Glove puppets are also known as sleeve, hand or palm puppets

Glove puppets are also known as sleeve, hand or palm puppets the head is made of either paper mache, cloth or wood, with two hands emerging from just below the neck. The rest of the figure consists of a long following skirt.

These puppets are like limp dolls, but in the hands of able puppeteer, are capable of producing a wide range of moments. The manipulation technique is simple, the moments are controlled by the human hands, the fist finger inserted in the head and the middle finger and the thumb are two arms of the puppets. With the help of these three fingers, the glove puppet comes alive.

Puppeteers operated it from below or sitting in ground and taking it before his eyes. One puppeteer can manipulate two puppets at a time.

The tradition of glove puppet in India is popular in Uttar Pradesh, Orissa, West Bengal and Kerala. The delivery of dialogues, the moment of the puppet and the beat of the dholak are well synchronized and create a dramatic atmosphere.

In Uttar Pradesh glove puppets plays usually present social themes, where as in Orissa such plays are based on stories of Radha & Krishna. The theme for Glove puppet plays in Kerala is based on the episodes from either the Ramayana (or) Mahabharata.