A talking reindeer? I’ll believe that when pigs fly! Folkmanis released a menagerie of new animal puppets for the holiday season, including a reindeer, a barn owl, a sitting terrier, and yes, a flying pig!
With so many tech toys taking over the market, it’s nice for parents to give their kids an alternative with some classic imaginative play. Not only do these Folkmanis puppets give kids the chance to grow their creativity and social skills with role-playing, but they also incorporate the classic comeback and pet-a-palooza trends that are huge this holiday season.
The Reindeer puppet, priced at $31.99, makes a great gift for the holidays. It features a moveable head and mouth, so kids can make it sing and dance along with their favorite seasonal movies. *Cues up Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.* It’s not just for kids either—place it on the couch or on the mantel because this reindeer would blend right in with any holiday décor, and come to think of it, so would the barn owl.
The Barn Owl puppet, available for $43.99, has a moveable head, beak, and wings to really bring the bird to life. The way the armhole is positioned allows you to have full control over the owl’s face, giving it lively expressions that will make it fun for kids to role-play. If you stick your hands inside the wings, you can make them flap too, and the same goes for the flying pig.
The Flying Pig puppet, priced at $69.99, is the most elaborate of the bunch, with a large pink body, extra-long fluttery eyelashes that I wish I had, and feathery wings. Kids can create puppetry magic with movement in all four legs, the wings, the mouth, the head, and even the ears.
The Sitting Terrier puppet, available for $61.99, is a safe choice for picky kids—what kid wouldn’t want a puppy of his or her own? Animate the mouth or wag the tail to give it some personality. It’s so cute that when I was holding it, our office doggo, Anakin, got jealous and wanted to play with it too.
With so many different animals available, kids can collect all of their favorites to act out a full-on puppet show with their friends. I never thought I would be good at puppetry but the way these Folkmanis puppets are shaped makes it easy to do, which is encouraging for young kids who get impatient when they can’t figure something out. The puppets are recommended for kids ages 3 and up, so even smaller kids will be able to play along. And the puppets are soft and plush enough that they can double as stuffed animals to snuggle with, giving them more play value.
Each puppet comes with a poem or short story, such as the Tennyson poem, The Owl, that’s printed on the tag of the Barn Owl puppet. Some even have facts of interest about the animal so kids can learn a little bit about what they’re playing with. The Reindeer tag drops some knowledge, saying “Reindeer are a species of deer inhabiting northern Europe and Siberia. They can also be found in areas of North America, where they are called caribou.” I don’t know about you, but I didn’t know that reindeer and caribou are the same animal, so I just got a little bit smarter. *Pats myself on the back.*
