Larrikin Puppets is joining an exciting line-up of performers for Henson Heads: The Big Puppet Game Show at the Gallery of Modern Art (GOMA) on Saturday 24 October 2026.
Hosted by comedian Emma Holland, known for Have You Been Paying Attention?, The Cheap Seats and Thank God You’re Here, alongside Aimon Clark of IsoTriv, the game show brings together an entertaining collection of guests.
Joining the line-up are Ranger Stacey, known for Agro’s Cartoon Connection and Totally Wild, and Zachary Ruane from Aunty Donna, alongside Larrikin Puppets.
Inspired by classic television panel shows, expect a lively mix of comedy, pop-culture questions and unpredictable puppet antics, all celebrating the extraordinary world of Jim Henson.
Returning to GOMA
We loved bringing our Kids Comedy Puppet Show to QAGOMA’s Family Fun Day on Saturday 26 September 2026, as part of the Make, Believe, Magic exhibition program. We’re looking forward to returning for this very different event in October, and we’ll be back again for another Family Fun Day on Sunday 24 January 2027.
Performing our Kids Comedy Puppet Show at QAGOMA on Saturday 26 September 2026. Image credit: Family Fun Day at GOMA, Brisbane, September 2026 / Photograph: C Callistemon, QAGOMA
Larrikin Puppets performing at QAGOMA on 26 September 2026.
Event Details
Event: Henson Heads: The Big Puppet Game Show Date: Saturday 24 October 2026 Time: 7:00pm (foyer opens at 6:00pm) Venue: Cinema A, Gallery of Modern Art (GOMA), Brisbane
For tickets and further information, visit the official QAGOMA event page.
We’re looking forward to being part of another celebration of the extraordinary world of Jim Henson’s puppetry, this time in a very different setting. See you at GOMA!
Larrikin Puppets has been part of Make, Believe, Magic: The Worlds of The Jim Henson Company at the Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art (QAGOMA) in Brisbane this year, and being surrounded by Henson’s work has had us thinking back over the Henson-related experiences that have shaped our own puppetry journey. One of the most memorable was a trip to Wellington, New Zealand in April 2018 for The Jim Henson Retrospectacle, which as far as we can tell has never been recorded anywhere on this website. Wellington wasn’t where it started, though. Two years earlier, in 2016, we spent three months in the United States on an extended period of professional development, and there is a clear thread running from that trip, through Wellington, to where we find ourselves in Brisbane now. With Henson’s work on display in our home state, it seemed like the right time to tell the whole story properly.
Larrikin Puppets at QAGOMA’s Make, Believe, Magic exhibition in Brisbane, 2026.
2016: Three months of puppetry in the USA
In 2016 I (Brett Hansen) set out on an extended professional development journey through the USA, with Elissa joining me for much of it. We based ourselves in New York City for the full three months, and from there we made two trips that became highlights of the journey: a week in Denton, Texas for an advanced puppetry intensive, and a week in Los Angeles to spend time with two puppeteers whose work we admired. Along the way we trained, performed, attended puppetry events and met professional puppeteers working across television, film and theatre.
Our home base in New York was The Puppet Kitchen in Manhattan, where we trained and rehearsed under Michael Schupbach, who has worked with Sesame Street and The Jim Henson Company. The Puppet Kitchen was a busy hub for professional puppeteers, puppet makers and designers, and it was a great place to learn from people working at a very high level. Our time in New York wasn’t all training either. We performed with Troggg and friends at the Puppetry Arts Festival of Brooklyn and went to a whole range of puppetry and Henson-related events, including screenings at the Museum of the Moving Image and events at Kaufman Astoria Studios (where they film Sesame Street).
Training and rehearsing at The Puppet Kitchen in Manhattan with Michael Schupbach.Performing with Troggg and friends at the Puppetry Arts Festival of Brooklyn.
Morning with the Muppets
On 21 May 2016 we attended “Morning with the Muppets” at Milk Studios in Chelsea as part of the Vulture Festival. The event featured a panel discussion and Q&A with Steve Whitmire and Eric Jacobson, along with demonstrations and puppetry involving Kermit the Frog, Fozzie Bear and Animal. At the time Steve was performing Kermit, while Eric was performing characters including Fozzie Bear and Animal, and it was fascinating to watch them work and hear them talk about bringing those characters to life.
We brought Troggg along with us, and it led to a moment we still enjoy telling people about. We had the chance to briefly meet Steve Whitmire that day, and during our short conversation he had a look at Troggg, reached out and fluffed up his fur, and suggested that he should be shaggier rather than neatly groomed. It was a brief interaction, but it was the kind of small piece of professional feedback that sticks with you, and it became even more interesting later in the trip, which I’ll come to shortly. We didn’t manage to get a photograph together, so there is sadly no picture to go with that particular memory.
