Henryk Jurkowski’s scientific contributions

... The authors define this version of "real" with a puppet as its "liminal; status, between life and non-life" [1] (p. 297), a connection to the inner/imaginative world and reality. Historically, puppets have adopted this position in rituals and ceremonies, including those that involve an important rite of passage and are considered a transitional object [2] one that, like a special blanket or babies' pacifiers, is able to support and comfort individuals as they approach or undergo periods of uncertainty and change. Applied theatre practitioner Dr Melissa Trimingham [3] describes such an example in her account of her son and the companionship and security that a puppet called Roland provided him as a child and a young adult. ...

Reference:

Not Just a Toy: Puppets for Autistic Teenagers