Back in the 16th century, a wave of superstition swept across Europe, and even devout Christians trembled at the sight of puppets, convinced they were demonic because no one could pinpoint the source of the eerie voice emanating from the wooden mouth. These 10 bizarre events showcase how puppets have crossed the line from innocent playthings to something far more unsettling.
10 Bizarre Events That Will Make You Rethink Puppetry
10 Puppet Seances
In 1910 a frightened reader penned a letter to The New York Times describing séances where self‑styled mediums claimed to channel spirits. The correspondent detailed a “trumpeted medium” who employed a telescope‑shaped horn—essentially a megaphone—to project “messages from the dead.” In reality, the whispers originated from nearby ventriloquists, a ruse designed to convince grieving attendees that departed loved ones were speaking through the instrument.
The trick could be varied. One method had the medium cup the wide end of the cone‑shaped trumpet to his lips, whispering silently while keeping facial muscles still. Simultaneously, the ventriloquist would speak softly into the same device, allowing the voices to seem to emanate from beyond the veil. This technique mirrors a method still favored by modern ventriloquists to conceal lip movement while delivering dialogue.
9 The Skull Puppet
In the small Floridian town of Sebastian—about ninety minutes north of West Palm Beach—a homeless individual was spotted in a Publix parking lot manipulating a human skull as if it were a marionette. Police initially thought the cranium was a prop, but an officer who approached the scene reported a foul odor, prompting suspicion that the bone was genuine.
Investigators later disclosed that the skull likely belonged to an unidentified John Doe whose remains were found in a nearby wooded area. Given that Florida and four neighboring states account for roughly three‑quarters of all unidentified person cases logged with the National Crime Information Center, this grim conclusion was not entirely unexpected.
Even after extensive questioning, authorities have been unable to determine the identity of the skull’s former owner, leaving the macabre display shrouded in mystery.
8 The Pedophile Puppeteer Show
In 2013, Boston‑area resident Geoffrey Portway—known online as “Fat Longpig”—pleaded guilty to a slew of child‑exploitation offenses, including possession of child pornography and solicitation to commit violent crimes. A search of his home uncovered thousands of illicit images and videos, as well as digital correspondence exchanging such material.
Further evidence revealed photographs depicting children being prepared for consumption, a metal cage with a feeding aperture, a steel‑topped table, assorted bondage devices, and a miniature wooden coffin sized for a child. The investigation also uncovered Portway’s plans, alongside two accomplices, to kidnap and sexually abuse children.
One of those conspirators turned out to be a puppeteer named Ronald Brown, who operated a party‑planning business called Puppets Plus, promising “grins and giggles” for youngsters. In 1998, after a traffic stop, police noted several pairs of boys’ underwear in Brown’s vehicle; when questioned, Brown claimed the garments belonged to his puppets, an explanation that only deepened the chilling narrative.
7 Harassed By A Puppet
In 2017, Warwickshire ventriloquist David Sampson found himself under police scrutiny after his puppet, Grisweld the Super Dog, was accused of sexually harassing a woman outside The Bulls Head pub during a Valentine’s Day promotion. Sampson argued that the accusation was impossible because Grisweld, being an inanimate figure, could not “talk.”
The complainant alleged that the wooden dog repeatedly made lewd comments and then concealed itself within Sampson’s trousers, eventually asking, “Why don’t you come and have a feel at this?” Sampson countered, pointing out the physical impossibility of a puppet fitting inside his pants. The investigation’s outcome remains undocumented.
6 The Horse Therapy Puppets
Kansas City Chiefs safety Eric Berry suffers from equinophobia—a pronounced fear of horses—posing a unique dilemma since the team’s mascot is a live horse that parades around the stadium. Berry traces his aversion back to a childhood incident at a petting zoo where a horse bit him.
To confront his phobia, Berry employed an array of coping mechanisms, including sketching horses, watching equine footage, and, notably, interacting with horse‑shaped puppets. Therapists often incorporate puppetry into treatment plans because it can evoke emotional responses without requiring direct exposure to the feared stimulus.
5 The Puppet Terrorist
In 2014, an Egyptian blogger lodged a formal complaint alleging that a telecommunications commercial featured a puppet named Abla Fahita who was covertly transmitting coded messages about a terrorist plot. The ad showed the puppet searching for her late husband’s SIM card while conversing about a character called Mama Touta.
