Bob Baker Marionette Theater facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Bob Baker Marionette Theater |
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Stage at the original location of the Bob Baker Marionette Theater
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| Location | 4949 York Blvd, Los Angeles |
| Built | 1923 |
| Architectural style(s) | Vernacular architecture |
| Designated | 2009 |
| Reference no. | 958 |
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The Bob Baker Marionette Theater is a very special place in Los Angeles. It's the oldest children's theater company in the city! It was started by Bob Baker and Alton Wood in 1963. This theater is famous for its amazing marionette puppets. In June 2009, it was even named a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument, which means it's an important historical place. In early 2019, the theater moved to a new, wonderful home.
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History of the Theater
Bob Baker loved puppets from a young age. While he was in Hollywood High School, he started making toy marionettes that were sold all over the world. After school, he learned about animation at George Pal Animation Studios. He even became a head animator for "Puppetoons." After World War II, Bob Baker helped many film studios, including Disney, with their animation.
His puppets were featured in many TV shows like Bewitched, Star Trek, Land of the Giants, and NCIS. You could also see his puppet work in movies such as Bluebeard, A Star Is Born, G.I. Blues, Disney's Bedknobs and Broomsticks, and Close Encounters of the Third Kind.
Opening the Puppet Theater
In 1961, Bob Baker and Alton Wood decided to open their own live puppet theater. It was a permanent place to show off their beautiful, handmade marionettes. The theater was first located on 1st Street in downtown Los Angeles. This building was originally a workshop for a special effects artist. The theater stayed at this first location until 2019.
In June 2009, the Los Angeles City Council recognized the theater as an important historical monument. The Los Angeles Times newspaper described how puppets even helped convince the city leaders! The puppets danced around the City Council's meeting room. This helped persuade officials to vote to make the Bob Baker Marionette Theater a city landmark.
Bob Baker, the founder, passed away on November 28, 2014, when he was 90 years old.
A New Home for the Puppets
In 2019, the Bob Baker Marionette Theater became a non-profit organization. This means it's dedicated to its mission rather than making money. It moved to a new home in Highland Park. This new building was once a silent movie theater from the 1920s. The new space was designed to look like Bob Baker's original ideas. It's now known as "The Place Where Imagination Dwells."
Besides putting on their own puppet shows, the Bob Baker Marionette Theater also shares its space with El Cine. El Cine is a non-profit group that promotes Latinx culture through movies. The theater and El Cine often work together with local movie clubs. These events often include a puppet show and a movie screening. Sometimes, they also have speakers, musicians, and parties afterward.
Images for kids
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The organist at the theater.
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Inside the original Bob Baker location.
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Planter box at the original Bob Baker Theater.
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Bob Baker original cafeteria.
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Historical-cultural monument plaque at the original Bob Baker's.
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Original Bob Baker's location.
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An Egyptian woman marionette from BBMT.
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Anthropomorphic onion marionettes from BBMT.
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Mural in the original Bob Baker parking lot.
See also
- List of Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monuments in the Wilshire and Westlake areas
- Le Theatre de Marionette
