History Main / BareHandedPuppetry

* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AJiYZ6QIAtY Senor Wences]], who appeared regularly on ''Series/TheEdSullivanShow'', is possibly the TropeMaker (in the TV world, at least) since he was the first mainstream ventriloquist to extensively use this artform. "'Salright?" "'Salright."

* Homemade "chin puppet" clips are very common on Website/YouTube.

* [[http://dawhois.com/site/flickwear.com.html OobiEyes.com]], a former online catalogue of unofficial ''Oobi'' puppets that closed in 2013, had a [=YouTube=] "partnership offer" that gave customers free Oobi eyes if they created web videos with their products. The result was a wide variety of ''Oobi'' tributes and spoofs appearing on [=YouTube=], including entire series about bare hand puppet characters. Due to the former popularity of such videos, [[http://oobifanon.wikia.com a wiki]] exists ([[Main/TheWikiRule of course it does!]]) for cataloging homemade films starring Oobi puppets.

* An episode of ''Series/RedDwarf'' has our leads doing the "chin puppet" technique to pass themselves as an alien race called [[https://youtu.be/jSZbzIHGj8U?t=56s Vindaloovians]]. It doesn't work.

* ''Series/PeeWeesPlayhouse'' had Mr. Knucklehead in the first season, a fist with googly eyes and mouth painted along the line of the index finger and
thumb.

* ''Series/LandOHands'': To go with the whole "Land of '''Hands'''" theme, all the wildlife in the show (sans the cavepeople) were made by covering peoples' arms/hands in makeup in prosthetics to make them look like a combination of a prehistoric animal and a hand.

* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AJiYZ6QIAtY Senor Wences]], who appeared regularly on ''Series/TheEdSullivanShow'', is possibly the TropeMaker (in the TV world, at least) since he was the first mainstream ventriloquist to extensively use this artform. "'Salright?" "'Salright."
* The parody sports show ''Series/ThumbWrestlingFederation'', which stars thumbs topped with Mexican-style wrestling masks. The "referee" and "commentators" wear wigs and googly eyes.
* An episode of ''Series/RedDwarf'' has our leads doing the "chin puppet" technique to pass themselves as an alien race called [[https://youtu.be/jSZbzIHGj8U?t=56s Vindaloovians]]. It doesn't work.

* [[Series/LaverneAndShirley Shirley]] does this to entertain Laverne when the latter is sick. It's Mr. Getwell!
* ''Series/PeeWeesPlayhouse'' had Mr. Knucklehead in the first season, a fist with googly eyes and mouth painted along the line of the index finger and thumb.

** Done again with ''[[TheBlairWitchProject The Blair Thumb]]''

* Aldo ''Bat Thumb'' by the same guys, that parodies ''Batman''.

* In an episode of ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'', Cartman turns one of his hands into a bare-handed puppet of Music/JenniferLopez. The puppet (remaining in-character in the whole episode) becomes a celebrity, and a rival for the real Jennifer Lopez. Said handpuppet later becomes something of a GoToAlias for Cartman under the name "Mitch Conner" and even serves as the villain of ''Videogame/SouthParkTheFracturedButWhole'' (with [[AdultsAreUseless only the kids knowing]] that it's just Cartman up to his shenanigans).

* In an episode of ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'', Cartman turns one of his hands into a bare-handed puppet of Music/JenniferLopez. The puppet (remaining in-character in the whole episode) becomes a celebrity, and a rival for the real Jennifer Lopez...

* In ''Disney/FunAndFancyFree'', Creator/EdgarBergen entertains party guests by making his hand into a puppet of an old lady.

* In an episode of ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'', Cartman turns one of his hands into a bare-handed puppet of Creator/JenniferLopez. The puppet (remaining in-character in the whole episode) becomes a celebrity, and a rival for the real Jennifer Lopez...

* ''Series/{{Oobi}}'' is almost certainly the TropeCodifier. All of the characters on this Nickelodeon show are the puppeteers' own hands, with eyes attached to a finger like rings. More often than not, each character has some kind of additional accessory -- such as Uma's barrette, or Kako's tobbagon cap. The program once had a strong following of Muppet fanatics, since its cast is made up of Muppeteers and it began as a co-production of Nick and [[Series/SesameStreet Sesame Workshop]]. Frieda, a recurring character, is actually a ''foot'' with eyes attached to a toe. Frieda's puppeteer, Cheryl Blaylock, needed to train herself to perform with her feet after getting the role.

* An episode of Series/RedDwarf has our leads doing the "chin puppet" technique to pass themselves as an alien race called [[https://youtu.be/jSZbzIHGj8U?t=56s Vindaloovians]]. It doesn't work.

