Puppets from Broadway's Avenue Q and The Lion King are among the over 100 characters featured in the Puppets of New York exhibit at the Museum of the City of New York, opening August 13.

The exhibit examines the impact of puppetry on the city and the influence of the city on the art form. Puppets of New York covers three themes: The Stage, looking at puppetry in the theatre industry from the Yiddish theatre of the 1920s through modern Broadway; The Set, featuring puppets from television, including Jim Henson's Muppets and Shari Lewis' Lamb Chop; and The Street, showcasing the puppetry of the city's community and streets, such as Chinatown’s Lunar New Year celebrations, puppets from Halloween Day Parades, and the work of Bread and Puppet Theater.

“Puppets are not just child’s play. They often reflect the cultural changes, diverse communities, and political events that impact urban life,” said Monxo López, the exhibition’s curator and a Mellon Postdoctoral Fellow at the museum. “Immigrants from around the globe turned New York into a mosaic of puppetry traditions that both mirror their places of origin and blend with one another."

The exhibition will also partner with the International Puppet Fringe Festival, running August 11–16, offering live programming debuting at the museum as well as Clemente Soto Velez Cultural & Education Center. The museum will also host a special series of live, outdoor performances featuring local puppeteers, educators, and performance groups throughout the run of the exhibition.

For more information, visit MCNY.org.