awaJi puppet traditions on display in minimiawaJi City (see page 12) pHoto: bradFord Clark 

awaJi puppet traditions on display in minimiawaJi City (see page 12) pHoto: bradFord Clark 

“Like many puppeteers, I have been a collector since I was old enough to wear pants with pockets–sea shells, rocks, bones, beetles, butterflies... ”

Stamps may have been the first obsession with something artificial. Beyond the simple joy afforded by their colors and shapes was the whiff of culture they exuded: history, architecture, art, nature and the scenic wonders of their countries of origin. 

Eventually, puppets offered some of that same allure– only these creations spoke to me on a deep level. I’ve met many puppeteers over the past fifty years and I don’t know of any who were immune to the temptation of collecting the artifacts of their profession. 

This draw to acquire might start quite innocently with their own puppets, built for performances in schools and libraries. But one show leads to another, and soon the young puppeteer has a trunkful, a roomful, a houseful. Such abundance cannot remain hidden for long, and soon friends and family are giving more puppets for birthdays, holidays, or simply because a beloved uncle has died and they thought the young puppeteer should have his puppets. You can see how this hobby can quickly get out of control. Furthermore, as none of us lives forever, the no-longer-young puppeteer must decide what shall become of the collection post mortem. This is a challenge facing many of the puppeteers of my generation. 

“For the first time, we are partnering with the Puppeteers of America to explore a single topic in greater depth than either of our publications could, on its own. ”

We are most grateful to Puppetry Journal editor (and longtime friend) Steve Abrams for his enthusiastic participation in this project, which grew out of a conversation at a Puppeteers of America national festival (though I really can’t remember which of us came up with the idea). 

In the accompanying issue of the Puppetry Journal, you will find out about some of the many puppet collections in the United States. Puppetry International, by contrast, looks at important puppet collections in Korea, Indonesia, Taiwan and Germany. Hazel Rickard introduces us to a puppeteer whose puppets probably should be in a museum, but who has vowed to burn them rather than have them hanging on a wall, separated from the performances for which they were made. Nicola Levell tells us about an exhibit of puppets in Canada and the work of turning it into a virtual walk-through. We will post links to other virtual exhibits on our website – you’ll be able to visit puppet collections all over the world without leaving your home–a neat trick during a pandemic! 

When we started this project, we had in mind an exploration of both major museum collections and the more modest holdings of individual collectors, but what we found surprised us: All of the museum collections featured in Puppetry International began as the work of a single puppeteer (or troupe) or of some other passionate amateur. Even the enormous Angst/ Angest collection – one of the largest and most complete collections of Indonesian wayang puppets in the world – was the work of a single (and single-minded) collector. So have a care when you plant that acorn. An oak is bound to follow, and after that a forest. 

Every member of Puppeteers of America and UNIMA-USA will get both magazines, which are designed to function as a two-volume set, though each also stands on its own. E pluribus unum. 

A special thank you to the boards of directors of both organizations for their enthusiastic support of this unprecedented collaborative effort. 

–Andrew Periale