It’s Howdy Doody Time at the Detroit Institute of Arts!
VIPs from the Paul McPharlin Puppetry Collection
Now through September 20, 2015
Some very important puppets (VIPS), including the iconic Howdy Doody marionette, will go on display beginning Friday, March 20 at the Detroit Institute of Arts. The VIPs feature some of the oldest and best known puppet personalities that will be displayed through September 20, 2015.
The collection includes two sets of historic puppets, an 18th-century Venetian comedia del arte (art comedy) cast and American colonial era Punch and Judy. Punch and Judy are comedic hand puppets from 18th-century New England with ornate theater play-boards and miniature stage props.
Joining them will be Howdy Doody, the famous marionette from the first nationally syndicated American television program, The Howdy Doody Show. Howdy will appear wearing his original cowboy boots and buckskin gloves. He has not been on display at the DIA since 2009, when a U.S. Postal Service stamp was created in his honor.
Credit line for attached image: Howdy Doody, Velma Dawson, 1948, wood dough, cloth, leather, wood. ©Detroit Institute of Arts
Hours and Admission9 a.m.–4 p.m. Tuesdays–Thursdays, 9 a.m.–10 p.m. Fridays, and 10 a.m.–5 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. General admission (excludes ticketed exhibitions) is free for Wayne, Oakland and Macomb county residents and DIA members. For all others, $8 for adults, $6 for seniors ages 62+, $4 for ages 6–17. For membership information, call 313–833–7971.