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Hand Shadow Puppets

Shadowgraphy Awesomeness

Here’s the deal: learn how to do shadow puppets now, so that you can entertain yourself and those around you, next time the power goes out. New: check out awesome hand shadow puppet videos at the bottom of this page.

Shadowgraphy <– yup that’s a word!

Interesting bit: Hand Shadows tickle your brain. Hand shadow puppets activate a region of the human brain called the Broca’s area. This area is linked to language production.

Last update:  January 2025

Learn How to Make Shadow Puppets:

Click an icon below to get started:

demonstration of a hand shadow elephant using the ancient art of shadowgraphy or ombromanie

Shadowgraphy Info

Oh, I love saying that out loud. Try it now. A few times.

Now, say it with a funny accent.

Shadowgraphy (or Ombromanie) is the art of using hands to form figures onto a screen using shadows. It can be traced back to 18th Century, although the idea is probably much older.

Shadow puppets of Indonesia were being performed around 850 AD and in China during the Tang Dynasty (618 – 907).

Read more about Shadowgraphy at Magicpedia also Shadowgraphy on Wikipedia

Hand Shadow Puppet Videos

Here is the best video on youtube of Hand Shadow Puppets I could find: