I was so happy to catch this headline in today's Los Angeles Daily News:
"The free Bob Baker Day festival celebrates puppets and the legendary puppet master"
Certainly the most famous puppeteer in Los Angeles history (not sure how much competition he really had), Baker started and ran the Bob Baker Marionette Theater for decades. The shows were always fun and funny and inventive… and let's face it maybe just a little bit creepy. That was totally part of the charm, as far as I was concerned.
More than 20,000 people are expected to attend the annual Bob Baker Day festival at the Los Angeles State Historic Park on Sunday, April 21.
"It's an all day celebration, a sort of puppetchella," said Mary Thompson, director of communications for the Bob Baker Marionette Theater, which was co-founded by the late legendary puppeteer Bob Baker in 1963.
"I think people are really enchanted by puppets and the artform and I think there are people looking for that tactile experience that puppets can give," she said.
Baker died ten years ago, but I'm thrilled that the Bob Baker Marionette Theater lives on. Seeing these fantastic puppets in a park with thousands of other fans seems like a memorable way to spend a few hours on a Sunday.
Previously: Real dog fooled by lookalike dog marionette puppet