Indonesian puppet theatre (wayang) follows set characters whose interaction is narrated by a puppeteer (dalang) and accompanied by gamelan music. This puppet comes from the golek genre, in which the figures are operated by rods. Dozens of different stories and language styles exist, and puppeteers study for many years under their teachers to learn a repertoire of songs and phrases which they insert creatively into well-known structures.

This puppet was presented to Queen Elizabeth II by the Governor of the Special Region of Yogyakarta and Vice President of Indonesia, Hamengkubuwono IX, during her State Visit to Indonesia, 15–22 March 1974.