I should mention up front that I am a big fan of the Folkmanis puppets. The materials used in these puppets are typically of a high quality and the inclusion of many finely-sewn details results in many of these puppets providing realistic representations of real animals, making them an excellent resource for teaching children about the animals and their habitats. Each puppet comes with a card which gives some details about the animal’s appearance, habits, and habitat, and also a short song or poem suitable for children.
The three puppets I am reviewing are the Hedgehog, the Red Squirrel, and the Pack Rat.
The Hedgehog is by far my favorite, and absolutely delightful. The material used for the fur is soft and plush, features such as the nose and paws possess clean lines and neat seams. The puppet is designed so that, even when just sitting on a surface with no hand to manipulate it, it curls up in its characteristic ball. There are even two separate openings for the hand so that you can manipulate the Hedgehog either standing up or curled up in a ball as if shyly hiding or sleeping. This puppet feels easy to use, even for small hands. Since I myself have hands small enough to wear children’s gloves I understand how much of an issue it can be for children when toys such as puppets are not scaled to the appropriate size. The entire scale of the Hedgehog is perfect for small hands and the puppet also looks cute just sitting on the corner of a bed or chair. This puppet would make the perfect touch for a room or library nook with a garden theme.
The Red Squirrel is also a well-made and adorable puppet. With his plush fur and poofy tail that swings about whenever you turn your hand, he has the appearance of being very lively and full of personality (mine immediately declared that his name was Eric the Red and then demanded that I make him an eye patch). While the scale is a bit larger than that of the Hedgehog, the Red Squirrel is still relatively easy to manipulate with small hands, although not as effortless to manipulate as the Hedgehog.
The Pack Rat puppet proved to be the disappointing element of the batch. It did include some cute features, such as velvety paws and suede-lined ears, along with a canvas sack (“pack rat,” get it?). However, the material used for the fur just felt thinner and more coarse than that used for the other puppets, so it didn’t feel very pettable. Additionally, the eyes on the puppet I received for review pointed in different directions, which is both inaccurate compared to that for the real animal and inconsistent with the usual high quality of Folkmanis puppets. Lastly, the scale is even larger than that of the Red Squirrel and thus it is not at all easy to manipulate with small hands.
All in all, if you are a parent, teacher, or librarian searching for puppets which can be used for teaching or entertaining children, these puppets are typically a great resource. Additionally, if you know a child with a particular fascination with a specific animal, real or fantastic, these puppets often provide a great way to become more familiar with that animal. As a blind person, I find these puppets particularly useful as a means of having a tactile, hands-on, resource for learning about animals.
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