How to Make a Shadow Puppet

But when and where did actual shadow puppetry originate? In actual fact, shadow puppetry is the oldest form of puppetry in the world. The story goes that over 2000 years ago, the Emperor of the Han Dynasty, Wu, missed his favourite concubine after she died of illness so much, that he lost the desire to do anything, including reigning over China, the country he loved.

One of his ministers came to the rescue. After seeing some children playing with dolls, he noticed the shadows that the dolls cast, and had an idea. He cut a female shape out of donkey leather, creating eleven separate pieces for her joints, and dressed her in painted clothes. His idea? To bring the emperor's concubine back to life!

Using a lamp to cast shadows on the wall. the minister made the favoured concubine dance again. This story is recorded in the official history books and is thought to be the origin of shadow puppetry!


This new form of entertainment spread throughout China as the Manchu rulers spread. It was a show with no language barrier and also started to be used in religious ceremonies, in a manner that allowed the living to communicate with the dead.

India, Turkey and Greece also enjoyed shadow puppetry throughout the ages. Such plays were important in India in the 16th century, and the puppets used were generally the largest. The plays were performed under the eye of Shiva, patron god of puppets. They were usually religious and based on epic stories. In Java and Bali, such epics are performed all night!

In fact, the Indian folklore surrounding shadow puppets is a wonderful tale in itself. The legend states that the shadow dolls were once basic blocks of wood, but one special toymaker would turn this wood into amazing dolls, giving them separate, moving limbs. Lord Shiva and the goddess Parvati visited the shop of this toymaker, and Parvati was so taken with the dolls that she asked Shiva to allow their souls to enter the dolls and cause them to dance. This inspired the toymaker further, and he created string puppets.

Ancient shadow puppets of the Ottoman and Byzantine empires were the forebears of theatres in Greece. These featured a main character named Karagiozi, a hump-backed man with a large nose and one arm longer than the other .

Shadow plays spread throughout Europe in the 1700's, first through Italy and moving into France. The early 1900's saw the creation of silhouette animation, created by a German named Lotte Reiniger, which saw shadow puppets filmed frame by frame.


Shadow puppet entertainment did not catch on in America, however, until after the American Revolution.

While traditional shadow puppets are flat and made from leather, modern shadow puppetry sees plays manipulated with computers or film, with many involving full orchestras, intricate scenery and more. Some cultures continue the tradition of the ancient shadow puppets, however, and there are still many shadow plays with simple backdrops. It is a theatre art with lasting appeal, as puppets can be projected to enormous, larger than life proportions, or tiny images that could fit in the palm of your hand!