Featured image: Bob Baker Marionette Theater
Finding meaningful things to do in Los Angeles with kids can be challenging at times for families. The city has a distinctly adult focus. Just visit Disneyland, Universal Studios, or Knott’s and count the adults compared to the children. But Los Angeles has its own distinct flavor. So when you do find an activity fit for the whole family, it can often be an experience unlike anything else you’ll find in the state, country… maybe even the world. Case in point: the historic Bob Baker Marionette Theater; a sacred space in Highland Park where innocent fun and wonderment are never in short supply.
Creativity with Principles
When you first enter the lobby of the Bob Baker Marionette Theater, you’re transported to a midcentury-inspired fairytale landscape with painted flowers beneath your feet punctuating a polished verdant lawn. Joyous woodcut clowns mingle with marionettes hanging on display, their faces painted with lively, exaggerated expressions.
Staff are attentive and encouraging, radiating an authentic positivity that’s contagious upon entering the theater. Part of what has made the Bob Baker Marionette Theater so enduring over the decades is the philosophy behind the performers, crew, and management. Visit the theater’s website and a message clarifies: “We do not tolerate or condone racist, sexist, homophobic, or otherwise discriminatory behavior.” You can feel this atmosphere of acceptance immediately upon entering the lobby; a bustling, gleeful creativity with principles.
The Artistry Supporting the Bob Baker Marionette Theater
But there are plenty of welcoming communities around LA. What makes the Bob Baker Marionette Theater one of the best things to do in Los Angeles with kids? Well, the masterful artistry of the puppeteers for starters.
Marionettes similar to those displayed in the lobby seem to find life when the curtains rise. Set against vibrant backdrops, many of vintage quality dating back as far as the 1950s, the marionettes move with a startling fluidity sure to mesmerize children and adults alike. Performers further color each show with a well-timed sense of humor and an audience interactivity that commands attention.
Weekend performances (the weekdays focus on planning and production) frequently offer the added treat of live organ music preceding the show. The Los Angeles Theatre Organ Society (LATOS) has loaned the Bob Baker Marionette Theatre “Silver Cloud”, their Allen Custom GW4 digital organ. The vintage piece of musical history serves as the perfect herald for the theater’s performances.
Who Was Bob Baker?
The Bob Baker who lent his vision (and name) to the theater started building his legacy as a teenager by producing his own handmade marionettes. The creations were a hit across the country and even in Europe. When he graduated from high school, he immediately accepted an apprenticeship with the fantasy and science fiction-focused George Pal Animation Studios. For decades, he straddled the line between animation and puppetry, lending his myriad talents to big-name Hollywood productions including:
- Bedknobs and Broomsticks
- Bewitched
- Close Encounters of the Third Kind
- Star Trek
One of the Best Things to Do in Los Angeles with Kids Since the ‘60s
In 1961, Baker took his artistry to a new zenith when he partnered with multi-dimensional artist Alton Wood to begin work on an LA-based theater to showcase live marionette performances. They took over a former special effects studio on 1st Street at the border of Downtown LA and Echo Park. By 1963, the first Bob Baker Marionette Theater location was enchanting Los Angeles children and adults alike.
For decades, the Bob Baker Marionette Theater crowned lists of things to do in Los Angeles with kids for its wholesome yet artistically accomplished programming. In 2009, the city designated the theater a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument, further engraining it in its surrounding community. Wood had passed away in 2001, missing out on the achievement. Baker succumbed to natural causes at the age of 90 in November 2014, but his legacy continued forward into an uncertain future.
Bob Baker Marionette Theater Finds Its Home
Just a few short years later, the Bob Baker Marionette Theater was evicted from the space it held at 1st Street for 56 years. For a brief period, it wasn’t clear whether the collective of creative orchestrators and artists would be able to sustain the dream left behind by Baker and Wood. But the marionettes would dance again, albeit now beneath the roof of a former silent movie theater and church built in the 1920s. Upon arriving at its new location on York Boulevard in Highland Park, Bob Baker Marionette Theater successfully attained 501(c)3 non-profit status.
We’re not pulling your strings (sorry, we had to) when we say the Bob Baker Marionette Theater really is one of the best things to do with kids in Los Angeles. If you’re looking for a wholesome experience with an old-school vibe that is still rooted in genuine artistry and authentic passion, it delivers and then some. And with its relatively new home in Highland Park keeping it conveniently located, it’s yet another way that Angelenos (of all ages) are spoiled by this city.
