The Paul Ashley Puppets
BY MASTER PUPPETEER, PAUL ASHLEY
This site is dedicated to the life and legacy of Paul Ashley, master puppeteer, craftsman and artist, who was a pioneer of early children’s television and who continues to be an icon and inspiration to puppeteers world wide. In December of 2021, the collection was sold at auction and the puppets are now with private collectors or in museums.
Paul Ashley was one of the most innovative puppet masters in the world. His artistic genius is evident in every puppet he created and his ability to capture the likeness of his human subjects is legendary.
In addition to being incredibly beautiful, the Paul Ashley puppets were technologically ahead of their time. Ashley invented a revolutionary technique allowing the eyes to open and close or move from side to side and eyebrows that went up and down.
In some cases, the puppets were fitted with tubing allowing them to cry! The engineering inside the heads is amazing and can be viewed HERE.
Paul’s puppetry career began in 1950 when he was chosen to design and create 5 puppets for a new nationally syndicated TV show, The Rootie Kazootie Club. Besides creating the puppets, he was one of the principal puppeteers.
Following the success of Rootie Kazootie, Ashley began creating puppets for other productions. His puppets were frequent 'guests' on other nationally syndicated shows, such as The Ed Sullivan Show and The Tonight Show. For Paul's professional timeline, CLICK HERE.
Paul and his puppets are probably best known for a number of hilarious. and highly successful children’s shows he co-created with his long time partner, funnyman Chuck McCann. These shows aired daily in the NY Metropolitan area in the late 50’s and 60’s. You can see some of their high jinks HERE.
Slide show: Cher & Barbra, Laurel & Hardy, The Presidents, Rootie Kazootie & Gang, The Honeymooners and the Rat Pack.