Thai puppet show first appeared in the royal family of Thailand and was called "Royal Puppet" (also known as "Big Puppet"). The "big puppet" is about one meter high and is made of wood, bamboo tubes and other materials. The head, hands and feet are all intact. The bottom of the puppet is supported by wooden sticks, and the limbs are connected by silk threads, which can move all parts of the body. The costume and shape of "Big Puppet" are the same as those of "Neluokun", and most of the repertoires performed are Ramajian and Unaru. During the reign of King Rama V of Bangkok Dynasty, there appeared a "puppet" about 30cm high, which was divided into Thai puppet and China puppet. China puppet is similar to the glove puppet in Chaoshan, China, which controls the movements of all parts of the puppet through finger movements. Most of the repertoires performed are China's classical literary works, such as Romance of the Three Kingdoms and Biography of Yue Fei. Thai puppets are similar to "big puppets".
Thai puppet is Thailand's national intangible cultural heritage. Traditional puppets are hand-made and 40 cm high, which are half-shaped puppets. The female puppet has a white face and delicate eyes; Male puppets have colorful faces. Puppet consists of head, puppet main skeleton and shoulders, covered with special clothes, and sleeves supported by thin skeleton, forming a hand shape. Thai puppet shows are performed by dolls on the same stage. Puppet operation is difficult, and it needs three people to operate at the same time. The mouth, eyes and limbs of the puppet are connected by small steel bars. When performing, each puppet must be operated by three actors dressed in black: the one on the left is responsible for the puppet's head and left hand, the one in the middle controls his feet, and the one on the right is responsible for the puppet's right hand. The actor who operates the puppet should imitate the puppet to do similar leg movements in the lower body, and the three people should be completely consistent, otherwise they will accidentally step down. With the tacit cooperation of the three actors, the body language of the puppet's fingers and feet can be similar to that of a real person, and the tacit cooperation of the actors must go through years of training. When performing, the story mainly depends on the transformation of waist and leg movements, and some even dub the characters and accompany the band.
Anyone who has enjoyed the Thai puppet show will be deeply impressed by the exquisite Thai puppets and the difficult movements of the operators. For people in Southeast Asia, puppet shows symbolize childhood, joy and traditional culture. Thai puppet show is based on the movements of Thai classical dance and various gestures of local customs, which reflects the life, costumes and spiritual outlook of Thai people. The unique performance of Thai puppet show shows its unique charm.