Now, at the age of seventy-three, Suo is making a new Little Ling Dang. He wants to make the puppet into a toy that modern-day children can enjoy.
Suo said, "I'm making a different version of Little Ling Dang that can walk around. I want to develop a toy for the market. I'm adding more features and making it simpler for children to play with."
Suo has made a walking puppet once before, for the well-known Chinese magician, Qin Mingxiao. He says it was a toy that moved without the use of batteries.
Making a puppet takes a lot of work. First, the head is made using a clay mould, then the face has to be painted and the hair attached, then the body's mechanisms have to be engineered and clothes fitted.
But all this hard work is worth it for the enjoyment puppets bring to children.
Suo said, "Puppets make good toys. No matter at what point in history, children cherish toys as dear friends. They can't live without toys, so they can't live without puppets either. I think puppet art will continue to develop in the future."
Suo likes to say that animations are cartoons for the screen, while puppets are cartoons for the stage. He holds on to the belief that puppets are irreplaceable, despite society's rapid development.
