Muse: The magazine of science, culture, and smart laughs for kids and children

Ventriloquism 101

Taylor slumped in her seat, waiting for the stage show to begin. “You’re going to love this ventriloquist!” her uncle Rick insisted.

Doesn’t he know I’m too old to believe a puppet show? Seriously! Taylor sighed as she wondered how long the performance would take.

Soon the house lights dimmed and the show began. Before she knew it, Taylor was listening intently to the quick banter and funny jokes between the ventriloquist and the dummy—or more correctly, the vent figure. By the end of the show, she had to admit her uncle was right.

How did the ventriloquist make the figure seem so alive? So Taylor wondered.

You’re reading a preview, subscribe to read more.

More from Muse: The magazine of science, culture, and smart laughs for kids and children

Muse: The magazine of science, culture, and smart laughs for kids and children5 min readIntelligence (AI) & Semantics
Serge Wich
Serge Wich’s favorite days at work are spent out in the forest, studying orangutans in Sumatra and Borneo or chimpanzees in Tanzania. When he’s not out in the field, he teaches primate biology and does research at Liverpool John Moores University in
Muse: The magazine of science, culture, and smart laughs for kids and children4 min read
Muse News
In August 2021 off the coast of Alaska, researchers had what may have been the first ever “conversation” with a humpback whale. The team included scientists who study whales, as well as one astronomer who works at the SETI Institute in Northern Calif
Muse: The magazine of science, culture, and smart laughs for kids and children5 min read
Guardians Of The Forest
In a steamy rainforest, an orangutan scales a tree, gripping and grabbing with fingers and toes. Palm fronds rustle. At the top, it uses its teeth and hairy hands to rip away the bark, revealing the ivory-colored center, the “heart of the palm.” High

Related Books & Audiobooks