We also got to see Eric Jacobson perform in person, and Morning with the Muppets was the first of two occasions on this journey when we saw him perform his characters (which are largely characters originated by Frank Oz) live. The second was two years later in Wellington. We were in the same room as Eric both times, but we never got the chance to meet him personally.
Troggg at Morning with the Muppets, where Steve Whitmire suggested he should be shaggier.Morning with the Muppets at Milk Studios in Chelsea, 21 May 2016.
Avenue Q
Back in the New York theatre scene, we were given a backstage tour of “Avenue Q” at New World Stages, Off-Broadway, by Henson puppeteer Ben Durocher. Ben was performing Princeton and Rod in the production and went on to complete a remarkable 1,300-performance run in those roles. Seeing the puppets, sets and backstage areas from the performers’ side, rather than just from the audience, was a real highlight.
Backstage at Avenue Q with Henson puppeteer Ben Durocher.Another backstage moment at Avenue Q, this time with Nicky.
A week at Beyond the Sock in Denton, Texas
Later in the trip we spent a week at the University of North Texas in Denton for “Beyond the Sock”, an advanced intensive puppetry workshop. There I received formal training under Martin P. Robinson (aka Marty Robinson), and Noel MacNeal, both highly experienced puppeteers who have worked extensively with Sesame Street and The Jim Henson Company. Marty is particularly known for performing Telly Monster and Mr. Snuffleupagus, while Noel is known for performing Bear in Bear in the Big Blue House. We also received puppet construction training from Pasha Romanowski of Project Puppet and The Moe Show. It was exactly what I had been looking for, because instead of learning puppetry from books and videos, I was working directly with people who had spent decades performing and building puppets professionally.
Something happened there that brought Morning with the Muppets right back to mind. Marty Robinson had a look at Troggg, fluffed up his fur, and suggested that he should be shaggier. It was almost exactly the advice Steve Whitmire had given us in New York earlier in the trip, and neither of them knew about the other’s suggestion. Two puppeteers who had each worked with Jim Henson himself, meeting Troggg in different cities and on separate occasions, had instinctively come to the same conclusion about our character.
Training at Beyond the Sock, University of North Texas.With Martin P. Robinson (Marty Robinson), Pasha Romanowski and Noel MacNeal at Beyond the Sock.
A week in Los Angeles
The other big trip from our New York base was a week in Los Angeles, where we spent time with Grant Baciocco and Russ Walko, both experienced puppeteers and makers who have worked on numerous Henson productions, including “The Happytime Murders”. Both of them were generous enough to show us where they work, so we visited Grant’s office and studio and Russ’s studio, and seeing the spaces where so many puppet characters are created and performed was an amazing experience. It was great to see how Grant and Russ approached their craft.
With Los Angeles puppeteer Grant Baciocco.Brett Hansen (Troggg) with Grant Baciocco and Russ Walko (Stanley and Jax).
We also made the trek out to The Jim Henson Company in Hollywood one day. The company wasn’t offering tours at that time, so we didn’t go inside, but we got a few photographs of Troggg standing in front of the Kermit statue out front, which was a fun way to mark the visit.
Troggg in front of the Kermit statue at The Jim Henson Company in Hollywood.
By the time we flew home we had spent three months immersed in professional puppetry, and we carried all of that experience back to Australia with us.
2018: The Jim Henson Retrospectacle in Wellington
In April 2018, Wellington hosted “The Jim Henson Retrospectacle”, a major celebration of Jim Henson’s life and work organised by Square Eyes Film Foundation and The Jim Henson Legacy. The program included film screenings, workshops, masterclasses and discussions, plus two major concerts at the Michael Fowler Centre featuring the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, Bret McKenzie (from Flight of the Conchords, and songwriter for the films ‘The Muppets’ and ‘Muppets Most Wanted’) and characters from The Muppets, Sesame Street and Fraggle Rock. We travelled over from Australia for the final week, and Frazzamatazz, our green monster with an orange nose and wild purple ostrich-feather hair, came along with us.
Brett (and Frazzamatazz), Elissa, and a whole squad of ‘Muppet Mates’ in Wellington for the Jim Henson Retrospectacle, April 2018.
