Create Instant Sing-a-longs with Sock Puppets

If you've ever crouched behind a wooden "stage" and voiced make-believe stories while "talking" with your sock-covered hands, the aptly-named Sock Puppets should feel very familiar. The app removes the material features of sock puppets: you won't be making your own puppets, or flapping real hands, and the physical stage is gone. The spirit, however, remains, and Sock Puppets lets you step easily into the role of puppeteer with minimal fuss. As the controller of a host of different sock puppets, you can couple your voice with your puppet minions make your own lip-synched videos. It might lack the nostalgic charm of a physical collection of sock puppets, but hey, iPhone apps are all about removing the need for pesky reality, right?

Each video starts with a backdrop, which you can populate with Puppets, props, and scenery. Record yourself singing or talking in the app, and Sock Puppets attaches the audio to a given sock puppet, who then lip-syncs along automatically. While singing, you can also manipulate and move the puppets and props in your video. Just like in real life, you can use the sock puppets to tell stories or hold a funny conversation. The app also suggests recording alongside a friend if you want to add more voices to your characters. Once you're done, you can play back the video and watch the animated sock puppets flap their mouths and act out your dialogue with true cartoony puppet style.

The app also lets you share your creations. Sock Puppets includes options for exporting your videos via Facebook and YouTube, should you wish to grace the world with your fantastic videos.

With an included cast of different sock puppets as well as different props for you to use, it would seem that Sock Puppets is truly trying to supplant the physical puppet theater. A darned shame, but then again, who can resist this onslaught of cheerful, silly puppet minions?