CHRISTMAS 2025
Wisemen Tell Their Tales
Pirate lore tells us that "dead men tell no tales." That may be true, but "Wise Men" have been telling a tale that has captured hearts and lives for generations.
Enjoy the story of Artaban -- the Forgotten Wiseman." One night he is studying the black skies when he notices a bright new star. Consulting his wise friends, they decide to follow the star. Artaban's journey, though, takes unexpected twists. This classic tale--adapted from Henry Van Dyke's The Other Wiseman-- was first performed by the All Saints Marionettes in 1966 and comes back to life for our 60th Anniversary Show.
Along with Artaban's story enjoy a special retelling of the nativity of the baby Jesus. Will Artaban fulfill his quest? This pair of family-friendly fairly tales features over two dozen colorful, hand-crafted marionettes. Watch as animal and character puppets unfold the Christmas magic.
Performance dates for our special 60th Anniversary show are set for December 2025...
Fox Folk Marionettes features over fifty hand-crafted marionettes that were lovingly created by the members of All Saints Episcopal Church in Appleton and by the late Bruce and Barbara Purdy. Our colorful, hand-crafted, and family-friendly marionettes stand 12-18 inches tall. FFM&F has a repertoire of shows which allows our audiences to enjoy new experiences each season.
All of our shows run about a half hour and feature between 15-25 marionettes. For groups looking for longer show times, we offer options that extend our performances times. Please see Fox Folk Shows for show summaries.
Marionette puppetry is becoming a rare art form. Only a few troupes in Wisconsin perform marionettes today. Fox Folk Marionettes (originally the All Saints Marionettes) debuted in 1965! In December 2025, we are celebrating 60 years in puppetry performances! Many of the original puppets and props are still in use today.
Wednesday, August 13 -- 6:30-7:30 pm
Mr. Dave presents "60 Years of Christmas Marionettes"
for the Appleton Historical Society at the Appleton Public Library.
A video version of the presentation will soon be available
on the Historical Society's YouTube channel!
Monday, December 8 -- 6:30 pm
Fox Folks Marionettes & Friends performs our
Special 60th Anniversary Christmas Show at
Primrose Retirement Community
Wednesday, December 10 -- 9:30 & 11 am
Fox Folks Marionettes & Friends performs our
Special 60th Anniversary Christmas Show on stage
at Fox Valley Lutheran High School
Over 1000 children already signed up for this show!
Second show has been added at 11 am!
Saturday, December 13 -- 11 am & 1 pm
Fox Folks Marionettes & Friends performs our
Special 60th Anniversary Christmas Show at
Touchmark Retirement Community
Sunday, December 21 - 9:30-10:30 am
Fox Folks Marionettes & Friends performs our
Special 60th Anniversary Christmas Show at
Eternal Love Church between services
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For Christmas 2025, FFM&F is offering a Special 60th Anniversary show!
Entitled "Wisemen Tell Their Tales," audiences will see one of the first
marionette shows ever performed by the puppets in the 1960s.
This show will be coupled with a brand new show retelling
the nativity of the baby Jesus.
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FFM&F is booking shows for Spring 2026!
Monday, March 23 - 7:00 pm
Fox Folks Marionettes & Friends will
present "The Long Journey - An Easter Story"
at Evergreen Retirememt Community in Oshkosh
Wednesday, April 15 - 10:00 am
Fox Folks Marionettes & Friends Director
Dave Payne be presenting will be presenting
a marionette "Show & Tell" at Onalaska Public
Library's "Senior Moments" program
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