Puppet Origin Stories Fundraising

Puppet Origin Stories - Champion a Puppet Today

The Finger Players (TFP) was founded on 28th August 1999, and countless puppets have been built in our workshop to create the special brand of theatre that so many of our audiences have grown to love and support. Puppets inspire belief in us and our audience members, telling magnificent and magical stories while still providing a safe distance from difficult themes. Since our inception, we have told stories about life and death, war and pain, and we have even tackled challenging but essential topics like child sexual abuse, youth mindfulness and disability.

We believe in puppets because we believe it births imagination and fantasy, creating worlds that we can safely exist in.


In 2020, at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, we spoke to the Makers and Designers of the puppets we have in TFP, to create the repository that is the Puppet Origin Stories – a humble effort to highlight the background, and the making and design history of these puppets. We hope that this can be a continued endeavour at TFP, and we hope that you can go on this journey with us.

Make a donation to champion a puppet that you feel affinity for today. 

Can’t decide which puppet to champion?

TAKE THIS SHORT QUIZ TO HELP YOU DECIDE!

Ah Keng

Ah Keng

Born in the mountains
Read More

Ah Ma

Ah Ma

Sculpted after Co-founder Tan Beng Tian
Read More

Amrita

Amrita

The only puppet in TFP that has feet
Read More

Angel

Angel

Once a monk, now an angel
Read More

Astronaut

Astronaut

Puppet with slinkies in its limbs
Read More

Big Bully

Big Bully

Our oldest puppet
Read More

Big Head and Wing

Big Head and Wing

An experiment in color-shift technique
Read More

Bird

Bird

3D shadow puppetry, between reality and projected reality
Read More

Black Body

Black Body

Mummified an actor to make this
Read More

Cat

Cat

Has a twin
Read More

Confetti Drum

Confetti Drum

A lesson in how to let confetti fall beautifully
Read More

Cow

Cow

Designer built it to torture the puppeteer (the same person)
Read More

Drum Carousel

Drum Carousel

Built for an adaptation of Mishima’s The Damask Drum
Read More

Elderly Person

Elderly Person

When actors not enough
Read More

Faceless Maiden

Faceless Maiden

Made from a cookie tin and lovely swathes of fabric
Read More

Funny Old Tree

Funny Old Tree

Inspired by the bonsai
Read More

Headgears

Headgears

Is now at Karen Tan’s house
Read More

Intestines

Intestines

Looks like intestines, but is actually rope wrapped in fabric
Read More

Jackson

Jackson

Was previously Ah Mu
Read More

Leaf

Leaf

Do you ever feel… like a leaf?
Read More

Leng

Leng

Has spongey hair to appear likeable
Read More

Long Nv and Tudou

Tudou and Long Nv

Dragon Girl and Potato – the love story that never was
Read More

Moon Baby

Moon Baby

Wanna know why, it has only one eye?
Read More

Oink Oink and Quack Quack

Oink Oink and Quack Quack

Design concept inspired by Singapore’s high rainfall
Read More

Peng

Peng

The puppet that documents the pandemic
Read More

Platform

Platform

Layering of shadow puppet cut-outs with speed / depth
Read More

Polygonal Masks

Polygonal Masks

Design alluding to fragmented reality in mental illness
Read More

Rolling Shadow Screen

Rolling Shadow Screen

Even sliding scenery has artistry
Read More

Samsul Woman

Samsul Woman

Girl powerrrrrrr!!!
Read More

Senta

Senta

Was modelled after the costume the actor wore
Read More

Sponge Girl

Sponge Girl

Myra Loke’s spirit puppet
Read More

Sun Wu Kong

Sun Wu Kong

Bigger than most hand puppets so it can wield weapons
Read More

Toyogo Box

Toyogo Box

More interesting than its name
Read More

Turning Plates Puppet

Turning Plates Puppet

Puppet that tries to keep the plates turning
Read More

White Dog

White Dog

When a palm-sized 3D puzzle becomes a life-sized puppet
Read More

We would like to thank: 



Tak Takut Kids Club for drawing most of the images you see above
Erwina Chua
Shannon Ong
Joxop
Benson Lim
Tuckys Photography
Daniel Sim
Tan Beng Tian
Jai Rafferty
Crispi Photography