*Some links on ventriloquistdummiesforsale.com are Amazon affiliate links, and if you use them to make a purchase, we may earn affiliate commissions (at no extra cost to you). Learn more.
Since time immemorial, we have used animal puppets as a source of entertainment, especially among children. Today, children love for animals has resulted in an increasing demand for animal hand puppets.
With diverse animal hand puppets for sale, we find it quite challenging to choose the best animal puppet in relevance to its purpose.
As such, I would like to shed lights on a list of different animal puppets, and the purpose of buying them by making a particular review.
Best Animal Hand Puppets on the Market
We usually opt for outward appearance while buying stuffed or plush animal hand puppets, which can sometimes be deceiving.
My years of experience in dealing with a lot of animal hand puppets have taught me another way of choosing the best puppets.
In selecting a hand puppet, I pay more attention to the materials, and quality, among other features.
Features to Look for in Animal Puppets
Animal puppet ranges from farm animal puppets to plush and stuffed animal puppets which are an essential part and parcel of everyday kids. As such, we should be cautious in selecting them so that kids are safe playing with it.
For your convenience, I have listed some main features that we should keep in mind while looking for animal puppets.
- One of the main features of an animal puppet is breathable material. It will allow any liquid spill to dry quickly, thereby reducing bacteria build up. It will also prevent an unfavorable building of odor.
- Another main feature is that the fabric should have the label of fire resistant. It will help to reduce burning or ignition, thereby protecting the kids from a severe accident.
- Apart from the breathable feature, another central feature is that the material should be washable without contraction or other damage. This feature will reduce cost and keep things clean.
- Another main feature of animal puppets is following the age labels, which are safety guidelines. There can result in many health hazards, especially while dealing with much younger kids, such as choking with small puppet parts. As such, following the age guidelines will minimize such dangers for the kids.
1. Aurora World Garth Dog Hand Puppet
The package comes with a realistic dog hand puppet featuring a tan colored body with a dark brown nose.
The material is of beautiful plush fabric which gives the fur a very soft touch.
This puppet operates with the help of the hand through its stomach along with adjustable arms.
Besides, the puppet is washable, although it is not suitable for machine washing.
- The eyes and nose are securely attached, so we do not have to worry about the possibility of choking hazard.
- The dog hand puppet is durable enough to play for many years.
- It weighs only 100 gram; hence, we can use the puppet for a long time without the hand getting tired.
- The hand opening in the stomach is spacious that allows even adults to use for entertaining kids.
- It is worth the price, and we can use it as a gift, and it also works great as a prop for any teaching.
- The mouth is huge and very stiff as the mouth closed.
- It is not suitable for machine washing as the fur is very soft.
2. Melissa & Doug’s Lion Hand Puppet with Detachable Rod
The package comes with a lion hand puppet that has a long removable rod to maneuver gestures.
The rod is suitable for both the hands as Velcro helps the rod to attach in both its arms.
The material fabric is of standard quality, thereby giving it a durable and soft texture.
- The lion hand puppet is best suitable for children with the age group of 4 to 8 years.
- The hair of this puppet is very fluffy.
- It is a perfect gift for children.
- Both left-hand and right-handed can use it as the arm rod quickly moves from one side to the other.
- It is versatile, and the material is of standard quality.
- It is a great puppet to encourage creativity in the minds of kids.
- To small for adult hands.
- It is quite challenging to operate the mouth.
- It can have significantly loose threads on the head than expected.
3. Folkmanis Orange Speaking Cat Hand Puppet
From the hands of award-winning design, the package contains a soft plush cat hand puppet.
It is made using the highest quality materials which provide a realistic appearance.
The puppet operates using the fingers to articulate the mouth, arms, and legs.
Apart from the surface wash, continuous machine washing will make the puppet fur gets damaged significantly.
- With the help of the fingers, the mouth can open and close.
- We can easily maneuver its arms and legs.
- It is a perfect puppet for storytelling as it appears to be talking when we play with it.
- The body is a plush fur fabric and lightly stuffed animal puppet.
- It is ideal use in interactive stage, Puppet Theater, teaching, and role-playing, among others.
- The hand opening is quite small for adults.
- The stitching on the face is not quite symmetrical.
4. Folkmanis Shark Hand Puppet
The shark hand puppet is a versatile shocked puppet style which looks realistic as a stuffed animal.
The materials of this hand puppet are of high-quality fabric with soft fun teeth covered with vinyl.
The shark hand puppet operates with the help of the hand, which controls the mouth and expressions.
However, this puppet should be spot clean and shouldn't be put in the wash.
