Remember when Sesame Street’s Big Bird made us smile or Bert and Ernie, the inseparable duo, had us rolling on the floor laughing? How about their beloved Pinoy counterparts Pong Pagong and Kiko Matsing of 90’s hit children’s television show Batibot?

When the conversation turns to puppets, it often lands at the doors of these educational children's television shows that combine puppetry with live-action, sketch comedy, and animation. 

But puppetry is more than simply making us laugh; it's a form of entertainment, producing complicated storylines and serving as an appropriate cultural expression and education instrument. It's not all fluff and feathers; there's some actual puppetry going on!

Playing with friendly puppets is a great way to help a child develop socially and emotionally.

Given its engaging style, puppet communication helps children develop their language and communication skills by helping them learn new words, speak clearly, and understand grammatical rules. 

Children improve their attention, concentration, and general listening skills as they actively listen to puppet stories.

It offers hope, education, and a feeling of wonder to those who might otherwise be left out due to technological modernization.

The Pinoy Puppetry

Puppetry made its theatrical debut in the Philippines around this time, drawing audiences' attention and becoming an important theater component for younger audiences. 

This was an important turning point that expanded the possibilities for puppetry expression and gave young energy to the existing art form.

Numerous organizations and puppeteers have surfaced in the colorful world of Filipino puppetry, each specializing in unique puppet styles to carve out a place for themselves. 

The range of styles includes the artistry of black theatre technique, the intimacy of glove puppets, the miniature worlds of tabletop puppetry, the graceful movements of string puppets, and the comedic charm of ventriloquism. 

From the lively and whimsical antics of Muppet-style rod puppets to the entrancing shadows cast by shadow puppets inspired by Asian models.

As we observe National Arts Month in the Philippines this February, Enggoy continues to be a timeless symbol of joy and learning, guiding a group of other puppet friends in the admirable task of entertaining and educating young minds. Time hasn't stopped Enggoy and his puppet friends from fulfilling their mission to spread happiness and teach the next generation important values. 

Their continued success in puppetry shows how appealing their shows have been for a long time and how committed PIA Puppet Theater Group has been to their craft. 

These puppets demonstrate the timeless value of puppetry as a medium for education as they fascinate audiences and weave a thread of humor and knowledge that crosses generations.

To know more of Enggoy and the PIA Puppet Theater Group visit their Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/PIAPuppetTheater (GLDG/PIA-NCR)