Babble Best: Puppet Theaters
Make live theater in your living room with these five TV alternatives.
by Jeanne Sager
December 30, 2008
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Every kid loves a puppet, whether it's Kermit or a brown paper bag with marker-scribbled eyes. As long as they're stuck inside for winter, let your little daydreamers bring their imaginations to life with our favorite puppet theaters. After all, life's a stage, and they're writing their own show. — Jeanne Sager
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Babble Best: Alex: Puppet Show Play Theatre - $49
It's a family show when a couple of kids or their parents get behind this sturdy wooden stage. At almost five feet tall and more than a foot wide, the floor-standing theatre offers what the tabletop theaters can't: space to change up sets and room for the full-sized puppets. The simple set-up's on mom and dad, but they'll have to keep their eyes on the clock and chalkboard for performance announcements. That's where this theater earned its bonus points — kids can practice their letters on the board and their time skills on the clock!
Get it from Amazon.
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Dress-Up Sets: Puppet Theaters
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Manhattan Toy: Puppetos Theatre Stage - $19.95
A stage that's as cuddly as the stars who put on the show, this one is a big hit for small kids. Covered in felt and topped with a handle for on-the-go, this table-top theatre is so squishy that tired little thespians will have a friend to lean on when the lights go out. The stage folds out for extra space, and pockets make for good puppet storage. Though no puppets are included, any of Manhattan Toy's line of more than a dozen different themed finger puppets will fit inside — on little fingers or Mom and Dad's big hands.
Get it from Amazon.
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Hearth Song: Take Along Puppet Theater - $19.99
Take the show on the road with this lightweight wooden theater and accompanying puppets. Designed for travel, even the carrying case becomes a part of the act, doubling as the footlights and base for the adventures of the prince and princess, the witch and her trusty dragon. What's been left out for portability leaves plenty of room for imagination.
Get it from Hearth Song.
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Kathe Kruse: Showtime Pirate Theater with Puppets - $59.99
Put your pegleg up, because the show's about to start on the tabletop. Born in Germany, these "fingerpuppen" come in the form of fairies, elves, circus performers and even a Nativity scene, but our little testers were all about the pirate booty. When the sparkly curtains come up, we bet tongues — and little fingers — will be wagging as the brave knights face off against the dastardly pirates.
Get it from Oompa Toys.
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Carson-Dellosa: Puppet Theater Pocket Chart - $23.95
No room for a stage, but the show must go on? This vinyl (read: easy-to-clean) screen can be mounted in a standard doorway then folded into a small square, making this the theater for families with limited space. It's not the prettiest puppet place on the market, but the theater makes up for its lack of looks with its versatility. Grommets along the top allow for the screen to be hung from a curtain rod, while a screen that runs across the top leaves space for a tension rod. With two screens, your little ham can hide inside and out.
Get it from Fatbrain Toys.
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©2008 Nerve Media
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