I finally got around to watching these. Not bad, clever idea.
It did look like your fingers were getting in the way a little bit sometimes though (not nearly as badly as I thought they would when I first started watching. Yours must be much more nimble than mine!). But might I suggest putting a wire around their waists and trying it puppet-style? Or using something narrower to grab and maneuver them... like chopsticks? It's just a thought to try and help.
Overall, you did a great job. I saw lots of neat little detail props too! Cute.