New York Puppet Library

I got there pretty early and was able to crawl inside a life sized puppet! I had the kids with me that day and they just went crazy lol! I was amazed at some of these puppets — some of them looked like real children, it was spooky. I got my son to climb inside the ant eater and we put on a mock puppet show — this was a truly extraordinary experience!

Next time you go to the terrific farmers’ market at Grand Army Plaza, take a few minutes to step into the imposing Soldiers and Sailors Arch in the center: it’s one of the niftiest secrets in Brooklyn! Inside, you’ll find an amazing collection of enormous puppets of all sizes: giants, animals, birds, monsters — all beautifully made for children’s and avant-​garde puppet shows around the city. There’s a spiral staircase that winds through the space, and you’re at liberty to wander through and marvel. When a friend clued me in after years of passing the building unawares, I couldn’t believe my eyes!
This really is a lending library, too: you can borrow the puppets! I’ve always thought they’d make an awesome centerpiece to a party, but that’ll have to wait until I have a car at my disposal capable of hefting a lifesized papier mache whale! (Last year’s Lincoln Center Out of Doors show was ‘Moby Dick.’)