One of the first events we attended was This Frog: A Kermit Kompilation at the Embassy Theatre, a collection of Kermit the Frog appearances spanning his history from Sam and Friends through to Sesame Street and The Muppets. Kermit had been part of Jim Henson’s work from the 1950s until the late 1980s, and continues in newer productions and appearances to this day, so it was wonderful to sit in a cinema and watch that history unfold. Frazzamatazz enjoyed it too. Haha!
At the Embassy Theatre in Wellington for This Frog: A Kermit Kompilation.
The main event was The Jim Henson Retrospectacle concert at the Michael Fowler Centre, where the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, Bret McKenzie and a cast of Henson puppeteers brought characters from The Muppets, Sesame Street and Fraggle Rock to life on stage with monitors and screen projection. It was funny, moving and magical, and it was a thrill to watch characters we had known for years being performed live on stage by the people who had worked with them on TV and film. We also saw Eric Jacobson perform again, which made it the second time we had watched him performing live after Morning with the Muppets in New York two years earlier, although we still didn’t get the opportunity to meet him personally.
The Retrospectacle concert at the Michael Fowler Centre.
Something unexpected happened afterwards. A number of people in the foyer wanted to meet Frazzamatazz. I didn’t want to steal any thunder from the Henson puppeteers, so I made it clear that we were visiting from Australia and that Frazzamatazz was not part of the cast, but people had just watched a spectacular puppet production and were keen to meet a puppet up close. Children and adults lined up for photographs, and some of those pictures later appeared on Instagram, including ones taken by New Zealand children’s author Liz Donnelly. It was a lovely moment that we certainly hadn’t planned.
Frazzamatazz meeting Liz Donnelly in the Michael Fowler Centre foyer after the concert.
Celebrating Jim Henson at Te Papa
The final event of the Retrospectacle was held the following day at Te Papa. The Celebrating Jim Henson panel brought together people who knew and worked closely with Jim Henson, including Arthur Novell, who was his public relations manager for much of his career, and Bonnie Erickson, the puppet designer, builder and creative director whose work includes The Muppet Show and Sesame Street. Craig Shemin, a former Jim Henson Company writer and President of The Jim Henson Legacy, was there too, alongside Karen Prell (best known for Red Fraggle), Carmen Osbahr (best known for Rosita on Sesame Street) and Dave Goelz, the puppeteer behind Gonzo and Dr. Bunsen Honeydew. Sitting in that room and hearing people who had actually known Jim talk about his life and career was fascinating.
The Celebrating Jim Henson panel at Te Papa, the final event of the Retrospectacle.
When the panel finished, everyone involved in the Retrospectacle mingled around the room, and that was when we got to meet several of the puppeteers. We met Matt Vogel, Peter Linz, Carmen Osbahr, Jeremy Dillon and Karen Prell. Matt performs Kermit the Frog to this day, along with The Count, Floyd Pepper and Big Bird. Peter performs Ernie and Herry Monster on Sesame Street and Walter in The Muppets films, and Carmen is the performer behind Rosita, among many other roles. Jeremy is a New Zealand puppeteer known for “The Moe Show”, and at the Retrospectacle he was also an additional puppeteer performing Grover, Sam the Eagle and some flying bats above The Count. He was kind enough to give Elissa a stuffed toy of Moe from The Moe Show.
With Matt Vogel, who performs Kermit the Frog, The Count, Floyd Pepper and Big Bird.With Peter Linz, who performs Ernie, Herry Monster and Walter.With Carmen Osbahr, the performer behind Rosita on Sesame Street.
With New Zealand puppeteer Jeremy Dillon of The Moe Show.Elissa with the stuffed Moe toy that Jeremy gave her.
Karen Prell and Frazzamatazz
Then there was Karen Prell. She is best known for performing Red Fraggle in Fraggle Rock, and her work also includes The Muppet Show, Sesame Street and Labyrinth, where she performed characters including the Junk Lady, Firey 2 and the Worm. When Karen saw Frazzamatazz she said how great he looked and pointed out that he had Fraggle hair. Hearing that from the puppeteer who actually performed Red Fraggle was a very special moment. We got a photograph of Elissa and me with Karen and Frazzamatazz, and it remains one of our favourite photos from the trip.
Brett and Elissa with Karen Prell, the performer of Red Fraggle, and Frazzamatazz in Wellington.Karen Prell meeting Brett and Frazzamatazz at Te Papa.
A thread through the years
Looking back, there is a lovely little thread running through these stories. In New York, Steve Whitmire fluffed up Troggg’s fur. In Texas, Marty Robinson did the same. In Wellington, Karen Prell spotted the Fraggle hair on Frazzamatazz. For us, these moments mean more than simply having met well-known Henson puppeteers, because each one was direct feedback and encouragement from working professionals about characters we had created ourselves.
