Paul Mesner Puppets:

Songs of the Season

Paul Mesner Puppets

Paul Mesner

Paul Mesner Puppets

Paul Mesner Puppets is a Kansas City original.

Mesner Puppets, now in its 29th season, is a globally known professional puppet theatre company based in Kansas City, Missouri. The company performs a local season of plays as well as tours nationally and international to more than 30,000 audiences annually.

The company operates in a rehabilitated 6,000 square feet former hardware store in KC’s Hyde Park neighborhood south of the KC Plaza. Here, the company performs in a studio space seating 200, and builds all of the puppets and scenery for every show. A display room of Mr. Mesner’s extensive puppet collection doubles as a childrens workshop for making paper puppets after every show.

Prior to Christmas we kept busy with lots of activities:

We did Build a Bear at Oak Park Mall…

Becca taking oath at Build a Bear to love her creation. Both Becca and Henry did build-a-“puppy” instead of bears.

Henry watching Becca taking her oath.

Henry and Becca.

We took a carriage ride on the plaza…

We took our ride in a Cinderella Carriage like this one:

Our Carriage awaits….

Becca in front of our Cinderella carriage.

Jen and Bec.

Becca and Jen.

Henry and Grandpa.

Enjoying the KC Plaza Christmas lights.

We went to the Fairy Princess…

An old Kansas City Tradition. The Fairy Princess first appeared in Kansas City, Mo. in 1935 in the toy department at Kline’s Department Store, one of the many department stores located within the downtown shopping district. Kline’s Fairy Princess delighted children for as many as 30 years until the closing of Kline’s in the 1970s.

Twenty years ago, The Kansas City Museum at Corinthian Hall revived the Fairy Princess tradition. Thousands of area children have whispered holiday wishes in the Princess’ ear, and experienced the magic and splendor of the season at Corinthian Hall.

It us a very unique Christmas tradition and I think it is a Christmas tradition uniquely found only in Kansas City.

Henry waiting to see the Princess.

Princess magic; Henry, Caroline and Becca with the Fairy Princess.

Magic trunk opens.

Becca receiving her tiara.

Making crafts.

Becca making a craft.

A new Beatty family tradition.

We started a new tradition this year. Each Wednesday we visited grandpa at work. We all got to see where grandpa worked and then we had lunch in the hospital cafe.

Henry and Becca learning about what grandpa does each day at work…at least on office day.

Of course we had to do a repeat of the train restaurant in the Crown Center,

Fritz’s cafe…toot…toot…

Becca.

Adam and Jen.

Food being delivered.

Henry at Fritz’s restaurant at the Crown Center, Kansas City Missouri.

To see the train/food delivery system in action, watch this video:

Of course we had to visit Santa-land at the Crown Center and

A visit to Santa…

Becca in Santa-land at Crown Center, Kansas City, Missouri.

Henry in Santa-land.

KOOKIEDOODLE…

We visited a new place in downtown Overland Park called Kookiedoodle. Kookiedoodle Crafts is a family owned and operated arts and crafts studio for children ages 3 to 12. It is an interactive, hands on, creative experiences that get kids imaginations going. It is a fun, unique place created completely and totally for kids.

It is located :

7924 Santa Fe, Overland Park KS 66204, Phone: (913) 387-4065 www.kookiedoodlecrafts.com

Kookiedoodle fun…

Becca at Kookiedoodle.

Nativity and the Paul Mesner Puppets.

Another very unique Kansas City experience is Paul Mesner Puppets.

Paul Mesner, puppeteer, author and performer became interested in puppetry at an early age. As a teenager he studied with Lee Ridge in Lincoln, Nebraska before starting his own puppet theater in Omaha. He toured his shows throughout Minnesota before studying at the prestigious International Institute of Puppetry in Charleville-Mezier, France. He moved to Kansas City where in 1987 he founded the Paul Mesner Puppets. His lively performances present classic stories recast in contemporary terms. Audiences across the United States have delighted in the precise craftsmanship, dynamic presentation and joyful blending of humor and education in all his productions. Paul Mesner believes wholeheartedly in entertaining his audiences and doesn’t mind including deeper meanings and life-lessons when no one is looking.

We all made our way to Grace and Holy Trinity Cathedral to see the Paul Mesner Puppets in “The Nativity.” They were wonderful.

Are they puppets or marionettes? We wondered. But they seem like something unto themselves to me. Greater than full size … taller than tall … eyes of unusual size. The arms and fabric billow. The heads bobble ever so gently. The bodies sway in the space above the audience as they walk down the aisle. And for humor the sheep poke their heads into the crowd and go “baaaaaa” and the camels lean over and spit. “Putoey!”

When not being funny, the larger than life characters are mostly surreal and other worldly towering over us like figures in a dream. A good dream. In fact if I could hire the Paul Mesner Puppets troupe to star in my dreams every night and portray the contents of my subconscious, I think I would.

To watch go to:

Afterwards, learning how the puppets are operated.

Liberty Memorial

National World War I Museum in Kansas City was another fun activity we did pre-Christmas. In 2004 the Museum was designated by Congress as the United States’ official World War I Museum, opening to the public on December 2, 2006, as the National World War I Museum at Liberty Memorial. The Museum presents a comprehensive interpretation of World War I (1914-1919) and its lasting consequences, providing a vivid and memorable experience for all.