Photos of Marionette spotted

Happen to chance upon these marionette photos put up by SNAP (Singapore National Album of Pictures) some time back. Shall have the link posted here:  http://www.flickr.com/photos/snapsg/sets/72157624278229290/ Troupe featured: Xin Feng Zhu (新凤珠木偶班) Venue: Bedok area Photo taken: October 2009 (Hungry Ghost Festival) The marionettes look almost brand-new. What caught my attention was that these marionettes have round faces and a more well-rounded appearance as compared to other marionettes that usually have elongated faces and slimmer appearance. It will be interesting to find out where these various puppets originated from and why they look different. E.g. Quanzhou marionettes are usually characterized by the protruding earlobe and double chin, believed to have a distinct Buddhist origin. These characteristics set them apart from other marionettes in Fujian (Marionette Theatre in Quanzhou, 2006, pp. 117-119).  Photo credit: snapshot of website taken from the link above