2026: Back home in Brisbane
Now, in 2026, we find ourselves part of a Jim Henson exhibition in our own backyard. Make, Believe, Magic: The Worlds of The Jim Henson Company at QAGOMA has brought an extraordinary collection of Henson’s work to Queensland. We attended the opening night gala, and on Saturday 26 September 2026 Larrikin Puppets had the great honour of performing our Kids Comedy Puppet Show twice as part of the exhibition program, along with a Meet the Puppets activation where visitors could see our puppets up close and chat with us about puppetry. Standing there with our own puppets inside an exhibition celebrating Jim Henson’s work, after a road that began in New York and passed through Texas, Los Angeles and Wellington, was a very special feeling.
Performing our Kids Comedy Puppet Show at QAGOMA on Saturday 26 September 2026. Image credit: Family Fun Day at GOMA, Brisbane, September 2026 / Photograph: C Callistemon, QAGOMATroggg performing at QAGOMA on 26 September 2026.
There is more to come. We return to QAGOMA on Sunday 24 January 2027 for another day of puppet shows and Meet the Puppets activities, and we’re excited to announce that Larrikin Puppets is also part of another major event in the exhibition program.
Henson Heads: The Big Puppet Game Show takes place on Saturday 24 October 2026 at 7.00 in Cinema A at the Gallery of Modern Art. It is hosted by Aimon Clark (IsoTriv) and comedian Emma Holland (Have You Been Paying Attention?, Thank God You’re Here, The Cheap Seats), with special guests Ranger Stacey (Agro’s Cartoon Connection, Totally Wild), comedian Zachary Ruane (Aunty Donna) and Larrikin Puppets. It’s part pop quiz, part comedy and all puppet mayhem, in the spirit of classic panel shows, and you don’t need to know your Skeksis from your Snuffleupagus to enjoy it. Tickets and details are available through QAGOMA, and we’ll share more about the night in a separate post.
Henson Heads: The Big Puppet Game Show, Saturday 24 October 2026 at the Gallery of Modern Art.
It has never been only about watching The Muppets, Sesame Street, Fraggle Rock, The Dark Crystal or Labyrinth for us. It has been about learning the craft, meeting the people who have dedicated their careers to it, and taking what we’ve learned to create our own puppet characters and shows. Sometimes it has also meant taking our own characters along to meet the Henson heroes who inspired the creation of Larrikin Puppets in the first place.
Larrikin Puppets at QAGOMA for Make, Believe, Magic!
We’re excited to announce that Larrikin Puppets is part of the program for
Make, Believe, Magic: The Worlds of The Jim Henson Company at
Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art!
We’ll be performing in QAGOMA’s Queensland Puppetry Showcase,
presented by Screen Queensland, as part of their
Family Fun Days.
Saturday 26 September 2026
Queensland Puppetry Showcase
Cinema B, GOMA
10:15am – 10:45am
11:15am – 11:45am
Sunday 24 January 2027
Queensland Puppetry Showcase
Cinema B, GOMA
10:15am – 10:45am
11:15am – 11:45am
Meet the Puppets!
Then in the afternoon, come and Meet the Puppets at
Bodhi Tree Terrace, where we’ll be running a
drop-in puppetry activation from 1:00pm – 2:00pm.
When most people think of Bunnings Warehouse, they think of timber, tools, plants, paint and, of course, the famous sausage sizzle.
For us, Bunnings has also become a place of laughter, community, family fun and puppet shows.
Over the past decade, Larrikin Puppets has been fortunate enough to perform at family nights, school holiday events and community celebrations at Bunnings stores across Queensland and northern New South Wales. Looking back, it has been quite a journey.
Technically, our first ever Bunnings booking wasn’t a puppet show at all.
On Wednesday 12 August 2015, I was booked to perform roving puppetry at Bunnings Manly West between 10am and 1pm. Back then we were experimenting with different styles of performance and were happy to give almost anything a go.
Looking back, it feels like a glimpse of what was to come.
These days, we rarely offer roving puppetry. Our characters work best when families have seen them perform on stage first and have had the chance to get to know them. A puppet show gives audiences context and helps create that connection.
At the time, though, we had no idea that Bunnings events would become a regular part of our performing calendar for more than ten years.
Our first full puppet show at a Bunnings store came the following year.
On Thursday 17 March 2016, we travelled from our home in Moorooka to Bunnings Warwick for their Easter Family Night.
