We introduce Puppettime, a digital puppetry project that uses mobile phones as interfaces to control virtual puppetry via motion gestures. The goal of the project is to explore cell phones as performative objects in novel interaction designs. Combining the evolution of mobile devices into tangible interfaces with traditional puppetry, the paper discusses the connections between these domains. It describes the design rationale behind the Puppettime project as well as its implementation and first feedback, focusing on the core thesis that puppetry provides a valuable and underused metaphor for interface design that supports digital entertainment between co-present players.