Larrikin Puppets

What Larrikin Puppets does

Larrikin Puppets is a privately held Australian children's entertainment and puppetry production company headquartered on Bribie Island in Queensland's Moreton Bay Region, founded in 2012 by Brett Hansen as a New Enterprise Incentive Scheme (NEIS) business and now co-operated with artistic director Elissa Jenkins. The company designs, builds and performs a broad portfolio of puppet productions using Muppet-style hand puppetry, Bunraku, blacklight, shadow, and monitor puppetry techniques, with advanced training sourced from Jim Henson puppeteers working on The Muppets and Sesame Street. Its product portfolio spans touring theatrical productions (notably the 2026-launched flagship Zietta and the Little Larrikins), themed puppet shows (birthday parties, anti-bullying, environmental sustainability, cultural diversity, Christmas, Australia Day, Halloween), educational workshops and HASS-aligned school incursions, corporate team-building and improv comedy (Show of Hands), MC services, and digital products including a podcast, YouTube channel and the in-development Yompers kids TV series.

The business operates on a multi-channel, quote-based, event-driven revenue model with primary monetization through live performance fees (birthday parties, festivals, libraries, schools, corporate events, aged care, hospitals), supplemented by ticket sales for touring productions, workshop fees, merchandise (puppets, sock puppet kits, puppet theatres, music), and online digital sales via spreadshop and Bandcamp. Pricing varies by show type, audience size, location and duration, with regional surcharges outside South-East Queensland; the only disclosed minimum is 35 participants for sock puppet craft workshops. The company is exploring screen IP monetization through Yompers TV (commissioning or private investment) and maintains institutional relationships with Queensland Government via RADF grants, Logan City Council Libraries, State Library of Queensland's First 5 Forever program, UNIMA Australia, and the Brisbane City Council Creative Register, providing non-dilutive public funding for IP development.

Name

Larrikin Puppets

Legal name

Larrikin Puppets

Website

https://larrikinpuppets.com.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Larrikin Puppets is a privately held Australian children's entertainment company founded in 2012, designing and performing puppet shows, theatrical productions, and educational workshops for families, schools, libraries, festivals, and corporate clients across South-East Queensland with national and international touring ambitions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Children's Entertainment

NAICS

Independent Artists, Writers, and Performers (711510), Hobby, Toy, and Game Retailers (45912), Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation (71)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900), Games, Toys & Children's Vehicles (No Dolls & Bicycles) (3944)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYMPAGABAK

Puppetry & Marionette Theatre

Media, Entertainment & Sports/Live Entertainment & Events (Concerts, Theater, Festivals)/Theater, Broadway & Performing Arts

SECONDARYHSACAHAF

Children’s Entertainment Booking (Clowns, Characters, Princess Parties)

Home & Personal Services/Event & Personal Concierge Services/Entertainment Booking & Talent Management

SECONDARYHSACACAG

Kids Party Entertainment (Clowns, Magicians, Characters)

Home & Personal Services/Event & Personal Concierge Services/Party & Social Event Services

SECONDARYTHAJAFAH

Circus, Magic & Variety Shows

Travel & Hospitality/Tours, Attractions & Experiences/Live Entertainment & Ticketed Events (Shows, Concerts, Sports Experiences)

Keywords

• Children's puppet entertainment
• Puppetry performance workshops
• Kids birthday entertainment
• School puppet incursions
• Corporate event entertainment