At the time, Warwick felt like quite an adventure. We set off from Brisbane in the late afternoon and headed south-west towards the Southern Downs. One of my strongest memories from that day is the sunset. As we approached Warwick, the sky was glowing with colour and it felt like the perfect backdrop for the evening ahead.
We arrived a couple of hours before the show to load all the equipment in and set up.
The stage was unlike anything we had performed on before.
The loading dock at the back of the store became our theatre stage.
Our puppet stage sat on the loading dock while the audience sat below on rows of chairs looking up at the performance. It was such an unusual setup, but it worked really well.
The show began at 6:45pm.
At that point, we had never really heard of children’s entertainment being presented at a hardware store. It seemed like a quirky idea, but once we saw the families arriving and the atmosphere building, it all made sense.
After the show, we packed everything down and made the drive back to Brisbane that same night.
We were tired, but we had discovered something special.
Later that year, life took us in a different direction.
In 2016, Elissa and I spent three months living in New York City, receiving formal training from puppeteers who worked on Sesame Street and The Muppets. It was an incredible opportunity that helped shape us as performers.
When we returned to Australia, we made another big change. We moved to Bribie Island.
Our next Bunnings booking came on Thursday 15 December 2016 at Bunnings Morayfield for a school holiday Family Fun Day.
Compared with Warwick, this was practically around the corner.
The 10am puppet show introduced us to what would become one of our favourite Bunnings stores to perform at.
Only a few months later, on Thursday 6 April 2017, we returned to Bunnings Morayfield for Easter Family Night.
The thing we remember most about Morayfield was the audience size.
Every time we performed there, the crowds were huge.
Unlike Warwick, we weren’t on a loading dock. Instead, we performed in a large open section of the warehouse, surrounded by towering shelves and stacks of timber. The space worked brilliantly for family events and always seemed to fill with excited children and families.
It was also at Morayfield that we began to appreciate just how much effort Bunnings teams put into these events.
There was often fairy floss, popcorn, market stalls, activities for children, roaming characters and sometimes even animal nurseries. The stores transformed into community events where families could spend an entire evening together.
In 2018, we headed north on a regional Queensland tour.
The first stop was Easter Family Night at Bunnings Maryborough on Thursday 22 March 2018.
At the time, I thought Easter Family Night was the main Bunnings event held throughout the year. I had no idea how many different community celebrations the stores actually hosted.
The Maryborough performance became the starting point of a tour that took us through Hervey Bay, Bundaberg, Gin Gin, Rockhampton, Gracemere, Mount Morgan and Gladstone before returning home.
Then came 2020.
We had been booked to perform at Easter Family Night at Bunnings Robina on Thursday 2 April 2020.
The show never happened.
Like so many events across Australia, it was cancelled because of the COVID-19 lockdowns.
It’s a booking we’ve always been a little disappointed not to fulfil. Robina is a part of the Gold Coast where we perform regularly, and we would have loved to bring our puppet show to that community. Most of our Gold Coast bookings are private performances in schools and childcare centres, so opportunities to perform at public community events like libraries, festivals or a Bunnings Family Night are relatively rare for us.
Two years later, things finally started moving again.
On Saturday 2 July 2022, we performed at Bunnings Acacia Ridge for a school holiday Family Fun Day.
The response was fantastic.
The audience was enormous, the kids were engaged from beginning to end, and the feedback from families was wonderful.
The store was so happy with the event that they invited us back almost immediately for another school holiday performance on Thursday 22 September 2022.
It was one of those occasions where everyone involved walked away smiling.
The following year brought another far away Bunnings booking.
On Sunday 12 February 2023, we performed at Bunnings Coffs Harbour South in New South Wales.
We happened to be in Coffs Harbour while training the cast of Avenue Q for the Coffs Harbour Amateur Theatre Society, and we were able to fit a Bunnings Family Fun Day performance into the trip.
There is always something exciting about performing far from home. It reminded us of that first journey to Warwick years earlier.
Then came one of the most memorable Bunnings events we’ve ever been part of.
On Thursday 9 May 2024, we performed at Mother’s Day Family Night at the newly opened Bunnings Caboolture.
Being so close to Bribie Island, it was one of our shortest drives to a Bunnings store.
There were gift stalls, families everywhere, community groups, volunteers and plenty of activity throughout the evening.
Afterwards, we saw some lovely comments online from stallholders and families who had attended. The Rotary Club of Caboolture wrote about how much they enjoyed the puppet show and how much of a great time they had at the event overall.
It was also the night that I realised Bunnings hosted far more than Easter events and school holiday activities.