The complainant asserted that “Mama Touta” was a veiled reference to the Muslim Brotherhood, a recognized terrorist organization, and that the commercial hinted at an imminent bombing. This sparked a national debate over whether the whimsical puppet was being weaponized for extremist communication.
In response, the puppet’s creators appeared on Egypt’s CBC network to deny any malicious intent, clarifying that the advertisement merely explained how to reactivate SIM cards. The company behind the spot reinforced that no secret messages were embedded.
Egyptian netizens largely treated the exchange as a comedic spectacle, rallying around the hashtag #FreeFahita to champion the puppet’s innocence.
4 The Farting Hippo Puppet Lawsuit
In 2014, CBS found itself entangled in a legal dispute over Bert the Farting Hippo, a novelty toy that had appeared in a 2003 episode of the crime drama NCIS. Following the episode, the hippopotamus surged in popularity, prompting CBS to sell Bert merchandise through its online storefront.
Initially, CBS contracted American manufacturer Folkmanis to produce roughly 30,000 fart‑producing hippo puppets. To cut expenses, CBS later outsourced the production to factories in China, a move that sparked contention.
Folkmanis responded by filing a lawsuit alleging copyright infringement and seeking recovery of approximately $733,000 in lost profits. While the case lingered, CBS withdrew all Bert merchandise from its store, rendering the farting hippo a temporary collector’s item.
By 2016, the parties reached a settlement, the terms of which were kept confidential, ending the courtroom showdown.
3 The Gay Rights Puppets
Emerging in the late 1990s, the Israel Electric Corporation’s mascots Sheka and Teka appeared in a series of commercials showcasing the company’s clean‑energy message. The ads placed the duo on a paddleboat cruising the Dead Sea, behind the wheel of a convertible, lounging on a couch, and sharing a bedroom with twin single beds.
Viewers speculated for years about the pair’s sexual orientation, drawing parallels to the iconic gay subtext of Bert and Ernie. The debate reached a climax in 2013 when a new advertisement introduced a third character—a pink baby puppet with a vivid orange tuft of hair—prompting questions about the family dynamics.
The commercial depicted the baby in a living‑room conversation, then shifted to a hospital nursery where the infant sucked on a pacifier while Teka congratulated Sheka on the child’s birth, deliberately omitting any identification of the mother.
A subsequent scene showed the trio seated on a park bench, with the narration linking the clean air surrounding them to the corporation’s environmentally friendly electricity production.
When pressed, the Israel Electric Corporation asserted that the ads merely aimed to promote clean‑air messaging, whereas a spokesperson for the national LGBT task force affirmed that Sheka and Teka had been gay for years and would remain so.
2 The Puppet Custody Battle
While custody disputes typically involve children, the 2001 legal battle over the iconic marionette Howdy Doody proved that puppets can become entangled in family law. Although NBC had pledged in 1967 to place the beloved character in a museum, heirs of the original puppeteers contested the arrangement.
The dispute traced back to a six‑year‑old who witnessed NBC cancel The Howdy Doody Show, after which the puppet toured the nation with “Buffalo Bob.” Original puppeteer Rufus Rose loaned the figure to Bob in 1970. Following Rose’s death in 1975, Howdy Doody continued public appearances. In 1998, Rose’s son and Bob agreed to a 50‑50 sale of the marionette, but Bob died before finalizing the deal.
Ultimately, a judge ruled that Howdy Doody should reside in the Detroit Institute of Arts, citing a comprehensive 40‑page opinion that examined the character’s cultural significance and offered guidance on contract law.
1 The Puppet Gag Order
In 2014, a South African ventriloquist faced an unprecedented gag order targeting his puppet. Musician Steve Hofmeyr petitioned the courts, claiming that Conrad Koch’s puppet, Chester Missing, was spewing hate speech against him. The order prohibited Chester from making any public or social‑media statements about Hofmeyr.
The controversy erupted after Chester’s Twitter account posted a series of tweets branding Hofmeyr as racist and urging South Africans to boycott any brand associated with the singer. The online backlash caused a local car dealership to drop its sponsorship of Hofmeyr.
After a protracted legal fight, Koch succeeded in overturning the gag order, restoring Chester’s freedom of expression.