A very simple kind of marionette can be made from a ten- or fifteen-cent doll. Change the face as you did the Burattini face. Then take off the arms and legs and separate the arms at the elbows and the legs at the knees. Fasten the upper and lower arms together with tape. Do the same thing with the upper and lower legs. Then fasten the arms and legs to the body as in the illustration. The tape gives free movement at the joints.
Strings. This type of marionette requires not more than seven strings: two for the shoulders, two for the hands, two for the knees, and one for the back. The shoulder string should be about 42 inches long. The other strings are longer as you can see in the illustration. Waxed black linen thread can be used for the strings.
Controllers. For this kind of marionette you can use either a horizontal-bar controller or a cross-bar controller. The illustration gives measurements and construction, and indicates the place for attaching the strings.
A Horizontal-bar controller
1. Back string 2. Shoulder strings 3. Hand strings
1. Hand strings 2. Head strings 3. Shoulder strings 4. Back strings 5. Leather strap under which the hand slips
1. Foot strings 2. Hole to slip over nail in controller B when not in use.
STOCKING MARIONETTE