There was a whole calendar of family nights happening throughout the year.
School holiday events.
Easter Family Nights.
Mother’s Day Family Nights.
Halloween Family Nights.
And more still to come.
After the success of Mothers Day, Bunnings Caboolture had us back for Halloween Family Night on Thursday 31 October 2024, right on Halloween night itself. We were in the DIY Workshop space this time, much like our set-up at Bunnings Acadia Ridge. It was a smaller area, which also included a haunted house and other spooky activities and displays for kids and families to enjoy.
On Thursday 2 January 2025, we performed a school holiday Family Fun Day at Bunnings Victoria Point.
One of the nicest things about these events is that they are free for the community.
Over the years, we’ve had friends come along with their children, including people we went to school with who are now parents themselves. It’s always nice when friends of ours come along to support the show.
It’s always nice spotting familiar faces in the audience and hearing afterwards that the kids enjoyed the show.
These events bring communities together.
Families come along for a fun day or night out. Local groups raise money through sausage sizzles. Children enjoy the activities. Parents catch up with friends. Grandparents bring grandchildren.
In late 2025, we returned for another Halloween Family Night, this time at Bunnings Caboolture again on Thursday 30 October. They had us back in the larger space once more for this event, where we had previously performed for their Mothers Day Family Night in 2024.
A couple of months later came a booking that had been years in the making.
An event organiser we had worked with many years earlier at the Darra Community Festival was now working with Bunnings Keperra and had been trying to secure a date for us for quite some time.
The challenge with Bunnings events is that several stores will often enquire about the same dates. When there’s a family night at one Bunnings store, it’s happening at all Bunnings stores nationally.
Once one store books the date, that’s it.
After years of trying, we finally made it to Bunnings Keperra for their Christmas Family Night on Thursday 4 December 2025.
Many Australians know Keperra as the real-life inspiration for Hammerbarn from the hit animated series Bluey.
The special Hammerbarn promotion, in which Bunnings Keperra temporarily branded itself to look like Hammerbarn from Bluey, had finished by the time we arrived, but it was still great to finally perform there and tick another Bunnings store off our list.
And the story isn’t over yet.
In 2026, we’re looking forward to performing at Bunnings Rothwell for Father’s Day Family Night on Thursday 3 September 2026.
We’ll then return to Bunnings Manly West, the very first Bunnings store I ever performed at, when we present a puppet show as part of Halloween Family Night on Thursday 29 October 2026.
More than a decade after that first roving puppetry booking, we’ll be back performing a full puppet show for local families at the very same Bunnings store where my Bunnings journey began.
When I look back on ten years of Bunnings events, what stands out isn’t the stores themselves.
It’s the people.
The children laughing at the puppet characters.
The parents sitting alongside them.
The volunteers running stalls.
The community groups raising funds.
The staff members who work hard behind the scenes to make these events happen.
We’ve performed in loading docks, warehouse spaces, timber sections, garden centres, DIY workshop areas and community event zones. We’ve travelled across South East Queensland and beyond. We’ve seen huge crowds, familiar faces and plenty of first-time audience members.
Most of all, we’ve been grateful to be part of something that brings communities together.
Thank you to every Bunnings store that has invited us to perform over the years.
We hope there are many more family nights still to come.
As we look back on 2025, we’re feeling exhausted, but also grateful, and a little bit amazed by just how much we’ve done this year.
One of the biggest focuses of our year has been screen work. Early in the year, we spent a significant amount of time at Pluggas Studio on the Sunshine Coast filming the pilot for our children’s TV series “Yompers“.
Yompers follows the social lives of children who attend a whimsical, multi-species vacation care run by four wise, but hilarious Yompers who bring insight, peace, love and laughter. It takes a Yomper to raise a community. Featuring 20+ puppet characters per episode, human actors include children in vacation care and the teenage and young adult assistants who help run things – the Yomper “Helping Hands”.
And as part of Yompers, we were excited and honoured to once again collaborate with members of iconic Australian band Regurgitator, with Ben Ely voicing the Snowball, Quan Yeomans voicing Slate the Cat, and the band also recording the theme song for the series. Brett’s brother Todd Hansen along with his King Parrot bandmate Andrew Squiz Squires also recorded the music for the puppet band segment of the show, with vocals by Madeleine York.
Throughout the year we held meetings about Yompers with producers, investors and the Australian Children’s Television Foundation, and we now have a trailer being shown to networks and industry decision makers. We are hopeful that Yompers will continue to move forward toward a full season, whether in Australia or overseas.