- The shark hand puppet is exceptionally soft with fun soft teeth which look real in appearance.
- This puppet is a must animal puppet for play therapy room.
- It has a realistic appearance as we can move the puppet jaw.
- It is a perfect puppet for narrating a story, especially for a scene with a villain role.
- Apart from being a hand puppet, kids can also use it as a doll while sleeping.
- The hand opening to operate the puppet is quite small, especially for adults with bigger hands.
- The mouth does not open very wide.
5. Folkmanis Snowy Owl Hand Puppet with Rotating Head
The Folkmanis snowy is a soft, fluffy plush animal hand puppet.
Unlike typical puppet with mouth movement, this puppet features a small handle inside that help us to rotate the head all the way around, and flappable wings.
The owl hand puppet is wonderfully detailed using quality materials, which give a realistic touch to the hand puppet.
Surface wash is possible but no machine wash or dryer.
Overall, the snowy hand puppet provides lots of entertainment for children and motivates them to use their imagination.
- It can stand up on its own when it does not perform the role of a hand puppet.
- This snowy owl hand puppet appears real like an owl with its ability to make the head and wings move around.
- Owing it will make us yearn for a real owl.
- It does not require ventriloquism skills to operate.
- A perfect gift for owl lovers and fans of Harry Potter.
- We cannot maneuver the beak and the feet, unlike other animal hand puppet.
- The white strands easily attach to other things when it is new.
- It takes time for kids to manipulate the head and wings simultaneously.
6. JOYIN Deluxe Toy Animal Hand Puppet Set
The animal hand puppet set contains six unique soft animal puppets with big heads.
The six unique animal hand puppets include Elephant, Unicorn, Puppy, Pig, Tiger, and Cow; each with hand opening from where we can make the puppet hands move.
The material used for these hand puppets is super soft and durable that have met the USA toy standard.
Besides, all the puppets are washable without causing any damage.
- The hand opening fits perfectly, even for adults.
- The animal hand puppet set is perfect for teachers to entertain toddlers.
- They are all well designed for the price charged.
- The details meticulously added including the tails and wings on the back of the puppets.
- The material fabric is durable; thereby, the puppets stay in shape for a long time.
- Sometimes, the set may contain less than six animal hand puppets.
- The mouths on these puppets do not move.
7. Folkmanis Crocodile Hand Puppet with Realistic Teeth
The package comes with a crocodile hand puppet which is an ideal puppet for imaginative plays.
The mouth of the puppet is movable, which gives a realistic texture, especially with its sharp rubber teeth.
Puppet is made out of the high-quality material that provides a durable usage.
- The crocodile hand puppet is super plush, and the mouth moves freely, even for the kids.
- The material is durable, thereby maintaining a fresh look for a longer time.
- Eyes and teeth appear realistic, motivating an imaginative role play.
- It’s big enough to fit ana adult hand.
- The teeth are a bit sharp and might cut the skin, especially kids skin.
- The stitching of the mouth is now done well, giving it a twisted shape.
8. Aurora World Montgomery Monkey Hand Puppet
The package contains a monkey hand puppet with a realistic styling design.
The material is of beautiful plush fabric which gives a soft and cuddly texture.
As such, the puppet is washable without doing any damage to its appearance.
The monkey hand puppet operates with the help of the hand.
- It’s a perfect puppet for kids as it does not require sophisticated skills to play.
- The arms can move freely; as such, we can use it for various entertainments like role-playing, storytelling, and teaching among many others.
- It is soft and looks very friendly.
- The details of the puppet are well furnished, giving it a realistic appearance.
- The puppet is washable without affecting the natural appearance.
- It is not so durable enough for more prolonged usage.
- The mouth of the monkey hand puppet does not open wide.
9. Folkmanis White Bunny Hand Puppet
The Folkmanis white bunny is an engaging plush rabbit hand puppet designed using the best quality materials.
The head, arms, and legs of the rabbit hand puppet are controlled using the hand.
With its realistic details, it is an ideal puppet for various creative plays.
Besides, the hand puppet is only surfaced washable and not applicable for machine wash.
- The bunny hand puppet is very soft, and all the four legs have openings for the fingers to maneuver them.
- It is well designed based on the current fashion.
- The bunny hand puppet is a multifunctional for kids can also use as a doll.
- The puppet body looks adequately stuffed, and it is not floppy.
- Larger hands will find it difficult to fit into the operating passage.
- The inside of this puppet is quite scratchy, making it difficult for more extended play.
- The mouth cannot open and close.
