Workshops

See the first session of our Simple Mechanisms Workshop, the opening of our 2025-26 Automata Fundamentals Online Workshop, which took place on September, 2025. Learn to make several simple automata that you can easily make at home with scrap wood, clothespins, and other materials that are easily sourced. Our Automata Fundamentals Course will run from September 2025 to April 2026. It will be taught by Mirek Trejtnar, expert woodcarver, toymaker and automata builder. You can j

Make your own at our next 2-hour online Puppet Recipe. November 9, 7-9 p.m. CET / 1-3 pm EST What do you need to consider when making a controller for your marionette? We will start with the basic Czech-style controllers for a human marionette, including the differences between a puppet on a wire vs. a puppet on strings. Then how to adjust your controller for special movements of hands and feet, moveable jaw, special controllers for trick variety puppets, how to design a cont

Learn the techniques for making this intriguing mechanism at our upcoming Waves Workshop. It is part of our full-year Automata Fundamentals Onlike Workshop, but you can sign up for an individual module. Mechanism by Chesley Cannon, made in our 2024-25 Automata workshop WHEN: November 23 + December 24, 7-9 p.m. Central European Time / 1-3 p.m. EST WHERE: Zoom platform Find out more here!

WHEN: Sunday, October 5, 7-9 p.m. Central European Time (1-3 EST) WHERE: Zoom platform Puppeteers Jakub Sulik and Johana Bartova started...

To launch our 2025-26 MASTERING THE MARIONETTE Online Workshop, we are offering a session on how to build Puppet Joints for FREE! Learn...

Learn more mechanisms based on traditional toy design at our Simple Mechanisms 2   Mechanisms by Cara Hayman and Chesley Cannon WHEN:...