A longer historical article about Norwegian puppetry may be read here.

A nationwide project
The timeline for the gallery spans from the post-war period (1945) to the present day, up to and including 2023. During these 78 years, Norwegian puppet theatre has continually evolved and grown. However, puppetry in Norway existed before this time too. The work with puppetry within theatre institutions began at Folketeatret when it was first started in 1952. Several theatre institutions have deep connections with puppetry, such as Kilden Theatre (formerly Agder Teater) and Det Vestnorske Teatret (formerly Hordaland Teater). In other institutions, such as The Arctic Theatre, there are lighter connections to puppetry. Since the 1970s, many puppet theatre groups have come and gone. Some have left a lasting impact, for example Petrusjka Teater (1978-2004) and Teater Figur, established in 1990 – but many others could be mentioned. Furthermore, puppetry has made history at Nord University (Drama and Performing Arts Production) and at the Academy for Performing Arts (formerly the Academy for Puppetry) at Østfold University College. Various institutions, independent companies and individuals have contributed by designing and creating puppets of high artistic quality, showcasing a wide range of visual expressions. The puppet gallery now features over 400 puppets.

A longer historical article about Norwegian puppetry may be read here.

The beginning
We started with the collection at Oslo Nye Teater, where the puppets have had the longest lifespan, tracing back to Folketeatret. For many years they have had their home at Trikkestallen in Torshov, Oslo. Our next stop was The Norwegian Touring Theatre (Riksteatret), which sent puppetry productions on tour for more than 40 years, starting in 1976. The youngest puppet theatre is located in Stamsund, Lofoten. It began as a pilot project in 1991 and has since produced performances with puppets and other visual means of expression. It has been at the forefront of innovation in Norwegian puppetry. The above-mentioned theatres have provided their photo archives, allowing us to freely select photos for this purpose. The fourth institution we have collaborated with is NRK. Television puppets from the early days of TV broadcasting to the present are also represented in this digital collection. We have photographed the TV puppets ourselves.

In the first phase of our work, we reviewed existing photographs of relevant puppets and gathered information about productions in which the puppets participated. Some puppets have extensive information, while others have less. This is due to the general lack of written and documented information about puppets. We have searched and will continue to search in the hope of adding more information over time. The work process can be compared to a jigsaw puzzle.

During our work, we have evaluated the significance of the puppets, focusing on historical, aesthetic and cultural development. Additionally, the diversity and technical constructions of the puppets has been considered. Collecting data is a time-consuming process, and information may not always be available. Gradually, the number of puppets in the gallery has increased, along with relevant information. The gallery also contains historical articles about the four institutions and a longer article about the development of puppet theatre in Norway from 1945 to the present. The collection now holds exactly 405 puppets from Oslo Nye Teater’s puppet theatre, The National Touring Theatre, Nordland Visual Theatre and NRK. Those interested will find puppets such as Hjemmusa and Fjellmusa (The Home Mouse and the Mountain Mouse), The White Seal, Winnie the Pooh, Askeladden (the hero of the Norwegian fairy tales), Aladdin and many more.

We could not have made this gallery without the help of our collaborating partners. Throughout the process we have been met with willingness to help. Many have understood the importance of this work, and we are extremely grateful for all the understanding and support we have experienced along the way since we started in 2019.

Who is the gallery for?
Who will enjoy and make use of a digital gallery of theatre puppets? Students in the arts, including theatre, puppet theatre, scenography, design, directing, and drama, can use the gallery for inspiration and information. The gallery will also be relevant for people involved in creative, communicative, and educational work. The interdisciplinary aesthetics offer many new possibilities. The use of puppets has great untapped potential at all levels of the Norwegian school system, whether in drama education, arts and crafts, or projects combining these subjects. In social work with children and young people, the gallery can serve as a source of inspiration and motivate the use of the medium. We believe that a gallery with historical facts and other relevant information can be a valuable resource for researchers in culture, arts and pedagogy. The gallery will hopefully contribute to creating interest and a greater understanding of Norwegian puppetry.

