On Friday I wrote that I was going to see Bob Abdou…Mr Puppet on Saturday. My wife and I got up early Saturday morning and made the drive over to Pauls Valley, OK (Pauls Valley is about halfway between Oklahoma City and the Texas border… a four hour drive for us).
We arrived early (show started at 11am, we got there about 10:20am) and Bob was already set up and ready to go. He brought his lovely wife June along, so we got to sit and visit with both of them before the show.
The people started arriving and once everyone was there, Bob was ready to start the show. The audience consisted of little kids and adults with over half of the audience being the kids.
Bob starts his show with laughs….and it continues throughout his performance. I’ve always admire those that do kidshows (I use to do kidshows years ago, but realized it wasn’t for me). Bob’s show is fast paced, funny and educational at the same time.
He has a great way to keep “control” of his audience (kids) and still have them as participants in his show. I liked his entire show, but the one thing I really liked was his Magic Drawing Board routine. Since I used to own one (and all of us ventriloquists know about the MDB)….when Bob brought out his MDB….I was waiting for the “usual” way a lot of ventriloquists use their board.
Not Bob….I poked my wife and said, “Watch this”, expecting the norm….but he has a way to prolong his process, all the while keeping everyone riveted to him and participating in his act. When he finally gets to the “trick” of the MDB….everyone was roaring and laughing.
The show was a great success. After the show, Bob and his wife June, conducted a puppet building workshop. From all reports, it was enjoyed by all.
My wife and I wanted to check out “The Toy and Action Figure Museum” (these folks hired Bob). This place is wonderful. If you’re a kid at heart….you have to see this place.
Personally, I’m a Superman fan (I’ve collected some Superman memorabilia over the years)…and this place had Superman figures and toys, LOTS of Batman toys and action figures, plus tons of others, such as Star Wars, Star Trek, different sculptures and so much more.
If you’re ever in the Oklahoma City area or the northern central part of Texas, make the drive to Pauls Valley to check it out. Here’s the website for more information:
http://www.actionfiguremuseum.com/
After the visit to the museum, the four of us went to have some lunch at a fantastic BBQ place in Pauls Valley (I wish I could remember the name but it’s right off I-35). The food was excellent and it gave us more time to visit. After that, we said our good-byes and headed home. Even though it was a long day….it was a very enjoyable day.
Bob was also featured in the local Pauls Valley newspaper:
If Mr. Puppet (Bob Abdou) is performing in your area, make sure you go see his show.
Mr. Puppet website: http://www.mrpuppet.com
Steve Hurst
Webmaster
www.ventriloquistcentral.com
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Steve,
Thanks for the nice words about the world’s ONLY Toy & Action Figure Museum. It was great to have you and your wife drive all that way to see Bob and to attend our special event.
Maybe we should someday do an exhibit about puppets. They could certainly be categorized as toys, don’t you think?
Well, again, glad to have met you and we hope to see you again.
Susen Foster
580/622-5408
Public & Media Relations Director
Toy & Action Figure Museum