We also performed the puppetry for the new educational kids TV series “Nature Knows”, which was filmed at Pluggas Studio. The federally funded series is all about blue carbon and how caring for our wetlands can help curb climate change and protect our biodiversity. The puppets were beautifully built by Katherine Hannaford.
Additional video projects this year included work on new videos for Miss Nicky Says, the Leave Stress at Home road safety campaign starring Scrambles as a stress monster, and continued growth of our YouTube channel’s nursery rhyme videos. While live performance often takes priority, filmed content remains a key part of our creative future and we are excited to return to creating more video content in the year ahead.
We were proud to receive several grants in 2025 supporting both our creative and business development. Elissa was awarded two RADF grants from the City of Moreton Bay and Arts Queensland, including a Creative Cities Grant to co-produce and co-direct our next large-scale theatre production, “Zietta and the Little Larrikins: A Celebration of Culture, Connection & Creativity”, and a Continue Creating Grant supporting early scriptwriting and set development for the same work. These grants supported puppet-building, set design, music production, filming, and the launch of this original children’s puppet theatre project for ages 5–9 and their families. Brett was also awarded a Business Basics Grant from the Department of Small and Family Business to develop “Little Larrikins Learning”, a video streaming educational platform delivering puppet-led HASS content for children aged 4–9. Together, this support enabled us to grow both our artistic practice and our educational reach. A big thank you to City of Moreton Bay, Arts Queensland and Queensland Government for their support.
This year saw the launch of our brand new podcast, “Little Larrikins Podcast“. Episode 1 is now available, with Episode 2 currently in the editing stage. It’s a zany, fast-paced, feel-good listen for kids, families, homeschoolers, and classrooms! Each episode bursts with music, jokes, learning, and puppet fun while shining a light on the world of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences (HASS).
We’re also excited to share that Elissa has written a children’s book based on our ocean-themed puppet show “Marina’s Marine Adventure“. With beautiful illustrations by Jannata Dea, the new book will launch in the new year.
In November, Elissa and Brett were flown to Sydney to speak at the 40th Anniversary Conference of NEIS and Self-Employment Assistance at the ParkRoyal Darling Harbour. We were honoured to deliver the keynote speech at the gala dinner, with Brett, Elissa, Troggg and Marina all part of the presentation. It was a joyful night filled with laughter, warm reactions and plenty of photos with the puppets.
Our presentation explored the beginnings of Larrikin Puppets through the NEIS program 13 years ago, highlights from our live shows, moments from our screen work and a preview of Yompers.
Touring highlights throughout the year included:
A massive Queensland Outback tour of performances in Miles, Roma, Mitchell, Charleville, Wyandra, Winton and Barcaldine.
A week based in Toowoomba, delivering OSHC performances and workshops across Toowoomba and Dalby.
Returning to the Snowflakes in Stanthorpe Festival, where the nicest audiences attended our puppet show, often multiple times across the three days of performances. We also got to meet and spend time with childhood hero Eric Summons, who famously starred in 1980s children’s TV shows Boris’ Breakfast Club (as Boris), Seven’s Super Saturday Show (with Agro) and Wombat (also with Agro).
We performed at a wide range of pubs, clubs and RSLs, including Tewantin Noosa RSL, The Junction Hotel Annerley, The Koala Tavern Capalaba, Alexandra Hills Hotel, and North Lakes Sports Club.
We also enjoyed performing “All Together Now: A Celebration of Cultural Diversity” as part of the Anywhere Theatre Festival, with huge thanks to City of Moreton Bay for curating these sessions, and “Marina’s Marine Adventure” at many libraries across South East Queensland.
Our bread and butter continues to be live performances in schools and childcare centres, and this year we reached several milestones by performing for clients who have booked us for ten consecutive years.
This year we also made time for professional development, from a marionette session with Neil Fainges to Elissa taking part in a shadow puppetry workshop with Catherine O’Neill from Little Big World Puppet Company, along with catch-ups with legendary puppeteer Dennis Murphy in Toowoomba.
Our annual Christmas season began in late November with performances at schools, OSHC programs, childcare Christmas parties and evening carols events. We rounded out the year in our home community of Bribie Island, presenting both daytime and evening performances at the Bribie Community Hall in Woorim, shared with the wonderful Rosanna Valentina (Magic Moments in Oz) and Monty the Magical Dragon (played by Greg Jones), making it a joyful and meaningful way to close the year.
