Puppets Bring The Frog Prince to Life At Bar Harbour

There are countless ways to entertain kids these days. Pixar DVDs, Nickelodeon, child-friendly websites, you name it. Here's one you may have forgot about: puppets.

Yes, puppetry is alive and well in Massapequa. The library's building hosted Puppets To Go last week. The group performed The Frog Prince before an audience of kids and their parents. Witches, kings, and of course, frogs were all present and accounted for in puppet form.

This age-old, 'old school' form of family entertainment is a refreshing change of pace, according to children's library director Constance Smith.

"There is sound, there is music but having live theater, live shows is new to a lot of children, they're just not used to it, they're so used to looking at television," Smith said.

The Frog Prince is one of several productions Puppets To Go puts on nationwide. The company was founded over 30 years ago by Bob Nathanson and his wife Elise. Now based out of Florida, they perform at schools, libraries and hospitals year-round, and get a great response wherever they go.

"Everything is so technological and complex that I think people are craving the simple things, kids love it ... puppets are getting more popular than ever," Nathanson said.

The company began just as the Star Wars craze was sweeping the country, with an entire generation of kids enthralled by the sci-fi masterpiece (and of course, the merchandise). Now things have come full circle, with Harry Potter-mania continuing to draw in kids of all ages. Bob says he thought despite one pop culture phenomenon after another, Puppets To Go continues to thrive.

"I remember seeing Star Wars and thinking I've just got a little six foot frame stage with no lasers," Bob said. "It didn't seem to matter; ever since then, it's not been a problem."

Check out www.puppetstogo.com to find out where to see a show.