One of Australia’s most beloved television characters, the pencil-nosed blue-haired puppet Mr Squiggle, is being celebrated with an exhibition at the National Museum.
Mr Squiggle and Friends was the life’s work of multi-talented puppeteer Norman Hetherington and was on television for four decades, with the program’s final episode airing on July 9, 1999.
As the voice and operator of the Mr Squiggle puppet, he completed more than 10,000 drawings during that time – many of them upside down, and with his friend Blackboard telling him to “Hurry up!”.
The museum acquired the Norman Hetherington collection in 2024, including more than 800 objects, such as scripts, props and production notes.
About 300 of those are going on show at the museum in Canberra and, don’t worry, Mr Squiggle’s friends Blackboard, Rocket, Bill the Steam Shovel and Gus the Snail will be on display too.
Visitors can also try an interactive squiggle drawing exercise, so those who grew up in the post-Squiggle television era can see what drawing one is like.
Norman Hetherington’s daughter Rebecca presented Mr Squiggle and Friends as “Miss Rebecca” during its final decade.
She worked with the museum for years to help curate the collection that showcases her father’s life’s work.
Hearing from the public over the years since the show finished has made her realise the special place Mr Squiggle has in people’s hearts.
“It was meaningful, and people really treasure it, which is lovely,” she said.
The first inkling of the television show came from the quick sketches her father would do – upside down – as part of an entertainment act while he was in the army in the 1940s.
Later, he joined the ABC TV Training School, with his early puppets Nicky and Noodle appearing on the first night of ABC television on November 5, 1956.
Mr Squiggle touched generations of television audiences, said museum deputy director Sophie Jensen.
“You should see the level of interest, interaction, warmth, memory, and humour that we get every time we talk about this collection,” Dr Jensen said.
As part of the exhibition, the National Museum is re-publishing some vintage Mr Squiggle books: Mr Squiggle and the Preposterous Purple Crocodile, and a set of three colouring books.
Mr Squiggle and Friends: The Creative World of Norman Hetherington opens on Friday at the National Museum in Canberra and runs until October 13 before touring nationally.
https://thewest.com.au/entertainment/hurry-up-moon-man-mr-squiggle-lands-at-national-museum-c-19235941
