Balinese Rod Puppets
 

Does anyone know of an online site you can buy Balinese rod puppets? I've done a general google search and looked on ebay, but there are not a whole lot of choices out there. ... Also, curious to know how much the rod puppets are in Bali? They sell for about $200 online (from what I have seen so far). Thanks!

$200?? Now that's what I call a mark-up. I've purchase such puppets in Bali for under $10 each, and I wasn't bargaining hard.

There are two types: the flat leather ones and the three dimensional wooden ones. The flat ones are used for shadow puppet plays. The artform originated in Java so try searcing for Javanese Wayang Kulit (shadow) and Wayang Golek (wooden).

There's quite a range of age, quality and craftsmanship in both, hence the range of prices.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayang

I have both Wayang Kulit and Wayang Golek. I was referring to the Wayang Golek, but the Wayang Kulit I purchased were even less.

The best place to shop for such puppets is on Java, where these puppets originated, as marmot points out.

Thanks for the feedback. I have found many more (and at lower prices) when searching this way!

Wayang Golek are the rod puppets, and they are from Java. Wayang Kulit are the leather shadow puppets, and they are a current art form in both Java and Bali. The Balinese style is a bit more rounded in form, and is considered more archaic, and the "real" ones are often played in Balinese Hindu ceremonies. As Marmot stated, the price can be quite different, based on factors such as age, condition, quality of workmanship, who the characters are, if they are made as souvenirs or as actual performance puppets. Materials can be quite different, such as kind of wood, leather, buffalo horn or bamboo, paint, and gold leaf.