We all know the popular Sesame Street character Elmo very well. Elmo is portrayed by a puppeteer using both hands and his voice. There's even an Elmo that can be moved with a remote control, but that's not our main problem now.
If you search the internet about the character of Elmo, you will see that he is often called "muppet" and sometimes "puppet". So is Elmo a muppet or a puppet? Although the two words have almost the same meaning, we will try to explain the difference between them in this article.
Origins of the Words "Muppet" and "Puppet"
The dictionary meaning of the word Puppet is as follows: "A toy in the shape of a person or animal that you can move with strings or by putting your hand inside..." The foundations of modern theater as we know it are based on puppets. Puppets have existed for thousands of years, and every country has hundreds of different puppets.
The word Muppet was coined by Jim Henson in the 1950s by synthesizing the words "marionette" and "puppet". The word Muppet refers only to a specific group of puppets, not all puppets. Jim Henson may have wanted to create a trademark and distinguish some puppets from others. Because it is possible to come across puppets all over the world.
A Simple Example
For example, an iPhone branded phone is both a phone and an iPhone. iPhone is a trademarked name used to distinguish one product from another similar.
After all, is Elmo a muppet or a puppet???
Elmo is a muppet as it was created under the "Muppet" trademark. But when we think in general terms, it is not wrong to say that Elmo is a puppet. After all, every muppet is also a puppet, but not every puppet is a muppet.