This is an impressive hand puppet but probably not for young children. The barrel can be controlled by placing two fingers in hard circles attached to the strings. With these controls, the elephant can bring the tip of its trunk to its mouth as if eating or drinking. We bought some hand puppets for Christmas and the elephant was everyone's favorite. It is the most versatile. Controlling the trunk is easy to learn and once you get the hang of this doll is quite a lot of fun.