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Playable heritage game

Aragoz Hand-Puppet Booth

Also known as aragoz · أراجوز

A squeaky-voiced glove puppet in a red cap pops up over a little booth and jokes with the crowd about daily life. Street performers in Egypt have played Aragoz for centuries, using a small reed in the mouth for his voice.

Play the previewAbout this tradition
Aragoz Hand-Puppet Booth: photograph by Carel van Leeuwen / Tropenmuseum
Photo: Carel van Leeuwen / Tropenmuseum, CC BY-SA 3.0, source on Wikimedia Commons
Aragoz Hand-Puppet Booth: the game in attract modeLive previewPlay

Runs in your browser, works offline once loaded.

How to play

  1. Read the scene and choose what Aragoz and his friends do.
  2. Wit solves the puzzle; goodwill wins the crowd.
  3. Answer the puzzle with a clear head and keep the crowd on your side.
  4. Reach the last scene to see your stars.
Rules at a glance
  • Hiding something never works for long.
  • Some endings are sweeter than others.
  • Both wit and goodwill are needed for three stars.

About the tradition

Aragoz is the glove puppet of Egypt: a wooden head, a red cap and a cloth cloak over the performer's hand, played from a small cloth booth with a high voice made by a small reed held in the mouth. It has been a street and fair entertainment for centuries, full of jokes about officials, neighbours and money, and it is recognised internationally as living heritage.

Origins

Usually placed in the era of Classical Worlds (about 1000 BCE to 500 CE), although its exact origins are uncertain, within the cultural world of Africa: Nile and the Horn.

Credits

Sources

Get the app

Aragoz Hand-Puppet Booth is one of 10 stories and theatre games in the Story & Theatre of the World app for iPhone, iPad and Android. Submitted to the App Store and Google Play; in review. Store links appear here the day it goes live. One app, many traditions, no account needed.

See all 10 stories and theatre games in the app

In review on theApp StoreIn review on theGoogle Play

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