Headquarters

HQ city

Brisbane

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Live Puppet Shows: Main revenue stream from performing puppet shows at events including birthday parties, festivals, shopping centres, libraries, schools, childcare centres, and corporate events. Pricing varies by show type, location, audience size, and event details.
2. Birthday Party Puppet Shows: Premium 35-minute interactive puppet show with demonstration, meet-and-greet, performed by two professional puppeteers. Includes professional setup with portable puppet theatre and high-quality sound equipment.
3. Corporate Entertainment: Show of Hands improv comedy puppet show for adult/corporate audiences, MC services for events, and corporate team building workshops.
4. Puppetry Workshops: Performance workshops for children and adults, sock puppet making craft workshops, monitor puppetry workshops for film and TV, and school incursions. Ranges from 45-minute sessions to 2-day intensive workshops.
5. Product Sales: Online shop selling puppets, fan merchandise, sock puppet making craft kits, puppet theatres, and music albums. Products available through their spreadshop and Bandcamp.
6. Higher Education Programs: Guest lectures and masterclasses for university, college, and TAFE students studying Drama, Theatre, Film & Television, and related fields.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Larrikin Puppets produces and performs live puppet shows, theatrical productions, and puppetry workshops for children and families at events including birthday parties, festivals, schools, childcare centres, libraries, and corporate functions across Australia and internationally. The portfolio spans themed educational shows, comedy-variety performances, sock puppet making workshops, MC services, and film/TV puppetry, supplemented by merchandise sales of puppets, puppet theatres, craft kits, and original music.

Product overview

Larrikin Puppets is an award-winning Australian children's entertainment company offering a diverse portfolio of puppetry products and services. The core offerings include live puppet shows (Pop-Up Puppet Shows, Kids Comedy Puppet Show, Birthday Party Puppet Show, themed shows), theatrical productions (Zietta and the Little Larrikins as the flagship show, Hijabi Girl musical), educational programs (Puppetry Performance Workshops for kids and adults, Island Puppetry Workshop, School Incursions, HASS 4 Kids Programs), and specialized services (Film & TV Puppetry, MC Service, Corporate Entertainment). The company also offers digital products (podcast, TV series development), merchandise (puppets, puppet theatres, craft kits), and community-focused initiatives (Puppets At Work, Digital Detox Play Jams). Founded in 2012, the company has grown from a one-person operation to a multi-puppeteer company performing across Australia and internationally, with advanced training under Jim Henson puppeteers from Sesame Street and The Muppets.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Zietta and the Little Larrikins: Flagship large-scale theatre production featuring puppet musical celebrating culture, connection and creativity for ages 5-9.
• Lovelace
• Ace From Outer Space
• Hijabi Girl
• Yompers TV

