A puppeteer is a person who manipulates an inanimate object that is typically shaped like a human, animal or mythical creature, such as a puppet, in real time to create the illusion that the puppet is "alive". The puppeteer may be visible to or hidden from the audience. A puppeteer can operate a puppet indirectly by the use of strings, rods, wires, electronics or directly by his or her own hands placed inside the puppet or holding it externally. Some puppet styles require two or more puppeteers to work together to create a single puppet character.