The Mini series
A Folkmanis mini finger puppet fits in a coat pocket, a pencil case or the palm of a hand. Small as the minis are, most of them show their species at a glance: the Mini Barn Owl, the Mini Praying Mantis, the Mini Blue-Ringed Octopus. The series covers birds, woodland animals, pets, sea creatures and insects, plus a few mythical beings such as the Mini Dragon and the Mini Black Unicorn.
Most of these miniature puppets have no moving parts at all. Your finger does the acting: the character nods, hops, hides behind a book and peers out again. Some minis do more:
- Movable mouth: the Mini Manatee, the Mini Collared Lizard, the Mini Chameleon and the Mini Toad, which can also use its front legs.
- Head that moves: the Mini Snail, the Mini Banana Slug and the Mini Blue Nudibranch.
- Somewhere to hide: the Mini Tortoise, the Mini Turtle and the Mini Hermit Crab pull back into their shells, and a white rabbit pops out of the Mini Magic Hat.
- A sound: the Mini Duckling chirps when you give it a little shake, and the Mini Rattlesnake rattles.
- A magnet: the Mini Winged Piglet has one in its nose, so two of them can kiss.
Larger designs and wristlets
Not every Folkmanis finger puppet is small. The Large Swallowtail Butterfly flutters when you move your hand up and down. The Large Axolotl comes in two versions, one black and one white. The Giant Rattlesnake can open its mouth and shake the rattle at the end of its tail. The Giant San Francisco Garter Snake has a weighted body that makes it feel more like a real snake.
On a wristlet, the head sits on one finger, and the tail wraps around your wrist and fastens with a magnetic clasp. The Black Dragon, the Pearl Dragon and the Phoenix are made this way, and the Phoenix can also move its head.
Two ready-made sets
The Woodland Animal Set contains a black bear, a grey squirrel, a beaver and a red fox. The Great Smoky Mountains Animal Set holds a red fox, a skunk, a black bear and a red salamander. Both arrive in a canvas case with information on each species.
Putting together a cast
For a single character that lives in your bag, choose the animal the child already loves. For a group, give every child a different species, so nobody mixes up whose is whose. A story gets going quickly with a hunter and its prey, such as the Mini Fox and the Mini Field Mouse. The Mini Great Horned Owl and the Mini White Mouse work just as well. A pond scene needs only three: the Mini Frog, the Mini Dragonfly and the Mini Wood Duck. Put a mini next to the matching hand puppet and the two can play a parent and its young: the Mini Hedgehog with the Hedgehog hand puppet, for example.
Where finger puppets come in handy
Early years staff use finger puppets for counting rhymes and songs, where one animal after another joins in. In primary school they stand in for the animals in a nature topic or act out a short dialogue. Speech and language therapists keep a few on hand for word and sound games at the table. In elderly care, a bird or cat finger puppet is an easy way to start a conversation. On a long car journey or in a waiting room, a mini from your pocket helps pass the time.