A puppet includes a hollow outer shaft having a first end and a second end, an inner shaft disposed substantially within the outer shaft and slidable in a longitudinal direction relative to the outer shaft. The inner shaft includes a first end and an opposing second end. The puppet further includes a first puppet piece attached to the outer shaft near the first end thereof, a second puppet piece attached to the inner shaft near the first end thereof, and a lever connected to the inner shaft and extending outward therefrom through a first slot formed in the outer shaft. The second end of the inner shaft extends outside of the outer shaft. One of the first and second puppet pieces is movable relative to the other by sliding the lever longitudinally relative to the outer shaft or by moving the second end of the inner shaft away from the outer shaft.
1. A puppet, comprising:
a hollow outer shaft having a first end and a second end;
an inner shaft disposed substantially within the outer shaft and slidable in a longitudinal direction relative to the outer shaft, the inner shaft having a first end and an opposing second end, the second end of the inner shaft extending outside of the outer shaft;
a first puppet piece attached to the outer shaft near the first end thereof;
a second puppet piece attached to the inner shaft near the first end thereof; and
a lever connected to the inner shaft and extending outward therefrom through a first slot formed in the outer shaft, wherein
one of the first and second puppet pieces is movable relative to the other by moving the lever relative to the outer shaft or by moving the second end of the inner shaft relative to the outer shaft, and
movement of the second puppet piece in the longitudinal direction towards the second end of the outer shaft is constrained by a second slot 16 formed in the outer shaft.
2. The puppet according to claim 1 , wherein in a first, default position of the puppet, the second puppet piece is substantially flush with the first puppet piece such that the second end of the inner shaft is substantially adjacent to the second end of the outer shaft.
3. The puppet according to claim 2 , wherein in a second position of the puppet, the second puppet piece is spaced from the first puppet piece such that the second end of the inner shaft is spaced from the second end of the outer shaft.
4. The puppet according to claim 1 , wherein the second end of the inner shaft protrudes laterally beyond edges of the outer shaft.
5. The puppet according to claim 4 , wherein the second end of the inner shaft is shaped so as to not be insertable into the outer shaft.
6. The puppet according to claim 1 , further comprising an end member connected to the second end of the inner shaft, wherein the end member is shaped so as to not be insertable into the outer shaft.
7. The puppet according to claim 2 , further comprising a biasing member that urges the puppet into the first position.
8. A puppet, comprising:
a hollow outer shaft having a first end and a second end;
an inner shaft disposed substantially within the outer shaft and slidable in a longitudinal direction relative to the outer shaft, the inner shaft having a first end and an opposing second end, the second end of the inner shaft extending outside of the outer shaft;
a first puppet piece attached to the outer shaft near the first end thereof;
a second puppet piece attached to the inner shaft near the first end thereof;
a lever connected to the inner shaft and extending outward therefrom through a first slot formed in the outer shaft, wherein one of the first and second puppet pieces is movable relative to the other by moving the lever relative to the outer shaft or by moving the second end of the inner shaft relative to the outer shaft;
a biasing member that urges the puppet into a first default position of the puppet,
wherein in the first default position of the puppet, the second puppet piece is substantially flush with the first puppet piece such that the second end of the inner shaft is substantially adjacent to the second end of the outer shaft, and
wherein one end of the biasing member is bound by one of the inner shaft and outer shaft and the other end of the biasing member is bound by the other of the inner shaft and the outer shaft.
9. The puppet according to claim 1 , wherein a movement of the second puppet piece towards the first end of the outer shaft is constrained by the first slot.
10. The puppet according to claim 1 , wherein the first and second puppet pieces combine to form a head of the puppet.
11. The puppet according to claim 1 , wherein the first and second puppet pieces form between them a mouth of the puppet.
12. A puppet, comprising:
a hollow outer shaft;
an inner shaft disposed substantially within the outer shaft and slidable in a longitudinal direction relative to the outer shaft;
a first puppet piece attached to the outer shaft;
a second puppet piece attached to the inner shaft;
a writing utensil coupled to the outer shaft;
a biasing member coupled to the inner shaft and the outer shaft; and
a lever connected to the inner shaft and extending outward therefrom through a first slot formed in the outer shaft, wherein
the biasing member holds the first and second puppet pieces in either a first position relative to each other or a second position relative to each other, the second position different from the first position, and
the puppet is movable between the first and second positions by sliding the lever relative to the outer shaft or by sliding the inner shaft relative to the outer shaft.
13. The puppet according to claim 12 , wherein the first position is a default position where the first and second puppet pieces are substantially adjacent, and the second position is an active position where the first and second puppet pieces are spaced from each other.
14. A puppet, comprising:
a hollow outer shaft having an upper end and a lower end;
an inner shaft disposed substantially within the outer shaft and slidable in a longitudinal direction relative to the outer shaft, the inner shaft having an upper end and a lower end;
a first puppet piece attached to the outer shaft near the upper end thereof;
a second puppet piece attached to the inner shaft near the upper end thereof, the second puppet piece having a mating surface that faces a mating surface of the first puppet piece;
a writing utensil coupled to the lower end of the outer shaft;
a biasing member coupled to the inner shaft and the outer shaft; and
a lever connected to the inner shaft and extending outward therefrom through a first slot formed in the outer shaft,
wherein the biasing member biases the puppet in a default position in which the mating surfaces of the first and second puppet pieces are at a first puppet piece distance from each other and the lower end of the inner shaft is at a first shaft distance from the lower end of the outer shaft, and
wherein the puppet is movable from the default position to the active position by sliding the lever relative to the outer shaft or by sliding the lower end of the inner shaft relative to the outer shaft whereby the biasing member compresses into an active position in which the mating surfaces of the first and second puppet pieces are at a second puppet piece distance from each other different from the first puppet piece distance, and the lower end of the inner shaft is at a second shaft distance from the lower end of the outer shaft different from the first shaft distance.
15. The puppet according to claim 14 , wherein each of the second distances is greater than the first distances.
16. The puppet according to claim 14 , wherein each of the second distances is less than the first distances.
17. The puppet according to claim 14 , wherein in the default position, the mating surfaces of the first and second puppet pieces are substantially adjacent.