Marionettes from cardboard rolls

For the monkey you need:
1x cardboard roll 10 cm, 8x 6 cm straw, 1x styrofoam ball Ø 7 cm, 2x chenille wire brown, templates for ears and face (transferred to kraft paper and cut out), 4 wooden feet, 2 wobbly eyes, 2 wooden spatulas, warp yarn

1. design the straws, cardboard roll, wooden feet and styrofoam ball in your desired colour Craft paint is best suited for this. In our example we have chosen VBS craft colour in red-brown.

2. glue the wooden feet to one piece of warp yarn each and thread it onto the straw pieces after drying.

3. pierce holes for the arms, legs and tail at the appropriate places on the cardboard roll using an awl. Thread the warp threads through the holes and secure them on the inside of the roll with a wooden bead.

4. form the tail out of chenille wire and thread it also through a hole in the cardboard roll and glue it inside the roll.

5. glue the styrofoam ball to the cardboard roll. Cut small slits for the ears at the sides and stick them into the slits. Paste on the face, wiggly eyes and the bow and paint on the mouth and nostrils.

6. finally, glue two wooden spatulas together to form a cross and attach four threads to it. Connect these threads to the head, one on each wrist and one above the monkey's tail.

For the lion you need:
1x cardboard roll 10 cm, 8x 5 cm straw, 1x styrofoam ball Ø 7 cm,4x chenille wire yellow/orange, pattern for face (transferred to kraft paper and cut out), 4 wooden feet; 2 wobbly eyes, warp yarn

1. repeat steps 1-4 as for the monkey (see above)

2. cut a slit in the polystyrene ball so that it can be stuck and glued to the cardboard roll

3. cut the chenille wire into short pieces and stick them into the styrofoam ball as a mane.

4. fix the face, wiggly eyes and the bow with glue and paint on the mouth and nose.

5. finally, glue two wooden spatulas together to form a cross and attach two threads to it. Connect these threads to the lion's neck and buttocks.

For the giraffe you need:
1x cardboard roll 10 cm, 1x cardboard roll 15 cm, 1 whole straw and 8x 10 cm straw, 1 chenille wire yellow/orange, pattern for ears (transferred to kraft paper and cut out), 4 wooden feet, 2 wobbly eyes, warp yarn

1. repeat steps 1-4 as for the monkey (see above) In addition, thread the whole straw between the body and the head and stick a loop on it.

2. glue the ears and the wiggly eyes to the head, as well as two humps of chenille wire.

3. finally, glue two wooden spatulas together to form a cross and attach two threads to it. Connect these threads to the giraffe's head and hindquarters.