* Sussie and her parents from ''WesternAnimation/TheAmazingWorldOfGumball'' are chin puppets. The creator Ben Bocquelet named Sussie as his favorite character since she is performed by his girlfriend, Aurelie Charbonnier.

Splitting the difference between puppet shows and mime, this performance technique paints and/or costumes a human body part, usually the hand, to resemble an independent character. The performer then manipulates their decorated body part to create the semblance of life, often accompanying its movements with dialogue or sound effects via ventriloquism.

[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/oobi_kako_googly_eyes_hand_puppet.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:It's a hand...poof...it's a person.]]

[[folder:Art]]

[[folder:Film]]

** Aldo ''Bat Thumb'' by the same guys that parodies Batman.

[[folder:LiveActionTV]]
* ''Series/{{Oobi}}'' is almost certainly the TropeCodifier. All of the characters on this Nickelodeon show are the puppeteers' own hands, with eyes attached to a finger like rings. More often than not, each character has some kind of additional accessory - such as Uma's barrette, or Kako's tobbagon cap. The program once had a strong following of Muppet fanatics, since its cast is made up of Muppeteers and it began as a co-production of Nick and [[Series/SesameStreet Sesame Workshop]].
** Frieda, a recurring character, is actually a ''foot'' with eyes attached to a toe. Frieda's puppeteer, Cheryl Blaylock, needed to train herself to perform with her feet after getting the role.
-->'''Cheryl Blaylock:''' I had to actually go back to Puppetry 101 to train my foot to lip sync. Oh yes, I was determined to do some kind of toe wiggle that could be convincing.
* One alien character constructed on ''JimHenson's Creature Shop Challenge'' had a puppeteer's fingers for "teeth", painted and with false nails to make them pointed.

[[folder:WebOriginal]]
* Homemade "chin puppet" clips are very common on YouTube.
* [[http://dawhois.com/site/flickwear.com.html OobiEyes.com]], a former online catalogue of unofficial ''Oobi'' puppets that closed in 2013, had a [=YouTube=] "partnership offer" that gave customers free Oobi eyes if they created web videos with their products. The result was a wide variety of ''Oobi'' tributes and spoofs appearing on [=YouTube=], including entire series about bare hand puppet characters.
** Due to the former popularity of such videos, [[http://oobifanon.wikia.com a wiki]] exists ([[Main/TheWikiRule of course it does!]]) for cataloging homemade films starring Oobi puppets.

[[folder:WesternAnimation]]

* In one episode of ''[[WesternAnimation/MyGymPartnersAMonkey My Gym Partner's a Monkey]]'', Jake becomes a big hit around school by making a face out of his butt and making it speak with a funny voice.
* In the ''[[WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants [=SpongeBob=] [=SquarePants=]]]'' episode "Survival of the Idiots", Patrick makes a face from the rolls of his back. ''"My name is Patback."''

Related to OrganAutonomy, but invoked for entertainment purposes.

** After breaking up with Patrick in "Naughty Nautical Neighbors", [=SpongeBob=] tries to think of three other friends. When he can't think of any, he draws smiley faces on the three fingers he's holding up and sadly entones "The gang's all here."

* In ''Disney/FunAndFancyFree'', Creator/EdgarBergen entertains party guests by making his hand into a puppet of an old lady.

* The parody sports show ''Thumb Wrestling Federation'', which stars thumbs topped with Mexican-style wrestling masks. The "referee" and "commentators" wear wigs and googly eyes.

!!!Examples

[[AC:{{Art}}]]

[[AC:{{Film}}]]

[[AC:{{Literature}}]]

[[AC: LiveActionTV]]
* ''Oobi''. All of the characters on this show are the puppeteers' own hands, with eyes attached to a finger like rings, and more often than not, each character also had some kind of additional accessory - such as Uma's barrette, or Kako's tobbagon cap. In one episode, Oobi meets a new kid in the park who is actually a puppeteer's ''foot'' with eyes attached to a toe.

* [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AJiYZ6QIAtY Senor Wences]], who appeared regularly on ''Series/TheEdSullivanShow'', is (possibly) the TropeCodifier since he introduced many people to this artform. "'Salright?" "'Salright."

[[AC:WebOriginal]]

[[AC:WesternAnimation]]
* In an episode of ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'', Cartman turns one of his hands into a bare-handed puppet of Creator/JenniferLopez. The puppet (remaining in-character in the whole episode) becomes a celebrity, and a rival for the real Jennifer Lopez...