# PuppetMaster — Animate. Literally. Anything.

> App for creating animated videos using motion capture and touch controls. (iPhone/iPad app by Shmonster LLC.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/puppetmaster/id438080891 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [Shmonster LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/438080894)
- Category: Education, Photo & Video
- Price: Free with in-app purchases (on sale, was $2.99)
- Rating: 3.96/5 from 52 App Store ratings · 38 written reviews indexed
- Age rating: 4+
- Requires: iOS 13.0 · 415 MB
- Languages: English
- Released: 2017-03-07
- Data updated: 2026-07-04
- Monetization: free with in-app purchases
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/puppetmaster/id438080891/reviews.md

## What is PuppetMaster?

PuppetMaster: Animate. Literally. Anything.

This animation app lets you instantly bring to life anything you want, just by acting things out in front of the camera or touching the screen. Your voice is recorded as well. The result is your own animated video you can save and share!

The app even has fun guided activities that kids can follow along and do, making arts and crafts and then animating them.

Features include:
* Real-time animation - you animate in the moment, while you talk, and your puppet comes to life in front of your eyes.
* Motion capture - intuitively animate characters just by moving your body in front of the device camera. Use front or back camera. (Best results are usually with back camera of newer devices.)
* Multi-touch - animate by touching and dragging the puppet and its body parts on the screen, even using both hands or working together with a friend.
* Animate one or two puppets - you can have one puppet on its own, or two puppets where both can move and you can control which one is talking at any time.
* Create your own puppets - bring to life your physical artwork, your favorite toys, a person or animal, random stuff like your snacks arranged as a character, really anything you like!
* Create your own backgrounds - use a painting you made, a diorama, some interesting place, or anything else you want as your background.
* Choose from our designs - the app comes with a bunch of cool puppets and backgrounds already in it, in a cute hand drawn style that you can mix and match with your own creations.
* Export and share videos with audio - save a video of your puppet show, complete with the audio of your performance, locally and also to social media, cloud storage, or any other typical sharing method.
* In-app streaming tutorials and activities - guiding kids through using the app for visual storytelling, and teaching them how to create various physical art pieces and animate them.

On our website and social media you'll find more project ideas, educational support, and lesson plans for teachers and homeschooling parents.

PuppetMaster was named one of the Best Apps for Teaching and Learning by the American Association of School Librarians. It's a great open ended creative activity for children, supports ISTE standards, and is a great way to integrate the arts into any academic subject for a more engaging class. (Teachers say they prefer it to stop motion animation because it's so much easier and faster.)

See our privacy and terms here: https://www.shmonster.com/privacyterms/

## Key features

- Real-time animation
- Motion capture
- Multi-touch animation
- Create custom puppets
- Create custom backgrounds
- Export and share videos

## Pricing and in-app purchases

Base price: Free.

**Subscriptions**

| Subscription | Price | Period |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Creative Kids' Activities | $2.99 | per month |
| Creative Kids' Activities | $24.99 | per year |
| Animation | $24.99 | per year |
| Animation | $2.99 | per month |

**One-time purchases**

| Purchase | Price | Type |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Animation | $2.99 | one-time |
| Animation | $24.99 | one-time |


## Recent user reviews (10 of 38)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/puppetmaster/id438080891/reviews.md

### 2/5 — This app sucks

*2026-07-02, version 5.4*

I am not going to pay $25just to make a video on adds I thought it was a good idea to get the app but no it seems like it was made in 5 minutes if you can fix your stupid app I will actually use it

### 3/5 — $???

*2026-03-21, version 5.3*

Im sorry I know u worked for this and want money but like I thoght this was so cool and didn’t get to experience it cuz I can’t use any money

### 5/5 — The best

*2026-03-03, version 5.3*

I love the animation app it helps everything I love it it’s easy like stuff and I love it

### 1/5 — Why

*2026-01-31, version 5.2.2*

This is not working any more because record doesn’t work at all and record cost I don’t know I don’t like it.

### 1/5 — Disappointed

*2025-10-20, version 5.2.2*

It has been a while since I used this to entertain the kids. I decided to do some recording for the little ones and to find out that it’s changed. I hate that they made this into a subscription now. I rarely use it and when in do, it’s to see the smiles on the little ones. Will delete.

### 1/5 — Unexpected subscription (disappointing)

*2025-05-24, version 5.0*

I thought I’d found a simple animation app to introduce to my four year old who keeps asking me about doing animation. Being able to draw on paper first meant this wasn’t going to be a 100% screen time activity which was a big plus. 

