Native American Indians used puppets in their corn festivals and ceremonial dances. Egyptians made jointed puppets from terra cotta. Puppet theater is mentioned in both Aristotle and Plato's writings however, no specific details are given regarding the art. It suffices to say puppets have been a part of man's history. China made shadow puppets from stretched donkey skins, dried sheep skin, water buffaloes, pigs, or fish.
Shadow puppets are translucent figures colored in with paints.
These figures are placed in front of a screen with light passing through it. The shadow of the figures appear clearly to the audience on the other side. They usually have three rods or strings attached to them. The puppeteer uses one hand to control the rod attached to the neck and the other hand to control the rods attachedto its wrists. The Turkish puppeteers added waist movement to their shadow puppets and began controlling rod arm movements from the side, rather than the bottom, as the Chinese had done.