Abstract

Puppetry is a cultural heritage in Asia that continues to be preserved, sustained, and developed in line with the advancement of time. This study aims to provide a general overview of the transformation of puppetry arts in the digital technology era. The mapping is based on geographical regions, types of technology and digital media, as well as the utilization of digital puppetry. This research employs a scoping review method using the Arksey and O’Malley framework, consisting of five stages: (1) identifying the research questions based on the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) framework—Population, Concept, and Context (PCC); (2) identifying relevant literature; (3) selecting data using the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses) flowchart guideline; (4) extracting the data; and (5) reporting the results. Data extraction revealed that twenty-four articles discuss the development of digital puppetry. Four countries were identified as focusing on digital puppetry development: China, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand. Among them, China and Indonesia dominate in terms of technological and media advancements. The technologies used include animation modeling, computer-mediated reality, gamification, motion recognition, live streaming, and deep learning. The types of digital media developed focus on two main aspects: the creation of two-dimensional (2D), two and a half-dimensional (2.5D), and three-dimensional (3D) animation modeling, virtual reality, augmented reality, live streaming, websites, applications, GAN, YOLOv5, and mGWOC. The digital media primarily aim to present innovations in virtual performances, interactive virtual shows, and virtual simulations. The findings of this study indicate that the transformation of digital puppetry has created new forms and spaces for the puppetry arts. Innovations in digital puppetry can continue to grow in other countries through advancing technologies, while also considering public perceptions of puppetry.