Mostly, Phi Ta Khon figures were male but I saw many girls too. The locals would prepare ghostly masks for small Phi Ta Khon and huge models for big Phi Ta Khon in advance of the festival. Regarding the big ones which look like huge puppets, the artisans must hold a ceremony to please deities before creating them. It has been strictly believed that each village can make only two models of big Phi Ta Khon. These two huge puppets representing a man and a woman were operated by men standing inside.