Puppet Talking Technique
The most important puppet skill is making it look like the puppet is really talking! Here is how:
OPEN on syllables: open the puppet mouth on each syllable of the word. For HEL-LO: open, close, open, close. For SU-PER-HE-RO: open close open close open close open close.
Do NOT just flap the mouth randomly! That looks fake. Match each mouth opening to a syllable, and the puppet looks alive.
MOUTH SIZE matters: for quiet words, open the mouth a little. For LOUD words, open it WIDE. For whispering, barely open it at all.
WHEN NOT TALKING: keep the puppet mouth CLOSED. A puppet with its mouth hanging open all the time looks strange. Close the mouth when listening, thinking, or waiting.
FACE the audience: the puppet should look at the audience when talking to them. Turn the puppet to face other puppets when talking to them. The puppet should look at whoever it is addressing.