A. R. Philpott

[
thumb|right|The_logo of Pantopuck the Puppetman] A.R. Philpott, also known as Pantopuck the Puppet Man or Panto to his friends, was a performer, teacher and researcher/writer on the subject of puppets and puppetry. He wrote several books on the subject, and was instrumental in the development of puppets for educational and therapeutic uses, as well as entertainment, through the Educational Puppetry Association (EPA) and its magazine Puppet Post, which he edited.

His friend Morris Cox, who shared his house, ran his own small press which published individual sheets of drawing and poetry. [http://homepage.ntlworld.com/toby.p/Gogmagog.htm Gogmagog Press]

When Panto died after a long illness, he was the first puppeteer to be honored in "The Actors' Church" - St. Paul's, Covent Garden, with a plaque embellished with his own artwork - a reproduction of the logo shown right, of himself as a travelling puppeteer.

Panto was survived by his second wife, Violet Philpott, an acclaimed children's puppeteer and author. Until the frailty of old age overtook her, each spring and summer she was booked to take a folding puppet stage and one or two (overworked) assistants round London parks and play spaces to perform a comic series based around her character Bandicoot.

Panto's son from his first marriage, Toby Philpott, worked with Jim Henson as an animatronic puppet operator, on The Dark Crystal and Labyrinth, and formed part of the team inside the original Jabba the Hutt (before cgi took over).

External links

* [http://homepage.ntlworld.com/toby.p/Panto/pantopuck_the_puppetman.htm Pantopuck the Puppetman]
* [http://homepage.ntlworld.com/toby.p/Panto/pantobook2.htm Books by Pantopuck the Puppetman]