hand puppet: Wooden Puppet Theater

King and Marion, professors at the University of Michigan, began their collection of Lotte Sievers-Hahn puppets while visiting Europe. The pair amassed a collection of more than 100 puppets. They created a portable theater and performed puppet shows for friends and family for nearly 20 years. Performances included takes on Little Red Riding Hood, Hansel and Gretel, Princess and the Pea, and Sleeping Beauty, among others. They never let the kids see backstage as that “would ruin the magic.”

Lotte Sievers-Hahn trained traditionally as a toy maker at The School of Gruenhainichen, in Erzgebirge. Her designs are known for bold, deeply cut expressive lines that gave character to the figures and made the puppets effective in stage lighting.