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by Sarah F The French puppet Guignol There are many types of puppets from everywhere around the world, and in this report, there is information on puppets from Holland, India, Sri Lanka, and from many more places around the world. The first place that I am going to take you is Holland. In Holland in the 17th Century, there was an old man who would go to the Dam Square in Amsterdam, to put on a puppet show for the poor and homeless people. He did this to put a bit of joy into their lives. This funny old man would put on a Dutch version of 'Punch and Judy'; in Dutch it is Jan Klaasen en Katrijn. In this puppet show there isn't only Jan Klaasen and Katrijn, but they have many friends, the friends are called 'De Sloophaap' (the Sloophaap is a bothering and mischievous monkey), 'De Buurman Boef' (a neighbor that steals things), 'De General' (a sort of policeman), 'De Duivel' (the devil), and 'De Beul' (unknown). This play is still playing in some places in Holland! The next place I am going to take you is to Turkey. In Turkey a puppet called Karagoz is the favorite. Karagoz is a dark gypsy with a black beard and always wears a turban on his bald head. His name, Karagoz, means black eye. He is called black eye because whenever he gets mad, he will want to hit somebody, so he usually gives them a black eye! He is often in trouble because he is out of work and will steal things to get food. Karagoz is also popular in Egypt. India is next on the list. In India they have a different way of recognizing the different types of puppets. In India if the puppet has a green face, it means it is a hero or a god. If the puppet has a red or black face it means it is a bad guy. If the puppet has an orange face it means that it is a woman, or a wise person. They make the puppet by attaching them onto wooden sticks, and then they move the stick up or down to make it move. Sri Lanka has a totally different way of acting the puppets out, they have shadow puppets. Shadow puppets are made out of paper, the paper will the shape of the puppet and it will also have little details in paint on the face of the paper. With those, they put them behind a white screen, and will have a light shone on them, and on the other side of the screen you can see the shape of the puppet. If you look close enough, you can see the details that are painted on. In Vietnam, a puppet called 'Teu' is the absolute favorite because of how it is acted. 'Teu' always performs with his leg in the water. He always has his feet in the water because when he performs, he acts in the water. They do this by attaching see-through wires to the puppets' hands and feet and there will be people under the water moving them so that it looks as if the puppet is moving by himself.
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