Secondary Movement

Puppeteers are responsible for bringing puppets to life, but puppet designers are there to help them out. When designing a character, try adding an element that will provide secondary movement, like floppy ears, feathery hair or bouncy antennae. Secondary movement helps sustain the illusion of life even when a puppet is motionless.

Red Fraggle, from Jim Henson's Fraggle Rock, exemplifies this technique.