Heritage meets Gen Z hustle: Kelantan teen’s ‘wayang kulit’ puppets win fans

A keen interest in ‘wayang kulit’ performances since childhood inspired Muhammad Airell Amsyar Anuar, 19, to produce a range of puppet characters. — Bernama pic

First Published: Sunday, 13 Sep 2026 9:00 PM MYT

PASIR PUTEH, Sept 13 — A keen interest in wayang kulit (shadow puppetry) performances since childhood inspired Muhammad Airell Amsyar Anuar, 19, to produce a range of puppet characters.

The youngest of three siblings from Kampung Banggol Pak Esah said he began dabbling in making wayang kulit puppets while still in school before starting to accept orders at the age of 15.

His interest was nurtured under the guidance of his late uncle, Mohd Nor Salleh, 65, who was also an experienced wayang kulit puppet maker and taught him the basics of producing the puppets.

“My interest in becoming involved in the art of making wayang kulit puppets began when I was a child, as I often watched my uncle make them.

“Over time, this interest grew until I plucked up the courage to start accepting orders from friends and neighbours to make wayang kulit puppets,” he told Bernama when met at his home in Kampung Banggol Pak Esah here recently.

Elaborating, Muhammad Airell Amsyar said the process of making a wayang kulit puppet begins with preparing cow or goat hide, which needs to be dried in the sun for about a week, although these days he prefers to buy hides that have already been processed to save time.

“Customers usually provide pictures or caricatures of the characters they want, which are then copied and traced onto the hide to facilitate the process of shaping and carving the puppet.

“The choice of hide depends on the character. Cowhide is usually used for more aggressive characters and those that are less prone to breaking, such as ‘Hanuman’, ‘Ratu’ and the ‘pengasuh’ (maid) characters, while goat hide is used for characters such as ‘Seri Rama’, ‘Seri Dewi’ and ‘Radin’,” he said.

Airell said the process of making a puppet begins with preparing cow or goat hide, which needs to be dried in the sun for about a week. — Bernama pic

He said that after the carving process is completed, bamboo rods are attached to the puppet’s body before they are secured and coated with clear paint as a base layer.

“Only then do I start painting the puppet according to the character. The painting process is quite complicated because the front and back must have the same colours. If I make a mistake, I have to sand it down again to remove the incorrect paint,” he said.

Muhammad Airell Amsyar said he uses about 20 types of specially ordered punches, such as Kuku, Budu, Siam Dua, Bunga Jawa and Bunga Bismillah, to create patterns on the puppets.

He said the time taken to complete a puppet depends on its size and the complexity of its design, with the shortest taking about two days and the longest up to a week.

“Among the puppets that are in demand are ‘Seri Rama’, ‘Seri Dewi’, ‘Wok Long’ and ‘Pok Dogol’, with each sold for between RM150 and RM700.

“So far, I have received orders from across the state. Some customers order these wayang kulit puppets for use in performances, while others purchase them as decorations or simply as a hobby,” he added.

The owner of the TikTok account Airell_SP_Official said that besides being skilled in making wayang kulit puppets, he is also actively involved in wayang kulit performances, taking on the role of ‘Tok Dalang’ (wayang kulit storyteller).

He added that it took him about four years to master the skills required for wayang kulit performances, and he is also actively involved in playing the serunai and has received performance bookings for cultural events.

“I hope the skills I possess can continue to be developed to the point of being able to penetrate international markets, thereby ensuring that the art of making wayang kulit puppets does not fade away with time, but instead continues to be recognised and learned by younger generations in the future,” he said. — Bernama