Support for LAist comes from
Become a sponsor
Local and national news, NPR, things to do, food recommendations and guides to Los Angeles, Orange County and the Inland Empire
Donate
Stay Connected

LAist is part of Southern California Public Radio, a member-supported public media network.

Listen
Donate
Podcasts Take Two
The future of Bob Baker Marionettes
solid orange rectangular banner
()
Take Two Logo
Dec 1, 2014
Listen • 5:02
The future of Bob Baker Marionettes
Los Angeles puppeteer Bob Baker died over the weekend. His theater, near downtown, has delighted kids of all ages for decades, but the building was recently sold, leaving questions about whether the puppet show can still go on in his absence.
Bob Baker, founder of the Bob Baker Marionette Theater, with one of his puppet creations. Baker died in 2014 but his theater, in Echo Park, lives on.
Bob Baker, founder of the Bob Baker Marionette Theater in Los Angeles, died over the weekend at age 90. He started puppeteering when he was a kid.
(
Maya Sugarman/KPCC
)

Los Angeles puppeteer Bob Baker died over the weekend. His theater, near downtown, has delighted kids of all ages for decades, but the building was recently sold, leaving questions about whether the puppet show can still go on in his absence.

Los Angeles lost an icon over the weekend when puppeteer Bob Baker died at age 90. His marionette theater opened near downtown in 1962 and is the oldest puppet theater in the US.

The Bob Baker Marionettes delighted children of all ages for for many years. But Baker struggled with paying the mortgage on the theater building and it was recently sold.

His friend Greg Williams, who is also a puppeteer and co-trustee of the theater, says the current lease goes through March and he plans to pay month-to-month after that. Williams says he and the team at Bob Baker Marionettes are in no rush to leave and plan to keep it going as long as he can.

Williams says that Los Angeles deserves to keep the puppet show going and adds, "People really enjoy bringing their family to see the theater."