Vampira
Fall under the spell of Hollywood's Original Glamour Ghoul!
She's the afterlife of any party, slinging hellacious humor with a
deadpan style all her own.
Vampira appears in tribute to the late, great Maila Nurmi.
The Wraiths
Vampira's devilish backup dancers are sure to
wriggle under your skin!
The Rockin' Ghost
Bo Diddley, Little Richard, Tom Waits, Bob Seger --
this pumpkin-headed crooner covers rock icons of the 20th century.
(And if you notice a passing resemblance
to a certain Rebel without a Cause,
that's no coincidence.)
Mrs. Chapman
(aka the Oldest Living Princess)
Dams. Electricity. X-Rays.
The horrors of the modern world really get to Mrs. C.
Except when she's her alter ego, the Oldest Living Princess.
OLP braves squalls in a dingy, eat oysters straight out of the ocean,
and has resolved never -- ever -- to marry a Prince.
Cute Cumber & Gherkin
Life under the sea is grand
when the one you love is holding your hand --
er, wiggly appendage.
You'll find these two
bobbing in the beautiful briny, popping bubbles,
and enjoying the life of a couple of cuddly sea cukes!
☞ Take a peek at their antics in this short video ☜
Jheri
All the way from planet Ectozorbulon,
Jheri (pronounced "Jerry") fell in love with Earth music
when their spaceship intercepted a few rogue radio waves in 2022.
Ever since, Jheri's been beaming down to the blue planet to shake a leg!
Jheri is proud to appear on request as "Jhelvis",
the universe's one and only intergalactic Elvis impersonator.
Jheri
All the way from planet Ectozorbulon,
Jheri (pronounced "Jerry") fell in love with Earth music
when their spaceship intercepted a few rogue radio waves in 2022.
Ever since, Jheri's been beaming down to the blue planet to shake a leg!
Jheri is proud to appear on request as "Jhelvis",
the universe's one and only intergalactic Elvis impersonator.
Oona Straing
The troupe's resident folk singer,
Oona's covers range from Joan Baez to Maddy Prior.
She has a deep love for the British acid folk scene of the late 60s.
Otho el Oso
When he's not out supporting his favorite cause
Save the Yellowstone Grizzly, this friendly bear loves to dance,
play and tell stories around the campfire.
Jimmyleg Green
Inveterate bootlegger. Sworn shimmy shaker.
This double-jointed Pacific Tree Frog (almost) always
sobers up for the kiddos.
Spider Baby
She may be a California Tarantula but she never bites!
Spider Baby just wants all the pets and rubs she can get...
and maybe to dance on top of your head to Quincy Jones.
PUPPETS FOR HIRE ~ THEY'LL COME TO YOU!
Interested in bringing one or more of these puppets to your event?
Have a theatrical collaboration in mind?
Maybe you want to commission a bespoke marionette?
Use the contact form to get in touch.
The Person Behind the Puppets
Hi, I’m Nell. My full theatrical bio is ☞ here, but I wanted to share about a bit about why I make and perform with puppets on this page.
Circa 2014, I visited the Bob Baker Marionette Theater in Los Angeles and experienced an intense fascination that I couldn't shake. I kept going to back to their shows, dragging my family and any friends who happened to be around. I watched with intense sadness as they were forced to shutter their famous original location downtown...and rejoiced when they acquired a small silent movie-era theater on York Boulevard in Highland Park. I attending their re-opening in June of 2019 and have watched them thrive with quiet delight since.
About 8 years into being a starstruck fan of the Bob Baker troupe I got to wondering: "Could I do that?" My Good Angel told me I had lots of professional theater experience under my belt, so why not? (The Naughty One, of course, insisted it was a crazy idea and I was insane to try.) But the former shoulder sitter won, and on a whim I pitched a marionette-centric children's show to an arts organization in Southern Oregon. They gave me a green light and that Shakespearean phrase about "overvaulting ambition" began intruding on my thoughts with alarming rapidity. But I started building. Puppets by Arlee was a major resource, and soon I had a walking, talking, blinking, 18" protagonist for the 7-part series Earth Music Odyssey. I also had a new obsession. As of August 2024 my little company has grown to over ten performers. I have about a million ideas for who I want to make next.
I’m happy when anyone cracks a smile at my puppets, but I'm particularly eager to perform for children and people with disabilities. If you want to see my puppets at your event and are concerned about cost, please know that I can work with any budget and will consider barters – my puppets would rather come out to play than sit around at home. And if you know of an organization that might be interested in working with me, I’d love to hear about it.
I use recycled materials in every single build (empty yogurt containers make excellent torsos, FYI) and strive to reduce waste in the process. I’ve made marionettes from chopsticks and old produce bags. I believe there’s no wrong way to make a marionette. I also believe anyone can do it. I've experienced first-hand how puppet play fosters creative thinking, courage and cooperation.
If you want to poke around in the weeds of marionette performance, I regularly update a YouTube playlist showcasing puppet masters, puppet history and styles, and related art forms from around the world.
I hope these things on strings bring you joy. They’ve certainly brought a lot of it to me. ~Nell
Circa 2014, I visited the Bob Baker Marionette Theater in Los Angeles and experienced an intense fascination that I couldn't shake. I kept going to back to their shows, dragging my family and any friends who happened to be around. I watched with intense sadness as they were forced to shutter their famous original location downtown...and rejoiced when they acquired a small silent movie-era theater on York Boulevard in Highland Park. I attending their re-opening in June of 2019 and have watched them thrive with quiet delight since.
About 8 years into being a starstruck fan of the Bob Baker troupe I got to wondering: "Could I do that?" My Good Angel told me I had lots of professional theater experience under my belt, so why not? (The Naughty One, of course, insisted it was a crazy idea and I was insane to try.) But the former shoulder sitter won, and on a whim I pitched a marionette-centric children's show to an arts organization in Southern Oregon. They gave me a green light and that Shakespearean phrase about "overvaulting ambition" began intruding on my thoughts with alarming rapidity. But I started building. Puppets by Arlee was a major resource, and soon I had a walking, talking, blinking, 18" protagonist for the 7-part series Earth Music Odyssey. I also had a new obsession. As of August 2024 my little company has grown to over ten performers. I have about a million ideas for who I want to make next.
I’m happy when anyone cracks a smile at my puppets, but I'm particularly eager to perform for children and people with disabilities. If you want to see my puppets at your event and are concerned about cost, please know that I can work with any budget and will consider barters – my puppets would rather come out to play than sit around at home. And if you know of an organization that might be interested in working with me, I’d love to hear about it.
I use recycled materials in every single build (empty yogurt containers make excellent torsos, FYI) and strive to reduce waste in the process. I’ve made marionettes from chopsticks and old produce bags. I believe there’s no wrong way to make a marionette. I also believe anyone can do it. I've experienced first-hand how puppet play fosters creative thinking, courage and cooperation.
If you want to poke around in the weeds of marionette performance, I regularly update a YouTube playlist showcasing puppet masters, puppet history and styles, and related art forms from around the world.
I hope these things on strings bring you joy. They’ve certainly brought a lot of it to me. ~Nell