Products and services

• Pop-Up Puppet Shows Portable interactive puppet show experience performed in venues of all sizes, featuring zany Muppet-style characters, original songs, comedy skits, and audience interaction. Targeted at families, schools, festivals, and corporate events.
• Zietta and the Little Larrikins Flagship large-scale theatre production for ages 5-9 featuring Muppet-style, Bunraku, and Blacklight puppetry in a vibrant puppet musical celebrating culture, connection, and creativity through the Zietta character and international puppet friends. Currently booking for 2027 national and international theatre seasons.
• Kids Comedy Puppet Show Award-winning comedy-variety puppet show featuring colorful characters, songs, skits, jokes, games, and live interaction, designed for children and families.
• Birthday Party Puppet Show Premium 35-minute interactive puppet show for children's birthday parties featuring comedy, music, and audience participation, with meet-and-greet with puppets, a puppet demonstration, two performers, and professional setup with portable puppet theatre and sound equipment. Available in South-East Queensland with regional surcharges outside Moreton Bay Region.
• Show of Hands: Improv Comedy Puppet Show Premium corporate entertainment combining short-form improvised theatre scenes with Jim Henson-style puppetry, featuring five puppeteers, a musician, and monitor puppetry projected onto a movie screen. Targeted at adult audiences and corporate events with 90-minute or 2 x 45 minute formats.
• Marina's Marine Adventure Puppet Show Themed nautical puppet show for ages 1-7 featuring 3-year-old Marina the blue monster and her brother Troggg exploring the ocean and meeting sea creatures. Includes a hands-on marine-themed puppet craft activity.
• Hijabi Girl: A Musical Puppet Show Musical puppet theatre production for ages 7-9 based on the Australian children's book series by Hazel Edwards and Ozge Alkan, featuring characters Melek and Zac, advocating against bullying and celebrating multiculturalism. Now part of the show archive.
• Lovelace Ewaste Puppet World's first professional puppet made from electronic waste materials (CPU parts, ethernet cables, motherboards, circuit boards, etc.), named after Ada Lovelace. Used for sustainability and STEAM education presentations and as the centrepiece of the Deconstructing Lovelace STEAM workshop.
• Kids' Puppetry Performance Workshops Beginner puppeteer workshops teaching Muppet-style puppetry techniques including lip sync, eye focus, walking, arm movement, character voices, and emotions. Aligned with Australian Prep to Year 2 Design and Technologies curriculum. Offered as incursions and workshops for schools, childcare, and community groups.
• Adults' Puppetry Performance Workshops Beginner and advanced puppeteer workshops for adults ideal for corporate team building or theatre companies learning puppetry. Covers lip sync, eye focus, character building, and monitor puppetry. Targeted at corporates, theatre professionals, and adult learners.
• Sock Puppet Making Craft Workshops Workshop teaching participants to construct quality sock puppets with foam mouthplates, with follow-up puppetry performance training. Available for schools, vacation care, libraries, festivals, and fetes. Minimum 35 participants required with kit configurations for ages 5-8 and 9+.
• Island Puppetry Workshop & Play Jam Intensive two-day puppetry workshop on Bribie Island covering puppetry for stage (Day 1) and puppetry for screen/monitor puppetry (Day 2). Includes optional Saturday dinner and lunch packages. Three workshop durations available: 45 min-1 hour, 1.5 hour, and 2 hour. Maximum 50 students per workshop.
• Master of Ceremonies (MC) Service Event hosting service featuring Elissa and Troggg as a dynamic duo for corporate events, gala dinners, awards nights, festival main stages, and conferences. Distinguished by incorporating puppet character elements into MC services.
• Yompers TV Series Kids TV series for ages 5-9 exploring social and community lives of children within a whimsical multi-species world following Yompers who run a vacation care centre. Theme song by Australian rock band Regurgitator. Currently available for commissioning or private investment.
• Little Larrikins Podcast Children's podcast featuring episodes on topics like Belonging and Holidays for children's entertainment. Distributed through the company website as a digital content offering.
• Film & TV Puppetry Professional puppetry services for film and television productions, including monitor puppetry and music video performances such as Cheap Seats by Illy & Waax and Best Friends Forever by Regurgitator. Serves production companies, music artists, and screen productions.
• Ace From Outer Space Library Puppet Show Lavender alien monster puppet character co-created with Logan City Council Libraries for the First 5 Forever early literacy program. Featured in corporate videos and live library performances at venues across Logan City.
• Higher Education Guest Lectures / Masterclasses University, college, and TAFE guest lectures and masterclasses covering puppetry for stage and screen. Designed for drama, theatre, acting, film & television, screen production, and new media students at higher education institutions.
• Puppet Theatres (Presto Stage) Professional puppet theatre equipment (Presto Stage) sold as merchandise through the company's spreadshop and online storefront.
• Sock Puppet Making Craft Kits DIY sock puppet making craft kits sold as merchandise through the company's spreadshop and online storefront.
• Original Kids Music Original songs for children including the Hijabi Girl musical soundtrack, nursery rhymes, and other children's music available for purchase via Bandcamp and streamed on Spotify and Apple Music.

