Puppet museum opens exhibition on TV favourite Hunt Kriimsilm

A new exhibition on Hunt Kriimsilm, one of Estonian television’s best-loved characters, will open at the Puppet Theatre Museum on Friday, 13 November, ERR reports. “Hunt Kriimsilm on air” traces the wolf’s journey from the theatre stage to television.

The exhibition centres on the original Hunt Kriimsilm puppet, created by artist Raivo Laidre for the Puppet Theatre’s 1962 production “Vihavaenlased”. It is dedicated to the 80th birth anniversary of veteran puppeteer Hendrik Toompere Sr, who gave the character his voice, movements and personality.

Co-curator Gerli Mägi said the exhibition was intended to introduce Hunt Kriimsilm to a younger generation, while also giving visitors familiar with the character a chance to revisit its story. The displays will also feature puppets from television, including Tipi and Täpi and Postikana, as well as characters from the programmes “Hunt Kriimsilm”, “Kõige suurem sõber” and “Vaat kus lops!”.

Visitors will be able to try moving a replica of the wolf puppet, watch footage from Hunt Kriimsilm’s television appearances and see rare archive recordings. They can also dress up as people in some of the professions the character tried.

The exhibition was created in cooperation with the Estonian Public Broadcasting Museum. Most of the puppets used in television productions come from shows staged by the Estonian State Puppet Theatre.

The museum will also announce the winners of its puppet invention competition at the opening. A total of 145 entries were submitted.