Lantern Stage

• Fits on a table: 50 cm wide, 60 cm high, folds flat
• Real velvet curtains on a rod that open and close
• Reversible backdrop: forest on one side, river on the other
• Four hand-stitched wool felt puppets: otter, heron, fox and hedgehog

Lantern Stage is a tabletop puppet theatre in birch plywood, with velvet curtains that slide open on a wooden rod, a little lantern window at the top of the arch that glows when you put a torch behind it, and a two-sided backdrop: a forest on one side, a river on the other. Four wool felt finger puppets come with it: an otter, a heron, a fox and a hedgehog.

What puppets do for language

A puppet gives a child permission to speak in a different voice. Shy children often talk more through a puppet than they do as themselves, and children try out words and sentences they wouldn’t risk in ordinary conversation. Telling a story with a beginning, a problem and an ending is also one of the foundations of reading. The story-starter cards help: “The heron has lost something in the river…”

Size and set-up

The theatre stands on a table, so the performer kneels or sits behind it and the audience sits on the sofa. It’s 50 cm wide and folds flat in seconds when the show is over. The opening is big enough for hand puppets too, if you already have some.

The puppets

Each finger puppet is cut and stitched from wool felt, sized to fit a child’s finger or an adult’s. They also work without the theatre, at bedtime or on a long drive.

What’s in the box

• Tabletop theatre frame
• Velvet curtains on a wooden rod
• Reversible backdrop (forest / river)
• 4 wool felt finger puppets: otter, heron, fox, hedgehog
• Story-starter cards

Size, materials and care

Size: 50 × 22 × 60 cm (W × D × H), 2.4 kg. Materials: FSC birch plywood, Cotton velvet curtains, Wool felt puppets. Recommended age: 3 years and up.

Wipe the frame with a dry cloth. Hand-wash puppets cold and reshape them while damp.

Safety

Tested to EN 71-1, EN 71-2, EN 71-3 and CE marked.

Questions about Lantern Stage

At what age do children enjoy a puppet theatre?

From about three as an audience and a helper, and from four or five as the performer. Children up to ten still use it for longer stories and shows for younger siblings.

Does it work with hand puppets too?

Yes. The stage opening is 36 cm wide, big enough for most hand puppets as well as the four finger puppets included.

How do you set it up?

Unfold the side panels, hang the curtain rod and slot in the backdrop. It stands on any table and folds flat again for storage.