The mouth of a puppet must be strong to ensure your puppet will hold up to continued use. The shape of the mouth defines the character of a puppet.
To make a great puppet mouth, you will need:
- A pattern
- Foam Core Board or other thin strong material
- Contact cement or spray adhesive
- Felt for the inside of the mouth
- Cloth for the inside of the puppet
- Foam or elastic for finger tubes
- Craft foam for teeth and tongue
- Gaffers tape to connect mouth plates
Table of Contents
Your Pattern
All great puppets start with a well-built mouthpiece. This will consist of top and bottom plates that are hinged together with gaffer’s tape or duct tape.
If you buy a puppet pattern, it will include the pattern for the mouth plates. If you make your own pattern for the puppet, you will also need to make a mouth pattern.
Once you have assembled your head, you can place cardboard or craft paper inside the mouth where your mouth plates will go. Trace the shape of the mouth and you have a pattern.
If you don’t have a head pattern and are building up your puppet head from the mouth, you can easily make a pattern. Take a square of craft paper and fold it into quarters.
Draw a quarter circle on the paper and cut out. This will give you a circular or oblong shape when unfolded. Cut the shape in half and you will have your top and bottom patterns.
You can then trim one of the pieces to make an underbite or overbite. This will add character to your puppet. You may also just leave them identical for a more symmetrical mouth.
Cut Out Your Mouth Plates
I usually use foam core board for my mouth plates. It is rigid, yet light and easy to cut to shape.
Other materials you can use for your mouthplate include corrugated plastic like they make signs out of, plywood and rubber gasket. Some puppet builders use cardboard, but in my opinion, cardboard is a horrible choice. It can break down so quickly and overs little strength to your build.
You can also use plastic from storage tubs or plastic coffee can lids.
Trace your pattern onto the foam core, or whatever material you are using. Foam core can be cut with scissors or a razor blade. Always mark the center point of both plates on the edge. This will help align the mouth when you attach it to the puppet.
Connect The Top And Bottom Plates
You will use gaffer’s tape or duct tape and fabric to hinge the mouth plates.
When attaching the top and bottom plates, leave about a 1/4″ gap between the pieces. This will leave room for the felt you will place inside the mouth later. It also allows better movement of the mouth.
Lay the pieces out flat, with your gap and apply a piece of tape across. Then fold the mouth shut and tape the other side.
You must have the mouth closed when you add the tape to the part of the mouth that will be inside the puppet. If you leave it flat when you tape, the mouth will not close properly.
Once you have the plates taped, you will want to cover the mouth plates with fabric. I like to use denim from old jeans, but Tshirt cloth or any other material will work.
Spray the part of the mouth that will be inside the puppet with spray adhesive. With the mouth closed, wrap your fabric over the mouth and let dry.
Once the glue has dried, you can trim the edges of the cloth evenly with the edge of the mouth. This layer of cloth makes a stronger mouth and also protects the foam core from sweaty hands.
Apply The Inside Of The Mouth
Adding the material which will be the inside of your puppet’s mouth is easy.
Spray the inside of the mouth with spray adhesive. Place this on a square of felt that will be the inside of the mouth.
After the glue has dried, trim around the edge of the mouth and voila, you have a perfect mouth.
Attach Finger Tubes Or Elastic Bands
Finger Tubes
Finger tubes can be made out of foam. Make a tube from a piece of foam about 1″ wide and 5 ” long. The length of the strip will depend on the size of your fingers.
Place two tubes side by side on the top of the mouth. These should be glued together and glued to the mouth plate.
When using this set-up, the puppeteer puts his/her first and third fingers in the tubes and the middle finger on top of the tubes.
Put another tube on the bottom plate for your thumb. This tube will usually be a little bigger than the finger tubes.
Finger Straps
Instead of the tubes, you may decide to place straps across the top of the puppet mouth. 1″ elastic works great for this.
Attach the elastic band to the top of the mouth with contact cement. The band should be slightly longer than the width of the mouth. You do not want the strap flat across the mouth plate. Rather, you want a slight gap to slide the fingers in.
You may also use an elastic band on the bottom plate. for the thumb.
As an alternative, you may decide to use a strip of foam for your top strap. Make it loose enough to easily slide in your hand, but tight enough to give a good grip. The foam will have some stretch and should fit tight.
The advantage to straps of foam or elastic is that puppeteers with various size hands can use the puppet. On a custom build, this is especially wise. Your customer probably does not want a puppet with finger tubes sized for your fingers, unless they have the same size hand.
Leather and Plywood.
Some builders make their mouthplates out of craft plywood. This is the thin birch wood sold for model airplane building.
Once the plate is cut out, leather straps are cut for the top and bottom plates. Holes are drilled and the straps attached with rivets. The plates are hinged together with a strip of leather. This makes a very strong mouthplate.
Strengthen Mouth With Fabric
Once you have your finger tubes in place, Spray adhesive over the top of the mouth and lay a stretchy fabric, like a T-shirt over the top. This will help keep everything in place and give you a very durable mouth.
T-Shirts can be bought very cheaply at a yard sale or thrift store. The cotton material works great for this step. You can also use scrap fleece.
MAKE A LONG-LASTING MOUTHPLATE WITH SCULPT OR COAT® To make a long-lasting mouthplate for your puppet, cover the finger tubes and entire mouthplate with a stretchy fabric. T-Shirts work great for this. THEN apply a thin layer of Sculpt or Coat®. Make sure the Sculpt or Coat® soaks into the fabric. This will triple its strength for a long-lasting mouth mechanism.
Add A Tongue
To add a tongue to the inside of your puppet’s mouth, cut a heart shape from felt or craft foam. Round the bottom of the heart. This can be attached with spray adhesive or contact cement.
You can also carve a tongue out of a piece of soft foam. This can then be colored with a sharpie marker.
Add Teeth
You may or may not want to add teeth. Teeth can be carved out of 1/2″ or 1/4″ foam or cut out of craft foam. If using craft foam to make the teeth, glue a piece of 1/4″ foam on the back of the teeth. This will give you a place to put glue to glue the teeth to the inside of the mouth.
For detailed instructions on making puppet teeth, see my article HERE.
Attach The Mouth To The Puppet Head
You can use hot glue or contact cement to attach the mouth to the puppet.
To attach the mouth, line up the center of the mouth with the center of the puppet. Attach the mouth here first. Then, you can work the puppet foam around the edge of the mouth, lining it up as you go.
Depending on the look you want, the mouth plates can be glued to the inside edge of the foam head or flat onto the 1/2″ edge of the foam. I prefer to place it on the inside and leave a little lip area. This is personal preference, though.
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