Puppets have always been a part of my life. I remember lying on my back in a meadow looking at the blue of the sky and watching the flower heads of the clovers and daisies sway above me and “listening” to their conversations. When my father would travel, he would bring us puppets back from all over the world. He built me a puppet theater that fit into our red radio flyer wagon, and we would wheel it around the neighborhood (We lived in Buffalo, NY.) presenting puppet shows. Friends and neighbors would get involved, and we would all make puppets, create scenery and write our own scripts. 

Later, while studying textile design, I became interested in felt making and realized the potential that traditionally felted wool had for solving one of my childhood puppet conundrums--what, as a child, I labeled, “dead puppet syndrome”.  Handmade felt maintains its living structural integrity even when not in contact with a puppeteer. I also became enthralled with dyeing with plants; adding shimmer and sparkle and a vibrancy that comes alive in the wool. And so, over 50 years ago now, I became a puppet builder, making puppets and performing objects for families and Waldorf Schools all over the world. There are now 3 generations of felt makers/puppeteers in our family, and we often work together. I still work with wool right off of the sheep- skirting, picking, washing, dyeing, carding, and felting. I grow the majority of my plants, and process them in my home. All of my puppets are original designs and hand sewn. I believe that everyone who picks up a puppet should have nothing less than a carefully crafted ally: sturdy, beautiful, and ready to work. There are no short cuts.

I am blessed to belong to a very special community of revolving students, fellow performers, and audiences. I can look out and see the faces of the children as they watch and listen. Each character, every gesture, the melody of speech and song, are all reflected in their rapt attention and innocent smiles. It is such a gift to see this. 

Encouraging others, (pretty much everyone I meet) to tell stories/be a puppeteer/make puppets, has resulted in a stream of enthusiasts that then set off on their own. Anyone can do it. And the venue can be as casual as a street corner, farmer’s market, a living room; as well as a formal performance space. I like to encourage the audience to participate through song and gesture, as well as send them home with their own newly created puppet.  I hope to keep doing this work all of my life. 

One of my favorite stories involves a country mouse and a city mouse. We all have our place on this earth. I am not a traveler. I am not a writer or photographer. I am not leading a movement. Chances are, we will never meet. I am most likely found in my own home, working with the wool and finding who lives in the felt. I am the quintessential country mouse. 

But you may at some point come across one of my puppets. When I complete a puppet, even a tiny finger puppet, I look at it and smile. If it smiles back at me, I know it is ready to head off on its own adventures. There are so many stories to tell.

Susannah White

carapace farm puppetry

Cambridge, New York, USA

April, 2026