Children with their own stories
Mattis enjoys school, and his favourite part is the morning break. He has a hand you can work, so he can wave goodbye or point at his sandwich; whether he shares it is up to the children. Tanni, Jo, Johann, Lischa, Fibi and Pelle could all be in his class, and Pelle even carries spare shorts in his duffel bag. Together they can act out a quarrel at break time or an invitation to a party. Because these hand puppets look like children, kids talk to them as they would to a friend: about homework, friendships and whose turn it is on the swing.
Trolls and a ghost
Trienchen the troll uses flowers and leaves to build whatever a cockchafer or an ant might need. Knille, another troll, is enjoying a rare day of not tidying his messy den. In a woodland story, Trienchen can peek out from behind a tree trunk and ask the children for help. The ghost floats through any tale at any hour, midnight included, and belongs at Halloween or a spooky night at camp.
Big and small Finja
Finja also comes as a large figure. When an adult takes the large Finja and a child the small one, it is clear who is the big sister and who wants to join in with everything. Outside the bathroom door, the two can argue over who goes first.
Getting dressed is part of the game
Tanni's dress comes off, and Jo, Johann, Lischa, Fibi and small Finja can be undressed completely. While dressing a figure, a child may mention in passing how their own morning went. Dress the figure in the morning and undress it at bedtime, and you have played through a whole day.
Who plays with the small people
- Children themselves: young hands manage the figures easily, so two friends can let their figures talk to each other.
- Nursery: a figure has forgotten its soft toy, and the group works out what it can do now.
- Primary school: pupils put on short plays about a class trip or about friendship.
- Home: siblings play together, or a parent takes a second role, perhaps a friend coming round to visit.
- Speech therapy: a figure of the child's age asks the very questions the child is facing, such as how to say hello to a new class.