The origins of puppets are unavoidably obscure and probably predate the written word, but several generalizations about them appear to be fairly well accepted. First, they likely can be traced back to religious ceremonies. Many ancient cultures often used moving figurines to worship their gods, but through time, the religious beliefs and magical aspects underlying the puppets were forgotten or replaced with different purposes. Puppetry was a natural development of story telling and preaching. It is said that even the priests in China began to activate religious idols in order to bring more force to their doctrines and to attract more adherents. A great deal of puppetry in the ancient world had a deeply religious significance, and performances gave expression to a whole moral philosophy.

Second, it seems almost certain that puppetry originated in India and spread from there throughout the ancient world. Communication between India and the Asian regions began when Indian merchants were lured by the prospects of trade to venture into Indochina and Malaysia. Immigrants to the settlements that developed along the trade routes brought a culture and literature that were strongly influenced by religion. Local traditions in Burma, Siam, Malaya, Java, Bali, and several parts of Indochina disappeared in wave after wave of such cultural conquests. Most shadow puppet performances in several Asian countries were based on the two Indian epic poems, the Ramayana for those where Buddhism took root and the Mahabharata for those where Hindu ideals were more acceptable. On the other hand, significant regional differences in the crafting of puppets, manipulation techniques, and styles of presentation suggest that puppetry may have had several origins.

China also had contacts beyond her borders in ancient times. In the Chou dynasty (circa 1000 BC) the Emperor Mu reportedly returned from a visit to Turkestan with the materials and artisans needed for making many new things, among them marionettes. As for the other forms of puppetry, the record in China is obscure. Perhaps shadow puppets came from the nomads of central Asia, or perhaps from Indochina along with the rod puppets, or across the old silk route from India, along with Buddhism. Some likely originated on the spot as had happened elsewhere. For example, legend in China attributes the origin of shadow puppets to 121 BC during the time of Wu-ti, an emperor of the Han dynasty. Overwhelmed with grief at the death of his favorite concubine, the emperor ordered the Court Magician to summon back her spirit. By dint of a darkened chamber and a distant screen, he was able to evoke a resembling shadow, with which the Emperor was satisfied. Whatever the origin of puppetry, it is fairly certain that itinerant puppeteers from China took it to Korea and thence to Japan.

A puppet has been defined as an inanimate object moved by human agency in some kind of theatrical show. That broad definition includes three main types of puppets and several hybrids. A marionette is a complete figure with articulated limbs that are controlled from above with strings. A hand puppet is a simpler figure with a hollow sleeve to conceal the puppeteer's hand which manipulates the head and arms from below. A rod puppet is a simple or complex figure which the puppeteer controls with rods from below.

"It is indeed impressive to be able to record that this primitive form of theatre, which grew from priestly incantations in ancient temples, is now seen by millions around the world. But the essence of puppetry does not lie in numbers. The secret of this art is to be found in the magic when an inanimate object creates an emotional contact with a human spectator. May this magic never die."
          -- George Speaight

Blackham, Olive. 1960. Shadow Puppets. New York: Harper & Brothers Publishers.
Obraztsov, Sergei. 1961. Chinese Puppet Theatre. London: Faber and Faber.
Philpott, A. R. 1969. Dictionary of Puppetry. Boston: Plays, Inc. Publishers.
Sweeny, Amin. 1972. Malay Shadow Puppets. 1972. Oxford: British Museum Publications Ltd.
Tilakasiri, J. 1968. The Puppet Theatre of Asia. Ceylon: Department of Government Printing.
Ward, Keeler. Javanese Shadow Puppets. 1992. Singapore: Oxford University Press.

The Puppetry Home Page: a comprehensive resource including classifieds, organizations, festivals, definitions, traditions, workshops, exhibits, and many links to other resources
The Conservatory of Puppetry Arts: the website of an organization dedicated to promote, to preserve, and to advance the international art of puppetry
Margaret Mead: Human Nature and the Power of Culture: a series of field notes, photographs, and a 16 mm film clip showing the construction of a wajang (shadow puppet) on Bali
Harcourt School Publishers: a narrated video report on Japanese puppets called kuruma ningyo (cart dolls)
An Introduction to the World of Bunraku: a comprehensive site about unique Japanese puppets called bunraku that require three puppeteers each
University of Pittsburg: an exhibition of the major types of gombeyata (string and rod puppets) of India and Southeast Asia
PuppetIndia: an excellent site about the traditional puppets of India with a glossary and a clickable map of the Indian states
Traditional Puppetry of Myanmar (Burma): an illustrated article on ah myinth thabin, the traditional puppetry of Myanmar, depicting puppets, performances, and musicians
Mandalay Marionettes Theater: a website dedicated to the revival of traditional string puppetry of Myanmar that includes information about Burmese puppets and their manipulation
History of the Puppet in China: an explanation of the close connection between Chinese opera and glove puppets (bu dai xi)
Bali's Shadow Puppets: a brief description and a few photographs of a performance of wayang kulit (leather shadow puppets) of Bali
History of Thai Puppets: an illustrated article on the history of Thai drama involving four different types of puppets, including hun krabog (bamboo rod puppets)
Vietnamese Water Puppets: a brief description of the unique Vietnamese puppetry called mua roi nuoc (water puppets) and a link to a review of a performance in San Francisco
Thang Long Water Puppets: a video clip (YouTube) of a performance of Vietnamese water puppets
Asian Wood Puppets: an illustrated resource about puppets in general and the various wood puppets of Asia in particular, including revitalization efforts in China, Japan, Myanmar, and Thailand
Shadow Puppets in Action: mouse-over events convert a few colorful puppets into their shadow figures