Puppetry at the NMA – A Full Circle Moment

A special moment with Rebecca Hetherington, Tom Hetherington-Welch, and Kay Yasugi — celebrating Norman Hetherington’s legacy and all things puppetry.

This winter has been such an exciting time for me at the National Museum of Australia, where the Mr Squiggle and Friends exhibition is currently delighting audiences of all ages. In July, I had the joy of running a series of sold-out puppet-making workshops at the museum, helping over 200 children and their families create and perform their own puppets. It was such a success that I’ve been invited back to run more workshops during the September/October school holidays!

On 7 August, I also attended a special evening event at the museum with fellow puppeteer Kay Yasugi, celebrating the incredible life and legacy of Norman Hetherington — creator of Mr Squiggle. Listening to Norman’s daughter Rebecca and grandson Tom share stories about his kindness, creativity, and the impact of his work was incredibly moving.

As someone who grew up inspired by Mr Squiggle (he’s one of the reasons I became a puppeteer), being part of this exhibition in both a professional and personal way has felt like a true full-circle moment.

The exhibition is free to attend and open until 13 October — I highly recommend visiting if you haven’t yet experienced it!

📍 National Museum of Australia
🎟 Free entry
🗓 Until 13 October
🔗 Find out more