Back to the Center for Puppetry Arts

So here we are back at the Center for Puppetry Arts in Atlanta, and you can see above what it is we're about to see.  This would be the third time we've been here to see a show - we've seen Rudolph in 2011 and also in 2017.  Our first visit was back in September of 2011, and that was a lot of fun too.  Anyway, we made our way down to a late afternoon showing, and with the tickets to the puppet show you also get a voucher to go upstairs and make a puppet of your own.  We did this before, making some reindeer.  You'll see what we made this time soon enough.  Oh, one more thing:  we got VIP tickets this time, which turned out to be another VIP experience well worth the extra money.  We sat dead center in the front row, and it was amazing!

The show is really great, and of course the puppets all look very much like what you see in the holiday special each year.  We watched it last night, and I had the soundtrack playing in the car on the way down.  We were ready to go to the North Pole!  The show is fantastic, and it's really funny at points too, with puppets doing some unexpected things to get laughs.  We loved it!

Afterwards, we were exploring the building, as there was plenty of other things to do.  You can see the Christmas display here, a Nativity scene set up at the main entrance.  It was big!  Here are a few shepherds...

And here's the Wise Men...

And there's Joseph, Mary and Jesus.

And here's Tom Servo and Crow!  Of course, they aren't part of the Nativity.  It was great to see these guys in person.  These characters are so iconic, and they're the actual puppets - it's like you're meeting a celebrity!  These two are in a larger puppet museum that we spent some time exploring.

And here's the mask of Scar from "The Lion King"

Maddie explores the international puppetry area.

Mom is looking around too, checking out the puppets from China.

The Japanese puppets were just amazing.  

These are so well made.

We were watching a puppet show where the puppets were actually in the water!

Maddie stops to say hi!

Ah!  "The Dark Crystal" section.  

Are you a Gelfling?

This doorknocker is from "Labyrinth," part of a really cool section dedicated to the movie.

This guy to the right has a tough question.  Does he really?  It's hard to say if he's telling the truth...

I loved these guys.  

That fox on the right... we just wish she fell in the river, that's all.

Emmett Otter's boat!  Complete with holes for puppeteers!

Now here's a celebrity!

And here's a pirate!  This guy is from "Muppet Treasure Island"

The Great Gonzo and Camille!  We just saw Gonzo the other night narrating "A Muppet Christmas Carol."

Pigs in Space!

Ma-na-ma-na!

Scooter!  He doesn't get enough love.

Elsewhere in the film studio, Maddie's on television.

Big bird.  He needs to be careful around Thanksgiving.

You could arrange these pieces to make a face.  Here's Maddie's creation.

And here's mine.

And here's a dog.

But here is THE dog.  This is Rowlf, my favorite Muppet character ever.  I love this guy so much!

Maddie can be seen back there working the puppets.

I want one of these!  The color wheel and the aluminum tree... it's a nice decoration.

Some interesting puppets in the holiday area.

Actual Santa and Rudolph used in the original television special.  Super cool!

These reindeer were used by Jim Henson and friends during an Ed Sullivan special.  We watched it in its entirety when we got home.  Very awesome bit of history there!

Here are some major celebrities!  Emmett Otter and the Frogtown Hollow Jubilee Jug Band!

Emmet looks ready to win that prize money.

If these characters start singing "When the River Meets the Sea," I'm going to break out in song with them!

Okay, this was right after the puppet show.  We went upstairs again, and we got to make Sam the Snowman.  Burl Ives would approve of these puppets.  We assembled the sticks, the pins, and glued on the various pieces after coloring them all in.  It was fun work, and the end product is pretty good!

Uh-oh!  Looks like a fight over silver and gold!

Peace on earth

Maddie's completed puppet looks ready to slide through the snow.

Mom's does too.  it was fun coloring them in and making each one our own.

Here the girls are at the beginning, cutting out the pieces to make our puppets.

And here they are at the Big Bird nest at the end.  They turned out well!

 All in all it was a really good visit.  We enjoyed it quite a lot.  We got home later tonight, as there was a lot of traffic on the way home.  Blame Thanksgiving, I guess.  It took us a while.  But we ate when we got home, and we watched "Moana," just so we could catch up - in case we watch the sequel in theaters. 

After the movie, we read some and we said our prayers.  Sounds like it's raining out there.  It's late, and tomorrow is a big day.  Time to get some sleep!