They are sometimes called 'Perches' or 'Crutches' and quite often are Heath Robinson affairs. Marionette controllers can be of any design and will vary enormously depending on what you want the puppet to do. However these controllers made to a traditional english/european? design will give all the normal movements required for a human puppet figure.
I am now offering these in 2 off the shelf sizes suitable for most puppets or I can adjust dimensions to your requirements for a small extra fee.
They are available here.

