Next, I cut out the design with scissors. Good quality, small scissors give clean edges and the curved scissors make cutting round shapes easy. Remember, it is the edges of the puppet shape the audience notices most, so spend extra time making sure they are clean and even. The body of my puppets are controlled with 16 - 14 gauge soft wire. You may need to experiment with various types of wire to find one that bends well over and over without breaking.
Piano wire is strong, but very hard to bend, brittle when bent several times, and springy.
Springy wire tends to make the puppet shapes shiver as you move them. I attach the wire to my puppets in two ways. I use either a flexible hinge or tape the wire directly to the puppet with masking tape. A flexible hinge attachment can be made by bending the end of the wire 90 degrees and running it through a short piece of plastic or metal tubing. This gives a joint at the attachment point which allows the puppet to stay tight against the screen even if your hand is a bit high or low.