Our History
Seriously Fun Since 2008
The original Puppet Kitchen was founded in 2008 by Emily DeCola, Michael Schupbach, and Eric Wright in a former industrial kitchen space in New York's East Village. Though it began as a place to gather the resources and ideas of the these three 'head chefs,' the Puppet Kitchen became a one-stop-shop for all things puppetry and a central hub for a community of puppet designers, performers, and makers from around the world. The company quickly grew, working on up to 60 projects every year, in nearly every puppet style. In 2017, Emily and Michael went on to pursue exciting new opportunities -- Emily began a career in Social Work, and Michael began a new job at Animax Designs in Nashville, TN. The company moved out of the old kitchen to be more mobile and flexible, and Eric continues steering the company, both as lead designer and project manager. As a result of the hard work of these three 'head chefs,' and many skilled designers, builders, performers and producers over the years, the Puppet Kitchen has become one of the most dynamic and innovative puppetry companies in the country.