Why a gallery of theatre puppets?
Puppet theatre has long been a marginalised area of Norwegian performing arts, underappreciated and therefore not well known. One of the reasons for this is that Norwegian puppetry has largely been associated with children's culture, which has struggled for recognition within the arts field.

The puppets themselves constitute the most vital and important part of Norwegian puppetry history, and our aim has been to make them known and accessible through a digital gallery. There are still living sources who can provide important information and accurate historical depictions of the productions. Puppets are fragile objects made for stage performance. Wear and tear can be significant. What remains of them after 250 performances? It is crucial to document the puppets still in existence.

About us
Those responsible for this project are Mona Wiig and Elin Grimstad, both with extensive experience in their respective fields.

Mona Wiig has been a director and stage designer at the puppet theatres of at Oslo Nye Teater and The National Touring Theatre. She also managed the three-year educational programme for puppeteers run by The National Touring Theatre. She was the artistic and managing director of the independent theatre company Christiania Teater, and dean of The Norwegian Theatre Academy in Fredrikstad. For NRK’s children's television, she designed and created the puppets Teodor (for the program Så rart – “How strange”) and Tøfflus (for the program Jul i Skomakergata –“Christmas in Shoemaker Street”). Mona Wiig holds a Ph.D. in puppetry arts.

Elin Grimstad works with animated film, illustration and literature, primarily for children. She often combines these expressions with performing arts and has experience in writing, illustration, animation and music for the stage. The film Eternal Hunting Grounds, which she directed and for which she wrote the screenplay, won the Golden Dove award for best animated short film at the prestigious Leipzig Dok International Film Festival in 2016.

Both Mona and Elin are responsible for the digital gallery.

To all users of the gallery
If you discover factual errors, incomplete information, or perspectives you would like to add, please contact us. Dialogue with users is essential to improve and ensure the quality of the digital gallery.

Our supporters
Arts Council Norway (Cultural heritage) and Oslo City Council (Cultural department) have supported the project. Both institutions have recognized the importance of preserving the puppets for the present and future. We warmly thank them for their support.

Covid-19
The puppet gallery was also affected by Covid-19. While the puppets themselves are unlikely to transmit infection, they depended on owners and users who had to take precautions. Wiig and Grimstad also had to do so during the two years of the pandemic (2020-2022). Most planned visits had to be put on hold, and we worked using digital solutions. The work progressed, but there was much we could not accomplish during those two years.

The way forward

Five years have passed since we started in 2019. As of January 2025, we are looking ahead, and hopefully, with financial support, we will continue the work with the gallery. The focus will now be on the area of independent companies, which has been growing constantly for the past fifty years or more. We aim to highlight and document this development in the Puppet Gallery in collaboration with Sceneweb.

Ways into the Theatre Puppet gallery
When you enter the gallery, you will first encounter various categories of theatre puppets. In the analogue, physical world of puppetry, there is a large jumble of theatre and TV puppets, of which it may seem difficult to get a general picture. We have organised this “jumble” of puppets into seven different categories where the puppets have greater and lesser similarities with each other. For example, puppets in the category “glove and hand puppets and muppets” have in common that the puppeteer moves and performs with the puppets using her/his fingers and/or hand/hands. In professional terms, this is called animating the puppets, meaning bringing them to life on stage.

If you click on this category or any other categories, various variants within this grouping will appear. If you click further on one of the puppets, you'll see one or more photos and information about that puppet. What is the name of the puppet, how was it made, and what has it done? In other words, the puppet’s context, which is the performance it has participated in. Who designed and made it and who animated it? These are some of the questions we have wanted to answer. We have gone into detail and written about the materials the puppets are made of and their technical construction, where this information has been available. There are varying levels of knowledge about the individual puppets because we have worked in an artistic field where little is written down and documented. We have done as much groundwork as possible.

We hope you will click around and explore the 405 different puppets. Good luck, we hope you enjoy and benefit from the gallery. Do please tell friends and acquaintances what you think. “Click and share!”