A.R. (Alexis) Philpott, also known as Pantopuck the Puppet Man or Panto to his friends, was a performer, teacher and researcher/writer on the subject of

puppet A puppet is an object, often resembling a human, animal or Legendary creature, mythical figure, that is animated or manipulated by a person called a puppeteer. Puppetry is an ancient form of theatre which dates back to the 5th century BC in anci ...

s and puppetry. He wrote several books on the subject, and was instrumental in the development of puppets for

education Education is the transmission of knowledge and skills and the development of character traits. Formal education occurs within a structured institutional framework, such as public schools, following a curriculum. Non-formal education als ...

al and

therapeutic A therapy or medical treatment is the attempted remediation of a health problem, usually following a medical diagnosis. Both words, ''treatment'' and ''therapy'', are often abbreviated tx, Tx, or Tx. As a rule, each therapy has indications an ...

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 (Gogmagog Press) which published individual sheets of drawing and poetry. When Panto died 1978, after a long illness, he was the first puppeteer to be honoured 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 (née Yeomans, later Phelan, 1922–2012), whom he had met at

Saint Martin's School of Art Saint Martin's School of Art was an art school, art college in London, England. It offered foundation and degree level courses. It was established in 1854, initially under the aegis of the church of St Martin-in-the-Fields. Saint Martin's beca ...

and married in 1962. She was 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''. The couple were described as

Theosophists Theosophy is a religious movement established in the United States in the late 19th century. Founded primarily by the Russian Helena Blavatsky and based largely on her writings, it draws heavily from both older European philosophies such as Neo ...

vegetarians Vegetarianism is the practice of abstaining from the consumption of meat (red meat, poultry, seafood, insects, and the flesh of any other animal). It may also include abstaining from eating all by-products of animal slaughter. A person who pra ...

and

pacifists Pacifism is the opposition to war or violence. The word ''pacifism'' was coined by the French peace campaigner Émile Arnaud and adopted by other peace activists at the tenth Universal Peace Congress in Glasgow in 1901. A related term is ''a ...

, providing a hospitable unworldly environment for their collaborators. Panto's son

Toby Philpott Toby Philpott (born 14 February 1946) is an English puppeteer best known for his work in motion picture animatronics during the 1980s in such films as ''The Dark Crystal'' and ''Return of the Jedi''. Born into a family of entertainers, Philpot ...

from his first marriage (to the actress and voice teacher Sheila Moriarty) worked with Jim Henson as an animatronic puppet operator, on ''

The Dark Crystal ''The Dark Crystal'' is a 1982 dark fantasy, dark fantasy film directed by Jim Henson and Frank Oz. It stars the voices of Stephen Garlick, Lisa Maxwell (actress), Lisa Maxwell, Billie Whitelaw, Percy Edwards, and Barry Dennen. The film was prod ...

'' and ''

Labyrinth In Greek mythology, the Labyrinth () is an elaborate, confusing structure designed and built by the legendary artificer Daedalus for King Minos of Crete at Knossos. Its function was to hold the Minotaur, the monster eventually killed by the h ...

'', and formed part of the team inside the original

Jabba the Hutt Jabba Desilijic Tiure, better known as Jabba the Hutt ( ) is a fictional character in the ''Star Wars'' franchise. Initially performed by Declan Mulholland as a human in the original ''Star Wars'' film, Jabba first appeared properly in the 198 ...

(before CGI took over).

References

External links

Pantopuck the Puppetman
British puppeteers Alumni of Saint Martin's School of Art 1978 deaths {{UK-entertainer-stub