Spring Break Pete the Cat and the Center for Puppetry Arts

Pete the Cat set

My son and I had so much fun during Spring Break. Our staycation was filled with activities and he woke up every morning asking me “what are we doing today?” On one of the first days of Spring break we visited one of our favorite places, the Center for Puppetry Arts. During this trip we saw Pete the Cat, based on the book series by Kim and James Dean. Before seeing the show I was unfamiliar with the series and my son said he had not read any of the books. However, once the show was underway, on more than one occasion he said  “I know this story!”

Pete photo credit: Darrel Hazelrig

The show is comprised of short stories based on some of the books in the series. My favorite story was  Pete and his Magic Sunglasses. I loved the theme of changing your perspective and seeing things in a positive light, even when you are in a bad mood. It is a lesson both kids and adults can benefit from. The music from the show was so much fun and we especially enjoyed having the live guitar player on stage as each story unfolded. The show is perfect for young and old alike, the approximate hour run time is perfect to keep the attention of the littlest viewers. After the show we received a build-a-puppet kit for Pete the Cat. We chose to bring it home to build it, but there was a workshop to create the puppet too! The show is playing from now until May 28th and you can find showtimes and purchase tickets at puppet.org

Following the show, we toured the Worlds of Puppetry Museum and the Jim Henson Labyrinth  30th Anniversary  Special Exhibit. This was the first time we explored the museum since it was renovated and it is amazing. We started at the Labyrinth and my son got a kick out of all of the elaborate puppets used in the movie. We added it to the list of movies that we want to see in the near future. Next we ventured to the main museum and toured The Global Collection. We both learned quite a bit about puppetry art in both the U.S (with puppets from favorites The Lion King, Coraline and more) and the world. I think our favorite was the hands on marionette show!

We ended by touring the Jim Henson Collection. In a word.....OUTSTANDING! We spent a considerable amount of time in the “television studio” where we were able to have our own puppet show on set, incorporating cue cards and watching on the monitors to make sure we got the right shot!

And because we were there when the weather was frightening (thunderstorms and tornado watch), we had the whole place to ourselves and played for a good hour!

I highly suggest you take a trip to the Center for Puppetry Arts, catch Pete the Cat with a child in your life and explore the museum. Or, check out one of the shows for teenagers and adults. I can tell you no matter what your age, you will have a great time at the Center for Puppetry Arts!