No Strings International is one of two charities supported by the Girls’ Night In and Kids’ Night In series. In 2020 as the world deals with COVID-19 and the new, global need for hand washing, this Muppets-inspired cause has created a short films to spread the word about hand washing and using soap.
About No Strings Puppets
No Strings International creates beautiful, broadcast-quality puppet films bringing to life issues affecting some of the most vulnerable people on earth.
Made by leading artists from the original Muppet Show, their films, including the new handwashing education project, provide on-the-ground organisations with a much needed awareness tool to engage both children and families in a wide range of contexts and drawing people into a world where risks can be seen from a new perspective; a place they can safely allow themselves to explore and where there is no judgement.
Remember Fozzie Bear and Animal?
Remember Fozzie Bear and Animal? Michael Frith (pictured), their creator and for 21 years Jim Henson’s Artistic Director, designs all No Strings film puppets while his wife, puppeteer and writer Kathy Mullen, puts concepts together for scripts and shoots and attracting some of the best in the industry to work alongside.
No Strings films might talk about what families can do to prevent malaria infection in sub-Saharan Africa, or influence hand-washing with soap take-up, something No Strings has recently adapted for the coronavirus pandemic and are disseminating in countries with urgent need and relatively few healthcare resources.
Now that might sound a little crazy, but puppetry – the simple art of picking something up and making it talk, or emote – can take play to a whole other magical place where we can step back and consider what we do on an emotional as well as an intellectual level, which experts believe is key for lasting behaviour change. It is also fun when children, and adults, need a dignified outlet for laughter and creativity. And because it’s different, people tend to want to have a go at some level or another so it’s naturally collaborative, be it as part of a group telling a story through shadow puppetry, or making puppets from junk or natural materials to explore specific issues, or bringing a model of a village, street or camp area to life so that the impact of behaviours is magnified.
No Strings is thus both a film-making and a training organisation, working to help children and families improve their own health and wellbeing through the use of the imagination and puppets.
Website: No Strings International
Twitter: @NoStringsInt
This Book Helps No Strings
Please support No Strings’ work in 2020 by purchasing Ladies’ Night here (British edition featuring Cecelia Ahern, Wendy Holden, Freya North and Cathy Kelly ) or the American edition here (with Meg Cabot and Marian Keyes)
