PUPPETING AROUND: Brett Hansen and Elissa Jenkins are the masterminds behind the popular Larrikin Puppets. Picture: Neesha Sinnya.
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25/05/2021
masterminds behind the popular Larrikin Puppets. Picture: Neesha Sinnya.
By Neesha Sinnya
Spreading positive messages about kindness, accepting difference, and embracing play is the mission of Larrikin Puppets.
The full-time puppetry business travels across the country to deliver fun and interactive shows for toddlers and young school children.
Married couple, Brett Hansen and Elissa Jenkins are the masterminds and voices behind the 10 puppets that feature in the show they presented at the Kingaroy Town Hall on Wednesday, 19 May.
“We both did drama at school but I’ve been playing with puppets since I was two years old – I have always loved the Muppets and Sesame Street,” Brett said.
He started Larrikin Puppets nine years ago on a small scale, starting off with birthday parties, and has since grown the business.
With 30,000 Tik Tok followers, various music video and television appearances – Larrikin Puppets are making a name for themselves in children’s entertainment.
“We have worked with musicians like Illy, Tia Gostelow, Regurgitator, and Gutterfire. We have also appeared on Totally Wild and done puppetry on the TV show, the Bureau of Magical Things,” Brett said.
The puppeteer duo welcomed 300 school and preschool students to the Kingaroy Town Hall performance.
Elissa said that the kids enjoy the show, especially since the puppets don’t talk down to the kids but rather talk directly to them.
“It’s all about singing, and dancing, which is great for gross motor skills, movement, and art,” Elissa said.
For kids that can’t get enough of the bubbly ‘puppeting’ duo, they can listen to the Larrikin Puppets original songs on Spotify and iTunes.
The performance was in conjunction with South Burnett Libraries and was their first large-scale show since Covid-19.
The puppet show worked with the ‘First 5 Forever’ family literacy program delivered through the State Library of Queensland and Indigenous Knowledge Centres.
The program aims to provide strong early literacy foundations for all Queensland children aged 0 to 5 years old.
“It’s a celebration of puppetry,” Brett said.
Link to original article in Burnett Today: https://burnetttoday.com.au/news/2021/05/25/puppets-spread-messages-of-kindness/
