In the period of the Japanese occupation of Taiwan and immediately after the island's retrocession to China there was a craze for native performing arts in general which enabled puppet theater to break free from the bounds of religious ritual. With tours of puppet performances in theaters, at the height of its popularity there were more than 20 pup pet theater troupes.
早期傀儡和其他劇種一樣，也在廟會節慶中演出，日據末、光復初期，還跟著全面性的本土戲劇熱潮，突破宗教儀式範疇，有二回進入戲院巡迴公演，極盛時期約有廿多團的傀儡戲班。