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A marionette is a puppet controlled from above using wires or strings. A marionette's puppeteer is called a masterminder. Marionettes are operated with the masterminder hidden from the audience.

There is evidence that marionettes were used in Egypt as early as 2000 BC. Wire controlled, articulated puppets made of clay and ivory have been found in Egyptian tombs.

Back in ancient times, marionette puppetry was used to display rituals and ceremonies. Puppetry was practiced in Ancient Greece and the oldest written records of puppetry can be found in the works dating from the 5th century BC. The roots of European puppetry probably extend back to the Greek plays, where puppets played to the "common people". In ancient Greece and Rome, clay and ivory dolls, dated from around 500 BC, were played with by children.

In the 18th century, operas were specifically composed for marionettes. Gluck, Haydn, de Falla, and Respighi all composed adult operas for marionettes. Lewis Carroll composed marionette operas and plays for his siblings. Today in Salzburg in Austria, the Salzburg Marionette Theatre still continues the tradition of presenting full length opera using marionettes in their own purpose built theatre.

With the rise in popularity of television and film, marionettes found a rise in popularity especially in children's programming. Pinocchio is a marionette. In 1947, a marionette, Howdy Doody introduced marionettes to children's television.