Printable Halloween Puppets: Free Popsicle Stick Templates

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These printable Halloween puppets turn seven classic characters into an easy paper craft and imaginative-play activity. With colored paper, googly eyes, popsicle sticks, and the free templates, kids can make a ghost, cat, bat, spider, witch, Dracula, and Frankenstein.

The finished characters are small Halloween paper puppets mounted on craft sticks. The printable set also includes a haunted house where the monsters can hide, perform a puppet show, or become part of a Halloween storytelling activity.

This Halloween puppet craft works well at home, in a classroom, or at a party. Younger children can assemble pieces that an adult has already traced and cut, while older children can complete more of the project independently.

Why You’ll Love This Halloween Puppet Craft

• The free printable Halloween puppet templates include seven different characters and a haunted house.
• The craft uses inexpensive supplies that are easy to customize with different colors and facial expressions.
• Children can enjoy the finished puppets after crafting by using them for stories, games, and pretend play.
• The easier ghost, bat, and cat are good starting projects, while the layered witch offers a little more challenge.

For more seasonal projects, explore our Halloween crafts for kids, witch crafts, and free Halloween printables. We also have an entire collection of popsicle-stick Halloween crafts.

What’s Included in the Halloween Puppet Template

The printable contains the individual shapes needed to make seven Halloween popsicle-stick puppets:

• Ghost puppet
• Black cat puppet
• Bat puppet
• Spider puppet
• Witch puppet
• Dracula puppet
• Frankenstein puppet
• Haunted house for displaying and playing with the characters

Print the pattern pages on regular printer paper, cut out the template pieces, and trace them onto the colored craft paper. The templates are guides rather than the finished puppets, so children can choose their own paper colors and add unique details.

Supplies You’ll Need

• The free printable Halloween puppet templates
• Colored craft paper in black, green, white, pink, red, brown, purple, and orange
• Black cardstock for the haunted house
• Popsicle sticks or craft sticks
• Small googly eyes or our printable googly eyes
• Pencil for tracing
• Black marker or pen
• Child-safe scissors
• Craft glue

Tip for younger children: An adult can trace and cut the small paper pieces beforehand. Children can then choose the colors, glue the layers together, add faces, and use the finished puppets for play.

How to Make Halloween Popsicle-Stick Puppets

Start with the simpler ghost, bat, and cat, then move on to the witch and other layered characters. Keep the printable template nearby so it is easy to check the placement of each piece.

Step 1: Trace and Cut the Puppet Templates

Choose colored craft paper for each Halloween character. We used traditional Halloween colors such as green, orange, purple, black, and white, with a little pink, brown, and red for smaller details.

Trace the ghost, bat, and cat template pieces onto the selected papers and cut them out carefully. Set each character’s pieces in a separate pile so they do not get mixed together.

Step 2: Assemble the Ghost, Bat, and Cat

For the ghost, glue on the googly eyes and draw a mouth with the black marker. For the bat, attach the body to the center of the wings, then add its eyes, mouth, and fangs.

For the cat, glue the belly and nose pieces onto the body. Add googly eyes and draw the mouth to finish the face.

Step 3: Attach the Popsicle Sticks

Turn the paper characters over and glue a popsicle stick vertically to the back of each one. Leave enough of the stick showing beneath the paper so children can hold and move the puppets easily. Let the glue dry before playing with them.

Step 4: Trace and Cut the Witch Puppet

Next, make the more detailed witch puppet. Trace the dress and hat on black paper, the head and hands on green paper, the hair on orange paper, and the hatband on purple paper. Carefully cut out all the traced pieces.

Step 5: Layer the Witch Pieces

Glue the purple band onto the witch’s hat. Attach the green head behind the orange hair, then glue one hand to each side of the black dress.

Step 6: Finish the Witch’s Body

Attach the head and hair to the top of the dress. Position the hat over the top of the head and hair, checking the template and photos for placement.

Step 7: Add the Witch’s Face and Craft Stick

Glue googly eyes onto the witch’s face and use the black marker to draw her nose and mouth. Attach a popsicle stick to the back and allow the glue to dry completely.

Step 8: Make the Remaining Halloween Characters

Use the same trace, cut, layer, and glue method to make the spider, Dracula, and Frankenstein puppets. Sort each character’s template pieces before assembling them, and use the completed examples as a guide. Add googly eyes and drawn details after the paper layers are secure.

Step 9: Make the Puppets’ Haunted House

Trace the haunted-house pattern onto black cardstock and cut it out. Add colored paper behind the windows or decorate the house with marker, paper scraps, or Halloween stickers if desired.

The finished house can serve as a backdrop for stories or a place for the Halloween monster puppets to “live.”

Ways to Use the Finished Halloween Puppets

• Create a Halloween puppet show or let children retell a favorite not-too-scary story.
• Use the characters for imaginative play, storytelling prompts, or character voices.
• Place the craft at a classroom station or use it as a Halloween party activity.
• Display the puppets in a jar, attach them to a bulletin board, or add them to a seasonal centerpiece.
• Use the characters to practice sequencing by asking children to tell a story with a beginning, middle, and ending.

More Printable Puppet Crafts

Children who enjoy making characters can design their own with our make-a-monster printable. You may also like our Christmas puppet templates or the smaller unicorn finger puppets.

Halloween Puppet FAQ

Grab the Free Halloween Puppet Templates

Put your name and email in the pink box below. We’ll send the printable Halloween puppet templates straight to your inbox so you can print them and begin crafting.

The templates are for personal or classroom use only, not for commercial use. You may print as many copies as you need for your own home or classroom.

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