Kansas City, return trip part one

So, I did have a reason to head to Kansas City again- to pick up the cups we got from the "forever" exhibit at the nelson-atkins art museum. But, since i didn't want to drive all the way there and back in one day, I spent the night and was able to poke around to discover something else. I stayed in Independence and decided i wasn't exactly up for a visit to the Presidential stuff (Truman) but I was interested in the Puppet Museum. Here's what I discovered there:
This is a side view of a puppet theater so you can see how it was constructed and how the puppets move onstage.
Here's the theater from the front. As you can see in the background, these came in various sizes and styles and in some casses the puppets were worked from the top. These were on rigid wires.
This is an example of a Hazelle Marionette that talks. There's something I like about these faces- something old fashioned and unlimiting at the same time.
Here's a larger shot of some of the items related to Hazelle puppet company including some of her early works before she went into production.
It's worth noting that this company was founded by a woman in the middle of the depression and it went on to be the number one company (for puppets and Marionettes) in the world. The founder eventually sold the company and, of course, it went out of business relatively shortly afterward.
The cool thing about this place is that you can buy the "dead stock" that is still housed in a warehouse. There's an online order form which lists what they offer at very reasonable prices. The day I was there was a bit hectic for the director, who was extremely nice. They have a limited number of items there so I was able to pick a few things, but I think it would be best to just order from the website.
I am most excited about the Marionettes, but the company did make hand puppets made from a more flexible vinyl and I did pick up a couple heads to play with.
So, some potential play things for me at a later date.