The Puppet Co. Collection has a fairly narrow focus. It is specifically an archive of puppets and related items made in, or performed in, the mid-Atlantic region of the United States. This includes works as early as the 1930s by Tony Sarg and Margo and Rufus Rose of Howdy Doody fame through late 20th Century works by Bil Baird and Bernard and Edith Paul. There are over five hundred individual pieces in this collection ranging from complete puppet figures to items as small as a tiny pair of ice skates made by the Paul’s for their production of Hans Brinker, or the Silver Skates.
The Puppet Co. Library Collection covers any puppetry and memorabilia that are not specific the mid-Atlantic region. This included puppets from Europe, Asia – virtually anywhere in the world. There are also commercially made toy puppets, and representation of important American puppetry not from our immediate vicinity. As examples, Paul McPharlin (founder and first president of Puppeteers of America) is represented, along with work by his wife, Marjorie Batchelder McPharlin. There are about 150 pieces of work, created by both professional puppeteers and hobbyists, in the Library Collection.
As with our library, the collections are not open to the general public, although items from the collections are often displayed publicly in our lobby. Anyone with a serious and scholarly interest in puppetry will be provided access to any of the collections.
To gain access to the library or to the collections, or if you have a puppetry related item that you would like to contribute, please contact Curator, Allan Stevens.
