REVIEW: Bob Baker Marionette Theater's "Hallowe'en Spooktacular"

September 25, 2025

REVIEW: Bob Baker Marionette Theater's "Hallowe'en Spooktacular"

Whether it is film, writing, music, or any form of art - the City of Los Angeles has been the global epicenter of creativity for decades. Pulling in talent from all over the world allows L.A. to enrich its fertile ground from which homegrown talent is born. One of these local artistic luminaries was Bob Baker, who realized his dream of performing with his handmade marionettes. His art and community spirit inspired and educated multiple generations of artists - creating a legacy that continues to grow to this day.

Baker began building his marionettes in high school. Later, he drove his van full of marionettes around town, performing DIY shows to great acclaim. This caught the eye of Walt Disney who hired Baker as an animation advisor for the company. During this time, Baker began making Disney related puppets for the window displays on Main Street. Some of these puppets still exist in private collections today.

Baker went on to partner with L.A. based entertainer Alton Wood, and together they formed the Bob Baker Marionette Theater in 1963. The theater offered a centralized location for Baker’s puppet shows - and ice cream parties - to entertain children for generations to come. While Baker sadly passed away in 2014, his dreams are still very much alive in his theater. Puppet shows occur weekly and change themes and characters with the seasons and for special events.

Our favorite Bob Baker puppet show is the Hallowe’en Spooktacular, which feels like lighting caught in a bottle that reverberates throughout time. Every year the puppet show features classic vignettes, like the three costumed children (ghost, devil, witch) singing while trick-or-treating. The seasonal atmosphere builds with performances by Dracula and Vampira, Young Frankenstein’s monster, flying aliens, and dancing robots. These vignettes, all performed by the superbly talented puppeteers, completely capture an art form that has been mostly lost to time - yet presented with a contemporary energy that emanates from the amazing cast and crew who are the heart of the theater.

We are very happy that Knott’s Spooky Farm has hired the Bob Baker troupe to take over their theater for Spooktacular performances. This show is slightly different as it contains the Baker classic “Hernando’s Hideaway”, while the Theater’s Spooktacular has a new blacklight Día de los Muertos sequence that is absolutely breathtaking.

The Halloween season tends to offer entertainment that is more horror-fueled and therefore frightening for children (or sensitive adults!). Instead, the Spooktacular leans into the more fun and innocent aspects that come with Halloween. It is truly a legendary show worth seeing and we guarantee that people of all ages will leave with smiles on their faces and inspiration in their hearts - ready to trick-or-treat!

VC
September 25, 2025

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