stages Toy Box in Golden, Colo., told TDmonthly in June 2008 about puppet-maker Folkmanis.
— “They're probably the highest quality of any of the plush and puppets I've had in the store,” remarked Dave Brisbois, owner of The Toy Dept. in Pasadena, Calif.
— “All their puppets are fantastic,” said Jeanne McCullough, owner of Children's Store Inc. in Boise, Idaho.

The whole family will enjoy this cuddly panda puppet, a total delight for children and adults alike. Realistically rendered in creamy white and brown-black fur with soft plastic claws on weighted paws, this panda puppet is a gentle tribute to its swiftly disappearing wild counterpart. Hand enters from chest area to work the mouth and front legs.

This Orca whale hand puppet appears to glide through the water. The hand slips easily inside and the arm gives it a swimming motion. It is part of a sealife puppet series featuring a sea otter, alligator and dolphin.
Display Ideas: j-hook peg or bin.

This set includes an adult penguin hand puppet and a baby penguin finger puppet, ideal for interactive, imaginary role playing and storytelling. Launch date: January 2008.

Maisy and her friends, Tallulah and Charley, make their definitive debut as charming and playful finger puppets. These pint-sized (4 3/4") puppets are sewn as complete miniature toys that slide onto the finger. Maisy and her pals, wearing their favorite outfits, are made of soft-woven knit, striped and polka-dotted fabrics, and feature shiny velour highlights as well as silk-screened and handstitched detail.

A combination of velvet arms and legs, dazzling security-fastened plastic eyes, zipper details, metallic horns and embroidered fins and collars show these fossilized friends at their finest. These classic creatures, now as playroom puppets, will rule the land once more. Each puppet has a two-layer belly of shiny, ribbed fabric creating a pocket for smaller hands or bigger fingers so anyone can make these mini monsters move.

A New York Times best seller, Leonardo can't scare anyone! Though when he finally does, he realizes that scaring people isn't quite as satisfying as he thought. Leonardo has a soft chenille, bean-filled body and a fabric pocket to make this sweet monster a puppet. His floppy body is fun to move and hold.

The fuzzy puppet aids a caregiver’s ability to interact with both the Braincandy DVD content and the child. The soft plush is the first toy available in the Braincandy line.

The Japanese snow monkey puppet features a mouth that opens and closes, allowing the puppet to “speak.” Launch date: February 2008.

Timeless Toys Old Fashioned™ Hand Puppets have become staples in the Toy and Educational market sectors.

This holiday and fantasy series includes characters such as Santa and his elves, a dragon, a pirate, and even the Big Bad Wolf.

Timeless Toys Old Fashioned™ Hand Puppets have become staples in the Toy and Educational market sectors.

This animal series includes animals such as the rabbit, the cow, the grasshopper, the frog and more.

Alphabet Man is a versatile teaching tool designed to augment a teacher’s current reading program, not replace it. His colorful and familiar character grabs young children’s attention and makes it easy for him to get across his message. He holds the “Super Power” of reading and wants to help children gain this power too. He does it by introducing the letters and the sounds they make in a memorable and fun fashion. (See our website for more details of this program).

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.