10. Talking Farm Animal Puppets
The talking farm animal puppet set includes four animal hand puppets each with a unique animal sound created when squeezed or press down to the palm to activate.
They operate with the help of a sound button in the mouth area along with a battery. As such, these farm animal puppets are not suitable for machine wash.
Besides, all four farm animal puppets meet the requirement for child safety.
- The material of these four hand puppets are very soft, and a hit for kids as each puppet creates unique animal sound.
- It is a perfect farm animal puppet set to use as a gift.
- The animal puppets appear cuter in real.
- Product quality adequately complement the price.
- The four hand puppets are quite small for the adult hands to play with the kids.
- The sound is not loud enough.
Benefits and Purposes to Buy Realistic Animal Puppets
Animal puppets are very much part of our everyday life as they are a source to entertain our kids. There are many benefits of our kids playing with animal hand puppets, which we usually take it for granted.
Animal hand puppets are versatile as we can use puppets for different activities. As such, I have collected a list of ideas as a checklist for understanding the purposes to buy animal puppets.
- Using Realistic Animal Puppets Make Learning More Fun
Learning just based on theoretical knowledge is a traditional method. Young children are easily distracted when the only learning material resource is their textbook. As such, learning through animal puppets play can make learning more effective and fun. Using animal puppets can motivate the child’s imagination and promote creative play among many others. Animal puppets are also a powerful method of making the story comes back to life, and a useful tool while teaching phonics.
- Animal Hand Puppets are a Great Gift
Everyone would agree with the fact that animal hand puppets are a great gift. Young children of all age groups are fond of playing with animal puppets. As such, we can buy them as a Christmas gift or birthday gift for babies, toddlers, among others.
- Realistic Animal Puppets as a tool for Lively Storytelling
Realistic animal puppets are an excellent tool for storytelling as puppets can bring pages to life. We can also capture the attention of the children by assigning a character to the puppet and acting the story.
- Stuffed Animal Puppets as an Alternative Toy
There are stuffed animal puppets that do not lose its shape when not used. As such, children can also use stuffed animal puppets as an alternative toy.
Maintenance Tips for Plush and Stuffed Animal Puppets
Just as we clean our children, it is essential to clean our animal puppets once in a while.
This practice will keep the puppet clean, reducing health hazard for our kids.
Besides, we should verify that buttons, eyes or other related parts are in good condition to avoid more problems.
Here are some maintenance tips for plush and stuffed animal puppets.
- Firstly, we should read the instruction provided by the manufacturer to distinguish if it is washable or non-washable.
- If it is machine washable stuffed animal puppets, we should use regular detergent and cold water.
- For older stuffed animal puppets, we should opt for an alternative way, which is hand washing. While for furry stuffed puppets, we should use a soft brush to avoid damage.
- For non-washable stuffed animal puppets, we can go for spot cleaning, which is a way of treating only the stained part leaving the delicate part safe. Besides, we should use white cloth instead of colored fabric for the color can transfer to the puppet.
- Like stuffed animal puppets, furry plush animal puppets are only washable for the surface. As such, we should not soak the puppet in water; instead, we should use lukewarm water and sponge with mild detergent.
Finding Animal Hand Puppets for Sale
We are now quite familiar with what animal hand puppets are. But how do we find animal puppets for sale? There are several options for us to utilize.
Typically, we can find them at the local toy shops and malls. However, the varieties for animal puppets will depend on the popularity and size of the shop or mall.
Another place to find animal puppets for sale is online shops, which can come in handy for parents with busy schedules.
These days the number of online stores has increased significantly providing the best service in meeting the needs of the buyers.
Nevertheless, we should know the reliability of the online websites to avoid any fraud activities. Some of the online shops include eBay, Snapdeal, Amazon, and Flipkart, among many others.
My favorite place to buy animal puppets is Amazon as it has a huge selection with some of the lowest prices and a lot of user reviews. Besides, Amazon provides a return or replace in case of lost items or unsatisfactory.
Conclusion
To sum up, animal hand puppets are essential for children everyday life. They come in varied forms ranging from pets animal puppets to wild animal puppets.
Also, the texture of animal puppets varies from plush animal puppets to stuffed animal puppets. From a parent’s perspective, animal puppets fulfill several purposes in the development of children.
They not only entertain but also captivate the mind of young children by making the process of learning more fun and lively. However, they require careful maintenance for long lasting durability.
For comprehensive support, we should follow the instructions provided by the manufacturers as the treatment for plush animal hand puppets will differ from stuffed animal hand puppets.
So next time you buy an animal hand puppet, you know what to look for. Besides, I would be happy to answer any questions or comments related to animal hand puppets.