Bob Brown: The Man, The Myth, The Legend- Retired!
Written by Kenzy Hinkel, Board Member
Many of us know Bob Brown as the iconic, longest-residing Tiny Tot’s performer at the Puppet Co. However, Bob Brown has an extensive performance history and has been beloved beyond the DC metro area. Bob’s puppetry journey was already taking off by the time he was a teenager. He found mentorship in Bill and Cora Baird, whose work you may remember from “The Lonely Goatherd” scene in The Sound of Music.
While still just a teenager, Bob appeared on television for the first time with “Poochie’s Playhouse,” a show he launched with Len and Patsy Piper (parents of the Puppet Co.’s Christopher Piper!) Born to a German immigrant baker, Bob Braunschweiger now became Bob Brown for the ease of his future audiences.
Bob Brown (right) is entertaining the young Piper boys. The original photo is kept in the Puppet Co. Library
Bob and the Bairds toured the Soviet Union and India, performing with their handmade puppets and set. Even after being drafted into the army, Bob brought the joy of puppetry to his fellow soldiers.
Bob’s wonderful wife, Judy, who died in 2013, was Bob’s partner in puppetry crime. The lovebirds met at a festival for puppeteers in Miami, FL, back in 1964. With a stage manager father and stuntwoman mother, she was born into a world of theatrics. The married collaborators saw Bob designing and constructing sets and props while Judy conceptualized, wrote the scripts, and directed their shows.
The Smithsonian brought the power couple to the National Mall to perform Punch and Judy, and they were so popular they even had the opportunity to perform at Nixon’s holiday party at the White House.
Ever attentive to their audience, Bob and Judy switched from performing Punch and Judy in favor of their own versions of classic stories. With these gentler tales, the couple could maintain the attention of children in their audiences without upsetting them.
The Multimedia Discovery Theater was originally opened in the National Museum of American History as a puppetry theatre for the Browns. They were incredibly successful, with 100k audience members drawn to the 225-seat theater in their first year there.
After seeing the Browns were in a production of “Peter and the Wolf” at the Kennedy Center, Mr. Fred Rogers invited the pair to work on “Mr. Rogers Neighborhood.” (Tag @thepuppetco if you see the Browns in any of the 18 episodes they appear in!)
Bob Brown (left) works with marionette King Friday in the Neighborhood of Make-Believe. The photo is from the Mr. Rogers Archives.
While many puppeteers primarily tour, Bob and Judy wanted a home base so they could spend their time on the important stuff: developing productions with the level of mechanical and electrical complexity required to satisfy their storytelling desires. Translation: They wanted to make their puppet shows fun, beautiful, exciting and kept safe and sound in good repair.
They would find their next home at the Washington Theater Club carriage house theater in 1970. Though their stay in that theater was short-lived due to its closing in 1972, Browns were audience favorites, selling out the child-size 200 seat theatre.
Today, the Puppet Co. Playhouse has the pleasure of hosting Bob Brown’s Puppets for many years. Bob and Judy had the pleasure of performing at the National Zoo, Wolf Trap in Virginia, for three presidents, and they were even honored with the Commonwealth’s Award for the Arts in 2008 by the Virginia Governor.
Here at the Puppet Co, we are so grateful to have been a stop in Bob’s journey. He inspires all ages with his beautiful designs, creative tricks, silly songs, and wildly great balance on just one foot. His 30-minute productions delight, amaze, and bring out the joy in each and every one of us. Bob’s work will always be special to us. Bob, we love you! We hope you have a happy, restful retirement!
Bob Brown’s family and friends came to the Puppet Co. to celebrate his career and lasting legacy in the puppet community.
