Ventriloquism is an act of stagecraft in which a person speaks in such a way that it looks like their voice is coming from a different location, usually through a puppet known as a "dummy". The act of ventriloquism is ventriloquizing, and the ability to do so is commonly called in English the ability to "throw" one's voice.
Newspaper article on Gef, the talking mongoose, claiming it involved ventriloquism by Voirrey Irving
Sadler's Wells Theatre in the early 19th century, at a time when ventriloquist acts were becoming increasingly popular
Ventriloquist Edgar Bergen and his best-known sidekick, Charlie McCarthy, in the film Stage Door Canteen (1943)
A ventriloquist entertaining children at the Pueblo, Colorado, Buell Children's Museum
A puppet is an object, often resembling a human, animal or mythical figure, that is animated or manipulated by a person called a puppeteer. Puppetry is an ancient form of theatre which dates back to the 5th century BC in Ancient Greece.
Traditional hand puppets
A Kathputli show in Mandawa, Rajasthan, India
Ancient Greek terracotta puppet dolls, 5th/4th century BC, National Archaeological Museum, Athens
Medieval knight puppets do battle in the Hortus deliciarum. Each puppet is manipulated by both puppeteers.
