{{short description|Australian puppet theatre company}} {{Multiple issues|{{Primary sources|date=May 2023}} {{Advert|date=May 2015}} {{more citations needed|date=May 2015}}}} right|thumb|Snuff Puppet Skullies from ''Scarey'' '''Snuff Puppets''' is an Australian puppet theatre company. Founded in 1992, they combine elements of puppetry, live music,<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.abc.net.au/classic/improv/snuffpup.htm|title=Finalists – Snuff Puppet Band<!-- Bot generated title -->|website=Australian Broadcasting Corporation|access-date=2007-04-16|archive-date=2005-02-09|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050209071617/http://www.abc.net.au/classic/improv/snuffpup.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref> visual, and physical theatre to discuss taboo topics and make political satire.<ref name="snuff puppets dot com">{{Cite web|url=https://snuffpuppets.com/|title=Home|website=Snuffpuppets.com}}</ref>

== History == Snuff Puppets originated in Canberra as part of Splinters Theatre of Spectacle.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.realtimearts.net/article/issue50/6852|title=RealTime Arts – Magazine – issue 50 – Snuff Puppets rule!|website=Raltimearts.net|access-date=2023-05-14|archive-date=2023-05-14|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230514074034/https://www.realtimearts.net/article/issue50/6852|url-status=dead}}</ref> They moved to a warehouse in the suburb of Footscray in Melbourne in 1992, and are now based in the historic Footscray Drill Hall. Snuff Puppets was founded by Pauline Cady, Simon Terrill, and the current artistic director Andy Freer.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://snuffpuppets.com/our-team/andy-freer/|title = Andy Freer|website=Snuffpuppets.com}}</ref> Nick Wilson became Co-Artistic Director in 2023.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Snuff Puppets Annual Report 2023 |url=https://snuffpuppets.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/SnuffPuppetsAnnualReport2023.pdf |website=snuffpuppets.com}}</ref>

Since 1992, Snuff Puppets have roamed the streets, performed hundreds of stages and festival shows, and turned thousands of heads at protests and political rallies.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/snuff-puppets-melbournes-punk-puppeteers/|title=Snuff Puppets: Melbourne's Punk Puppeteers|first=Aleksandra|last=Bliszczyk|date=December 17, 2023}}</ref>

Snuff Puppets have embarked on more than 40 international tours, with performances in countries including; Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Chile, Denmark, Democratic Republic of the Congo, England, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Korea, People’s Republic of China, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Romania, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan & Thailand.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Flood |first1=Daniell |title=Snuff Puppets |url=https://snuffpuppets.com/about/ |website=Snuff Puppets |access-date=14 July 2024}}</ref>

They have conducted over 40 giant ''People's Puppet Project'' community workshops worldwide.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://snuffpuppets.com/what-we-do/peoples-puppet-project/|title=People's Puppet Project|website=Snuff Puppets}}</ref>

The Victorian State Government and Maribyrnong City Council have supported Snuff Puppets with annual Arts Funding. Crumpler bags are a decades long supporter of Snuff Puppets tours.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://snuffpuppets.com/about/|title=Snuff Puppets|website=Snuff Puppets}}</ref> Snuff Puppets is a registered charity.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://migratemaintenancepage.azurewebsites.net/charity/charities/33232177-39af-e811-a95e-000d3ad24c60/profile|title=ACNC|website=migratemaintenancepage.azurewebsites.net}}</ref>

== Responses == In 2015, Snuff Puppet's promotional video for "Everybody"<ref>{{YouTube|id=CnbxO7P7Xnk|title=''Snuff Puppets – Everybody – Giant Human Puppet''}}</ref> went viral; copies of the video have been reported as being viewed nearly 1 billion times.<ref>{{Cite web |date=12 August 2016 |title=Is this the weirdest clip on the internet? Viral video has almost a BILLION views |url=http://www.dailystar.co.uk/news/latest-news/537455/Creepiest-clip-internet-weird-mother-monster-puppet-snuff-puppets-show |website=Dailystar.co.uk |access-date=19 March 2017 |archive-date=19 March 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170319195924/http://www.dailystar.co.uk/news/latest-news/537455/Creepiest-clip-internet-weird-mother-monster-puppet-snuff-puppets-show |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Snuff Puppets Youtube channel has over 615,000 subscribers and 375 million viral video views.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/snuffpuppets|title=Snuff Puppets|website=YouTube}}</ref>

Realtime Magazine wrote the Snuff Puppets have a "commitment to pushing bad taste to its extreme".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.realtime.org.au/issue-year/2007/|title=editorial – rt82|access-date=2024-07-20|archive-date=2024-07-20|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240720162942/https://www.realtime.org.au/issue-year/2007/|url-status=dead}}</ref>

==Works from repertoire== [[Image:Snuff-puppets-bus.jpg|right|thumb|Snuff Puppet in Footscray]]

===Shows=== * Fool Skool * Fat For A Good Table * Travelling Truck Show * Scarey * Forest In The Night * Dancing Cow Show * Browne Brothers * A Cruel Life * Twin Towers Show * Boom Town – ''with Back to Back Theatre'' * Circus Ole – ''with acrobat'' * Nyet Nyet's Picnic – ''with Australian Indigenous Artists'' * Snuff Clubb * Wedhus Gembel – ''with Padepokan Seni, Yogyakarta, Indonesia'' * Snuff Party * Everybody * Punch Agathe – ''with Stefanie Oberhoff (Stuttgart) & Espace Masolo (Kinshasa)'' * Heart * Swamp<ref>{{cite web |last=Weber |first=Kris |date=2023-09-11 |title=Swamp – at the End of the World |url=https://theatrematters.com.au/Reviews/swamp-at-the-end-of-the-world/ |website=theatrematters.com.au}}</ref> * Cochlea * Kasper Kills The Flies – with Stefanie Oberhoff (Stuttgart) <ref>{{Cite web|url=https://snuffpuppets.com/mainshows/|title=mainshows|website=Snuff Puppets}}</ref>

===Workshops=== * People's Puppet Projects – ''Community development workshops'' * Kidsnuff – ''Performance making workshops'' * Snuff Skool – ''Puppeteering workshops''<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://ganeaa.com.au/ata-program/snuff-puppets-performance-workshop-snuff-skool/|title=Snuff Puppets – Performance Workshop Snuff Skool &#124; GANEAA – The Goulburn & North East Arts Alliance}}</ref> * Snuff Labb – ''Experimental theatre making workshops''<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://snuffpuppets.com/workshops/|title=workshops|website=Snuff Puppets}}</ref>

===Roaming acts=== * Skullies * The Boom Family * Cows & Butcher * Bunyips – ''with Australian Indigenous Artists'' * Elephant * Seagulls * Snail * Rhinoceros * Human Body Parts<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-05-24/giant-moving-body-parts-made-by-australian-artists-in-singapore/6492650|title=Giant puppets made by Australian artists visit Singapore|newspaper=ABC News |date=May 24, 2015|via=www.abc.net.au}}</ref> * Giant Crayfish ''- with the Bob Brown Foundation'' * Beasts Of Oz * Human Body Organs<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://snuffpuppets.com/roaming/|title=roaming|website=Snuff Puppets}}</ref>

==References== {{Reflist}}

==External links== *[http://www.snuffpuppets.com Snuff Puppets] {{coord|37.7986647|S|144.8879336|E|display=title}}

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Category:Puppet troupes Category:Theatre companies in Australia Category:Puppetry in Australia Category:Arts in Melbourne