Company History (1956-2001)

Ehmer's Puppets was founded in 1956 as a part time endeavour under the former name of Remhettes Marionettes and Puppets. At the inception of television in Brisbane in 1959, the company commenced work in that medium with shows such as;

          "Cottees Happy Hour" (1959-1961)
          "Brisbane Tonight" (1960)
          ABC children's television series (1962-1964)
                         - "The Little TV Studio"
                         - "Absent Minded Time Machine"
                         - "Tale of Two Planets"
          "I've Got a Secret" (1966)
          "Tiny Time"(1967)
          "Funsville" (1967)
          "Showcase 67" (1967)
          "Play Your Hunch" (1973)

      Boko, Bernie & Beenie
        Boko, Bernie & Beanie


Later television appearances included the ABC documentary "Behind the Mask" (1972), and the Nine Network's "Hi Hello Show" (1985).

Film
The 1959 documentary film, "As Man Creates" produced by Morgan Jones, documented the creation of Marionettes from raw materials through to completion, and finally a performance. This film featured Bernie and Max Ehmer and won many awards throughout Australia and the world.

Special Presentations
Ehmer's Puppets were honoured by an invitation to perform at the Queensland Governor's Christmas party in December 1968. On arrival at Government House it was anticipated to be a typical garden party, but the Governor's aide directed us to the ballroom where we learnt the event was the Governor's family Christmas celebrations. We performed for the small group and were then invited to share the evening. We were later presented with Christmas gifts. An unexpected but pleasant evening.

Theatre
The company then expanded into theatre with larger productions such as "A Puppet is Born" (Twelfth Night Theatre 1969), "The Swagman" (Twelfth Night Theatre 1971) and later at the 1982 Commonwealth Games Chandler Theatre, "Strings Over Australia".

Over the next ten years our presentations expanded to include kindergartens, schools, colleges, universities, festivals and shopping centres. In 1983, Ehmer's Puppets presented "Dreamtime in the Deep" at the Chandler Theatre. This presentation depicted the story of a young boy's fantasy adventure under the sea.

Brisbane's McDonnell & East Department Store hosted an annual theatre style production by Ehmers Puppets from 1972-1977. These productions ran throughout the school holiday period and entertained thousands of children and adults. Productions created for this series included;

          "Concert at Clingdon Castle" (1973)
          "Wahtoos Tricky Treasure" (1974)
          "Island Holiday" (1974) 

Inaugural Queensland Puppetry Festival
Ehmer's Puppets became a full-time venture in 1979, shortly after the inaugural Puppetry Festival in Queensland. The festival was conceived by Bernie and Eileen Ehmer with considerable help from fellow puppeteers and school principal and puppeteer, Lee Gilchrist. The venture had little financial support but a lot of enthusiasm during the two year planning period. Many professional and amateur puppeteers took part with displays, lectures, workshops, films and performances held at the Kelvin Grove College of Advanced Education. The event was launched on a Friday evening showcasing a variety of puppetry performances for invited guests. The Australian Broadcasting Corporation covered the proceedings for radio and television. The net result was an overwhelming success and a rare opportunity for performers within the industry to network and celebrate their profession.

Special Events
The Warana festival in Brisbane was an event that brought Ehmer's Puppets to the masses. Our musical variety show entertained Brisbane audiences during the annual festival between 1984 and 1989. The Townsville Pacific Festival (1984 & 1987) provided an opportunity for Ehmer's Puppets to entertain North Queensland audiences. During 1982, Ehmer's Puppets entertained huge audiences in Hervey Bay, Queensland, including a single show crowd of approximately 25,000.

In 1988 we were invited to perform at the Australian pavilion and amphitheatre at World Expo '88' in Brisbane. "The Australian Show" was conceived and then presented at the Australian pavilion, giving visitors a typically Australian view of Ehmer's Puppets. Our musical variety show was presented at Expo 88's amphitheatre.

The following year (1989) our ever changing musical variety production was contracted for a series of appearances at the exclusive Hayman Island Resort on Queensland's Barrier Reef. The engagement also provided the opportunity to present puppetry workshops for children from all parts of the world.

During our many years of professional work, over 3000 puppet characters have been built including hand and rod puppets, marionettes and our unique upside down "u-men beings".

Most puppet characters created are for professional use, however custom made puppets and characters have been produced for private sales to individuals and organisations.

The Ehmer's represented Australian puppetry at the Sydney Opera Houses' "The World of Puppets" which displayed puppeteers and puppets from around the world. Ehmer's Puppets also represented Australia at National puppetry festivals in the USA, Argentina and South Africa.