In 2026 we look forward to officially launching Zietta and the Little Larrikins at the Redcliffe Entertainment Centre in May, and appearing at the 2026 Melbourne International Comedy Festival in April, as part of the children’s program, performing a new and extended version of our crowd-pleasing, award-winning Kids Comedy Puppet Show across 16 performances at Kindred Studios in South Yarra. Tickets are already selling well, and we can’t wait to bring our puppets to Melbourne audiences for the first time as part of this prestigious festival. We’ll also be releasing more episodes of Little Larrikins Podcast, rolling out our new video streaming service Little Larrikins Learning, and continuing progress on Yompers.
Thank you for supporting Larrikin Puppets throughout 2025. We could not do this without you.
Children’s Book Week (August 16–23, 2025) is nearly here and, to help celebrate, we’re touring our special story time puppet show across South-East Queensland throughout August.
Ideal for schools, kindies and childcare centres, Story Time With Larrikin Puppets is a colourful and engaging 45-minute show designed especially for children aged 3–7. It features music, laughter, lively puppets, and a beautifully presented storybook reading, showcasing Australian children’s books by authors like Hazel Edwards, Susanne Gervay, Glenn Martin, and Caroline Stills.
Rather than acting out the story, the puppets join in by listening, asking questions and making comments — role-modelling active listening and supporting comprehension, pre-literacy skills, and communication development.
The show also includes:
Funny skits and catchy songs
Lots of fun audience interaction
A behind-the-scenes demonstration of how the puppets work
This year’s Book Week theme is “Book an Adventure!” — and this joyful puppet show invites children to do just that.
If you’re planning something special for Book Week or looking for an engaging experience any time in August, we’d love to bring the show to your centre or school. Enquire now for a quote and to book!
We have a jam-packed schedule of exciting public performances, and we can’t wait to see you there!
If you have family and friends with kids in or near Logan, South Brisbane, Gympie, Cleveland, Ipswich, Noosa, Stradbroke Island, Tamworth, Annerley, or Caboolture, be sure to let them know! Let’s make some unforgettable memories together!
Saturday 2 November, 2024: Family Fright Fest – Underwood Park Priestdale
Larrikin Puppets delivers an unforgettable experience with their vibrant and engaging puppet shows! Each performance is a captivating journey, bursting with creativity, humour, and interactive fun that delights audiences of all ages. Puppeteers Brett and Elissa bring to life imaginative, silly skits, lovable characters and catchy, original songs, ensuring that every show is a unique and fun spectacle. Attending a Larrikin Puppets show is not just about entertainment; it’s a chance for families to bond and create cherished memories together. Don’t miss the opportunity to experience the magic—bring the whole family to one of these public performances and let the enchanting world of puppetry spark joy and laughter in your hearts!
Larrikin Puppets will be taking the stage at Big Little Fest! We are national award-winning Australian children’s entertainers, and will be bringing our colourful and exciting puppet show to Coorparoo Square at 12.00 noon Saturday 23 March, 2024. Interesting Fact! We received training in the USA under Jim Henson puppeteers from The Muppets and Sesame Street. Mark your calendar and prepare for a great day.
We have big news! Elissa and Troggg have been invited to present a talk at the highly acclaimed TEDx Brisbane on 14 October 2023.
The theme for TEDx Brisbane this year is ‘The Power of Intention’. What is our intention when it comes to the art of puppetry?
And don’t be surprised if you spot us on a digital billboard around Greater Brisbane in the coming weeks! If you do, be sure to snap a photo and send it our way.
On Saturday, 10 June 2017, Elissa and I had a lovely time with our children’s entertainment and activity provider industry peers at the 2017 National What’s On 4 Kids Conference and Awards.
The guest speakers at the conference taught us a lot about our industry and all the different ways we can share our services with parents and teachers.
We even got to meet TV stars Tina Harris and Mark Harris from Lah-Lah’s Big Live Band – as seen nationally on ABC Kids, Channel Seven and Nick Jr.
The awards night was a fun gala dinner where we recognised all the entertainers and activity providers around Australia who are doing great things for kids.
We were a finalist in the ‘Best Party Entertainment’ category.
Best Children’s Party Entertainment (Party Planners and Entertainers, Clowns etc) sponsored by Lah Lah’s Big Live Band
To be a finalist is a big deal in itself! And while other categories all had five finalists, ours had seven! A huge congratulations to the winning finalist Kids Disco Parties. They provide kids around Melbourne with awesome dance parties at schools and birthday events each week!
We brought Troggg and Flossy along to bring lots of smiles and laughter to everybody in attendance at both the conference and the awards, and received a lot of very nice compliments, and posed in a lot of photos and selfies with everybody.
It was a very fun weekend at the Hotel Grand Chancellor in Brisbane.
