The Puppet Show

Howdy Doody, Lambchop, Kermit the Frog—all of them are legends, icons in the hearts and minds of children and adults alike. But despite their warm personalities, smiling faces and endearing voices, none of them are real—they're all puppets. Constructed of wood or cloth, manipulated by hand, finger or string, these characters take on a life of their own as extensions of the puppeteer's imagination to educate, entertain, or both.

According to data compiled by NPD Group, puppets were the only plush subcategory to gain any ground in 2000 (vs. 1999 statistics), showing a $5 million increase (in billing dollars). This month, PLAYTHINGS talks to retailers about the continued success of the category and discovers what, if anything, is being done to keep those statistics on the upswing.

When it comes to puppets, variety may very well be the key to success. Manufacturers are keeping retailers—and store shelves—stocked with an abundance of product for boys, girls and even infants. Folkmanis is one company that has devoted itself to the category. Products range from insect finger puppets to fantasy character and woodland creature hand puppets to marionettes animated by the use of a glove and a 32-inch-tall leprechaun. Mary Meyer offers several lines of finger puppets, including a Tippy Toes Finger Puppet Theater, chosen by Child magazine as one of its best toys of the year, and a nifty space shuttle and air travel assortment. The company also produces a line of licensed M&M's finger puppets. Merrymakers produces several groupings of finger puppets. Its Undersea Creatures, Ants!, and Ugh! Bugs! assortments are a small part of a larger plush line, which includes puppets based on popular childrens' books by Kevin Henkes. Meanwhile, manufacturers like Bohemian Crafts Company, located in Philadelphia, bring a more traditional feel to the category. Its hand made, wooden marionettes are rod controlled, painted with a classic flair and dressed in a variety of bright fabrics. The company also manufactures a line of wooden hand puppets, along with a softer, plush assortment of hand puppets for the younger set, featuring such characters as Snow White and the seven dwarfs. And speaking of youngsters, Manhattan Toy provides an array of fun, bright, hand and finger puppets for kids, shaped like everything from a 4-inch Egyptian mummy to an 8-inch rabbit. The company's Handy Work line of hand puppets showcases various professions, and each police officer, astronaut, doctor and firefighter is gender neutral, making the puppets accessible for kids ages 3 and up to enjoy.

These companies are only the tip of the puppet iceberg as many other manufacturers that don't necessarily specialize in the category are producing the soft toys as a smaller part of their overall line. Tiny Love, for example, incorporates small puppets into several developmental toys, and Crocodile Creek has seen success with its licensed assortment of puppets based on Maurice Sendak's Where the Wild Things Are. Alex and Zapf Creations are also joining the puppet parade, with the former manufacturing several types of puppets and puppet theaters, and the latter its Babysoft line for infants.

But despite the wide availability of puppet product, the burden of proof rests with retailers. They—and their customers—are the true test of a product's success or failure.

Chris Duffy, consumer and father of 3-and-a-half-year-old Pete, says that his son "likes puppets that he can easily manipulate…marionettes are too complicated for him, and finger puppets (are used) as action figures." The Brooklyn resident shops at a specialty store on New York's Upper West Side. Pete enjoys the interactivity of puppets, he says, and visually, bright and furry puppets are what he finds appealing.

Sales trends definitely reflect consumer preferences, and several retailers gave PLAYTHINGS a glimpse of what works—and what doesn't—in the selling of puppets.

Although statistically, puppets have shown an increase over the sales of standard plush products, the reverse is the case at Treehouse Toys in Portland, Maine. "Plush generally outsells puppets," store owner Robert Leuchtner tells PLAYTHINGS, although he does add that it's hard to compare the two because he carries more plush product than he does puppets. Still, puppets are having a successful run at his shop. "The whole idea (behind puppets) is to make inanimate objects come to life…they're magical."

According to the retailer, all categories are doing well, with new releases bringing in more customers. "We sell all kinds of puppets: marionettes from Germany and Austria; finger puppets from Kathe Kruse; Petra Toys; animals from Folkmanis." His customers are mostly parents, shopping for their children, Leuchtner says, and those kids see puppets as a toy—enhanced plush. Conversely, most of the people who buy the more expensive marionettes are adult collectors, "people who appreciate the effort that goes into making and creating them."

Leuchtner's display techniques are very straightforward: finger puppets and smaller items are in baskets, and most of the remaining puppets are displayed on racks or alongside plush. Suspended from the ceiling is Folkmanis's award-winning Sea Serpent, a definite attention-getter for the store's younger patrons.

At Fun Zone, in Iowa City, Iowa, where Mark Gauger and his wife have owned and operated their business for 20 years, puppets are displayed on a spinner rack and a shelf that runs the length of the store. Gauger attributes the success of the category to the fact the puppets are "very thought provoking (and) inspire creative play." Gauger says that most of the time it's parents who come into the store to shop for the plush items. "Parents like the interactivity of puppets." They also put them to other uses, such as using puppets as gift-wrapping for their children's presents by putting smaller items inside.

At Mrs. Toad's Toys, in Longmont, Col., Julie Litt sees a similar shopping trend. At her store, parents, grandparents and teachers are the primary buyers of puppets. "Adults collect them for their grandchildren," she says, and "teachers seem to be buying them to use in their lessons." While Sesame Street has proven the merits of having a frog teach kids the alphabet, Litt also sees another educational angle on the success of puppets. "We get quite a few (customers) from other countries…from Mexico…and puppets are a way for kids to communicate non-verbally."

For Gauger, Folkmanis puppets seem to be a big draw. He says the company's product is "just dynamite," and goes on to add that "kids are drawn to realistic types of puppets," which is one of the company's specialties, "although their Red Dragon is doing very well, as is the 60-inch-long Sea Serpent." Hand and finger puppets are the biggest sellers in the category. "We tried marionettes," Gauger tells PLAYTHINGS , "but they didn't work as well as others." Finger puppets seem to have found their niche at Fun Zone as $5 to $15 pick-up items. "Parents will often buy them to use as a distraction for younger children at restaurants or while shopping."

Back in Colorado, Litt says that finger puppets are outselling hand puppets, "probably due to the price point…they're more affordable." She cites Manhattan Toy's Storytime finger puppets as one of her best sellers. Packaged as boxed sets, each Story Time collection features four characters from a classic fairy tale such as Jack and the Beanstalk or Little Red Riding Hood. Marionettes fared better here than in Iowa, and Litt mentioned that during the holiday season, Bozart marionettes sold well, "although I think they're for kids who are a little bit older." Mainstream trends can also affect puppet sales. "Owls were big last year because of Harry Potter, and Jurassic Park III might lead to bigger sales of dinosaurs."

As far as accessories go, Fun Zone doesn't carry any. Mrs. Toad's Toys, however, had trouble keeping the Alex puppet theater in stock at Christmas time, and has met with some success selling theaters from Manhattan Toy and Folkmanis. Leuchtner reported fourth quarter success with accessories as well, citing Alex's wooden tabletop theater as a top seller.

Mark Gauger adds that his store doesn't hold any special puppet-centric promotions, although, "we've got enough amateur puppeteers in town" that a puppet show isn't outside the realm of possibility. Meanwhile, one young customer has taken it upon herself to promote the store via Ralph—a puppet in the shape of a white mouse. Ralph hands out business cards referring people back to Fun Zone, where more puppets— and puppet sales—await.