The price sounded great. Several days later sat down with my son and we went through the puppet building process. Bitterly disappointed to discover that the animation feature is a subscription feature. It is literally the core functionality of this app.

I’ve never pursued an App Store refund before but this will be the first. Soon as I’ve explained to my son why we won’t be doing any animation this afternoon.

### 5/5 — Can play by first day

*2024-12-07, version 4.4*

The first time I played, it wouldn’t let me click anything. I don’t know why but don’t play this. It will probably just stop letting you depress anything. Nothing works for me. I just like I tried to take a picture for one of the flower thing that’s above, but instead of taking a picture, I got stuck on a single screen and couldn’t get off

### 5/5 — Good game but fix free people glitch

*2024-09-28, version 4.0*

So when I got this game, I was so excited I was six years old I heard about it because at school we were in little groups so like I went to the iPads and my group did and we started playing but then I got glitch I learned how to fix it then continue playing . I am.12 now and I still play it

### 2/5 — WHY IS IT SO FAST?!

*2024-08-05, version 4.0*

I used to have this app but had to delete it. Recently I thought I would try it again. But instead of a fun app full of nostalgia, I ran into a terrible. Glitchy. Mess. You see when you open the app it glitches and kicks you out, and when you open it again, there’s a 50/50 chance that either the same thing happens again or it works and lets you in. So then when you go to the animator everything seems normal except “oh, they added hats that’s cool” so then you start animating and everything is normal but then you watch the animation and you’re like “What? Why is it going so fast?” And you think it might just be that it’s normal speed when you watch it in photos. NO. It’s still crazy fast and unenjoyable! Nothing is serious and it’s SUPER hard to get a good animation. PLEASE FIX THIS SOON.

### 1/5 — Crash

*2023-09-23, version 3.7*

The app crashes for us when we try to animate with the camera/body movement.

## Frequently asked questions about PuppetMaster

### What does PuppetMaster do?

PuppetMaster is an animation app that allows users to create animated videos by acting out scenes in front of the camera or by touching the screen. It records your voice, enabling you to bring characters to life in real-time with your performance.

### What are the key features of PuppetMaster?

Key features include real-time animation, motion capture using the device's camera, multi-touch controls for animating puppets, the ability to create and use custom puppets and backgrounds, and options to export and share your animated videos with audio.

### Is PuppetMaster free to use?

The app is free to download and use, offering in-app purchases for additional content or features. This allows users to explore the core functionality before committing to any purchases.

### What kind of content can I animate?

You can animate virtually anything, including physical artwork, toys, people, animals, or even arrangements of everyday objects. The app also provides pre-made puppets and backgrounds in a hand-drawn style that can be mixed with your own creations.

### Who is PuppetMaster designed for?

PuppetMaster is an open-ended creative activity suitable for children, offering guided activities and tutorials. It is also beneficial for teachers and homeschooling parents looking to integrate arts into academic subjects and support visual storytelling.

## Version history (last 5 releases)

### 5.4 — 2026-04-13

* Updates for educational use
* Fixes regarding video playback
* General improvements and fixes

### 5.3 — 2026-02-04

* Fixed issue with playback of videos, including tutorials and activities
* Fixed issues causing problems in certain regions, including Brazil and Mexico
* Additional improvements

### 5.2.2 — 2025-08-08

Fixes related to subscription and free trial

### 5.2.1 — 2025-08-02

Fixes including fix related to subscription screen

### 5.2 — 2025-06-18

Some bug fixes

## Apps similar to PuppetMaster

| App | Rating | Price | Category |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [Creature Garden by Tinybop](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/creature-garden-by-tinybop/id1193760955) | 4.3 (110) | $3.99 | Education |
| [ABC Kids Education Spinner](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/abc-kids-education-spinner/id1614486035) | 4.6 (8) | Free | Education |
| [Mipo Puppet Maker](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mipo-puppet-maker/id6450050163) | 5.0 (3) | Free | Education |
| [English Image Dictionary](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/english-image-dictionary/id1462616395) | 4.5 (23) | Free | Education |
| [Puppet Pals Book Builder](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/puppet-pals-book-builder/id6499297203) | 4.4 (12) | Free | Education |
| [Puppet Pals 2](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/puppet-pals-2/id589141096) | 4.1 (117) | Free | Education |

## More apps by Shmonster LLC

- [FishyPaint](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/fishypaint/id1157069348)
- [Ghost Story](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ghost-story/id1241408057)

All apps by Shmonster LLC: https://appshunter.io/developer/438080894

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*Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-07-04.*