WHO WE ARE
Mission Statement
"The International Puppetry Museum, IPM, is dedicated to promoting, preserving, and advancing the puppetry arts through grants and publications.”
HISTORY
The Bylaws of the International Puppetry Museum were adopted on January 11, 1990.It is a California nonprofit public benefit corporation.
The specific purposes of this corporation are to perpetuate and foster an appreciation of puppetry, to establish and maintain a permanent collection of puppets and related archival materials and provide for their display, to educate the public about puppets, their history and use, and to engage in other lawful activities permitted under the California Nonprofit Benefit Corporation Law.
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ALAN COOK – 1932-2019
TRIBUTES TO ALAN COOK
How we should all remember him, in gleeful pleasure in performers and puppetry in all forms
Rest in peace, Alan..
Greg Veneklasen
Los Angeles (County) Guid of Puppetry Co-founder, President, long-time LAGP Board member and newsletter Editor, Co-founder Center of Puppetry Arts (COPA), later International Puppetry Museum (IPM), perfprmer, collector, bistorian, avid show-, play-and movie goer, gardener and animal lover.
Puppeteers of America is with Alan Cook
We are heartbroken to announce the passing of puppetry legend and historian Alan Cook. He will be missed by many. Our thoughts are with everyone whom he touched in his long and wonderful life.
Kurt Hunter
The puppetry world lost our living enctclopedia today with the passing of Alan Cook. He was a kind and fascinating man and a very goo friend for more that 30 years.
Photo by Elise Handelmn
Carol Sterling
Alan Cook was an inspiration to all of us in the puppetry community. He will be missed and always remembered with kindness and commitment to artistic excellence.
Heather Henson
Alan Cook was the most dedicated collector historian, archivist the puppet community could ever wish for. I am so grateful for his lifelong work, preserving all that is puppet in this country. His respect for all everything puppet -pop culture, fine art, social impact, any reference to puppet categorized in his brain and houses was astounding
LOS ANGELES GUILD OF PUPPETRY BY LOIS HARMEYER
Alan Cook passed awayat 1:00 am, the morning of July 10th, 2019.
Inspired by a puppetry class he took as a second grader, Cook had devoted most of his working life and a good chunk of his private life to the art of puppetry.
Three decades of experience in creating puppet exhibits: Museums, university galleries, local and national galleries, and touring exhibits. He worked with Sid and Marty Kroftt Productions, Knott’s Berry Farm, Magic Mountain plus fair dates, many commercials, TV specials and operated Howdy Doody puppets,
Owner of the INTERNATIONAL PUPPETRY MUSEUM (IPM), in his 80’s, Cook’s puppet collection contained over 5000 puppets and over 1000 books and magazines on the art of puppetry (he says he lost count). Puppetry Arts Museum founder Nancy Staub described the collection as one of the largest, most important puppet collection in thee country. His most valuedare 1930’s puppets from the Yale Puppeteers Teatro Torito, which was located at 27 Olvera Street in Los Angeles. Cook met the Yale Puppeteers when he was in high school.
But like puppetry itself, Cook’s collection, along with his encyclopedic knowledge of the art, was in danger of being lost. Fortunately, a few years ago he and Hermosa Beach sculptor and fellow puppeteer, Jacqueline Marks committed themselves to finding a permanent home for cook’s puppets and to publish a book recounting Cook’s career in puppetry.
Alan'sfamous Billy Goats Gruff shadow play