Quantifiable outcome

• 500+ children and families attended 16 Melbourne International Comedy Festival performances
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments8 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• BuyequipminorOthersBuyequip, an e-waste recycling facility located in Brisbane's north, donated the electronic waste materials used to construct Lovelace, the world's first professional ewaste puppet. Materials included computer components, ethernet cables, motherboards, and other electronic devices.
• Logan City Council LibrariescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-created Ace From Outer Space character with Logan City Council Libraries for their First 5 Forever early literacy program. The character appears in corporate videos for staff and patrons, live performances at libraries, street parades, and community events throughout Logan City.
• First 5 ForevercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Queensland's First 5 Forever early literacy program (State Library of Queensland). Larrikin Puppets creates content and performs at libraries throughout Queensland for this program.
• The Puppet Creation Lab (Michael Lanzer)coreTechnology or IntegrationMichael Lanzer at The Puppet Creation Lab in Melbourne built the Ace From Outer Space puppet character for Larrikin Puppets. Previously worked with Larrikin Puppets on puppet builds for Hijabi Girl theatre production.
• Naturally For You Health & Wellness (Lauren Stark)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerExpert naturopath and nutritionist Lauren Stark BHSc provided consultation for content on healthy eating and food allergies featured in Larrikin Puppets' Health and Wellbeing puppet show.
• Edge Improv (Brad Daniels)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-production partnership with Edge Improv for Show of Hands improv comedy puppet show. Brad Daniels provides improv direction while Brett Hansen provides puppetry direction. The show combines short-form improvised theatre with Jim Henson-style puppetry.
• Queensland Government / Arts QueenslandcoreOthersReceived RADF (Regional Arts Development Fund) Creative Cities Grant from Queensland Government to fund Zietta and the Little Larrikins production. RADF is a partnership between Queensland Government and local councils.
• Moreton Bay Regional CouncilcoreOthersReceived RADF Continue Creating 2021 Grant and Creative Cities Grant from Moreton Bay Regional Council to support ewaste puppet project and Zietta and the Little Larrikins production.
• UNIMA AustraliaminorOthersMember of UNIMA Australia, the Australian national centre of the Union Internationale de la Marionnette (International Union of Puppetry).
• Brisbane City Council Creative RegisterminorOthersListed on Brisbane City Council Creative Register for local entertainment providers.
• RegurgitatorminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAustralian rock band Regurgitator created the Yompers theme song for Larrikin Puppets' kids TV series. Collaboration adds credibility and musical quality to the show.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Little Big Shots: Australia's leading children's arts festival and touring platform connecting family performances with audiences. Comparable as a distribution and audience-building layer for Australian children's live entertainment, with which Larrikin Puppets appears as a participating act.
• Windmill Theatre Co. Adelaide-based children's theatre company producing original theatrical works for young audiences with national/international touring. Comparable on artistic ambition, original-IP children's theatre, and educational programming partnerships.
• Erth Visual & Physical Inc. Sydney-based physical theatre and puppetry company touring internationally with large-scale puppet productions for family audiences. Comparable as an Australian puppetry/theatrical touring company with international reach, festival presence, and educational programming.
• CDP Theatre Producers: Australian producer of musical theatre for young audiences, touring schools and theatres nationally. Comparable on family-targeted theatrical productions, school incursion model, and Australian touring infrastructure.
• Spare Parts Puppet Theatre: Australia's flagship puppetry company (Perth-based) producing original puppet theatre for children and families. Most directly comparable peer — same art form, same family/children audience, and similar mix of theatrical productions, educational programming, and community engagement.

Broad incumbents

• Sesame Workshop: Nonprofit behind Sesame Street — the dominant puppet-based educational children's media brand globally. Comparable on puppetry-led educational content for young children, though operating at massive scale across TV, digital, live, and licensed consumer products.
• The Jim Henson Company: Global leader in puppetry and family entertainment (The Muppets, Sesame Street, Fraggle Rock). Larrikin's founders were trained under Henson puppeteers; comparable on craft, family entertainment focus, and IP-based puppetry, though at vastly larger scale and broader media footprint.
• The Wiggles: Australia's largest children's entertainment brand, performing live shows for preschoolers and families across Australia and internationally. Comparable as an Australian-born children's live entertainment business that scaled to national/international touring with educational content.

Emerging players

• Perform Education: Australian provider of in-school performing arts workshops and incursions covering drama, dance, and puppetry. Comparable on the school incursion/workshop segment, curriculum-aligned educational content, and direct-to-institution sales motion.

Regional players

• Sydney Puppet Theatre: Sydney-based puppetry entertainment provider offering puppet shows for children's parties, schools, and corporate events. Comparable in puppetry craft and party/event business model, but operating primarily in NSW rather than Larrikin's Queensland base.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/LarrikinPuppets
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@larrikinpuppets
• Facebookfacebook.com/LarrikinPuppets
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/larrikin-puppets
• Instagraminstagram.com/larrikinpuppets
• Pinterestpinterest.com/larrikinpuppets

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Larrikin Puppets