The Museum offers free activity days twice a month
on various Saturdays from 3-5 pm as listed
Cost: FREE (donations are welcome)
We feature a Punch and Judy puppet show,
Puppet Exhibit demonstrations,
Cultural stories about most puppets
a puppet craft time,
& several informal wide mouth puppet folk tales.
You can also call to schedule puppet tours for groups at other times
We can work with visiting groups for additional puppet making workshops if desired.
We also do offsite workshops and shows for school classes and community groups.
Office Phone: 435-723-0740
58 S 100 W, Brigham City, UT 84302
Come see an eye-catching array of over 150 puppets from around the world (16 different countries) as we celebrate creativity and the ingenuity of people from a variety of world cultures. Also included are puppets that represent our own American favorites from movies and stories. Latest additions are Bross marionettes from Germany and an exciting display of Mexican puppets . . . Viva los titeres!!!
Here is a fun hands on place for "kids" of all ages to learn about world culture and enjoy puppets. We have everything from hand and sock puppets to marionettes. See authentic Indonesian shadow and rod puppets. See hand carved log masks from Africa, and marionettes from Burma and India, our own Sound of Music specials, and much, much more.
The World of Puppetry Museum was opened in 2000 and has continued to grow with new exhibits on the art and history of puppetry. People have been making puppets since we have had written history, notes Susan Neidert, Fine Arts Center director. In a world where most people were not literate, puppets were used to convey religious and public messages as well as to entertain.
Puppets are great story tellers. They tell us about other cultures in other times and places and can also tell us a lot about ourselves: how we feel, our values, what we like. They can entertain us with music and dance and act out popular tales. Hands on exhibits at the World of Puppetry Museum include a barrel full of lovable hand puppets and a large mirror to perform in front of, a few boxes of marionettes where you can pull the strings, and a shadow stage complete with instructions on hand shaped shadows and a couple sets of stories like the three bears or the three little pigs. Or you can try your hand at making your own puppet craft. All craft activities are free, but donations are welcome. Periodic special puppet shows suggest a small admission fee, average $2 per person or $5 per family.
Want to see more on puppets and puppet resources? We are members of Puppeteers of America
A 1930s marionette and a 1940-50 Howdy Doody puppet set are found in the show cases, along with variations on the old Punch and Judy shows popular in England. Both adults and children alike will recognize characters from The Sound of Music and fairy tales.
Special thanks to The (Utah) Office of Museum Services who through funding awarded by the state legislature now offer small grants to museums like ours to further develop exhibits. We also thank the Neidert Family, Carolyn Frank, Alida and Dr. Tom Hannum, The Randy Jones family, Jill Rasmussen, Trevor Wilkerson, Karen Everton, Dona Price, Rosemarie Howard, Kenway Miller, Silverio Acevedo, DeeAnn Nichols and Arlene Heck, and David and Dona Walker for puppet donations.
OPEN
Two Saturdays
a month ,
from 3:00-5:00 PM
& other times by appointment
Ornate Marionettes from Burma
In China, puppets preceded live theater, so later actors wore elaborate masks to appear as puppets. Shadow puppets may have been among the first example of puppets. The World of Puppetry Museum has a variety of puppets, old and new, domestic and foreign. Different kinds of puppets are made all over the world, and examples of puppets and marionettes from Indonesia, Burma, Africa, India, Czechoslovakia, Nepal and a Chinese silk hand puppet join the familiar Kermit and Lamb Chop in the museum.
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Special Exhibit: Five Northern Utah Puppeteers were featured for enlightening and inspiring us and their communities with their love of puppetry. A few of our guest puppets are still on exhibit through later in August.
