Spare Parts Puppet Theatre Case Study

With the help of a City of Perth Local Activation Grant, Spare Parts Puppet Theatre brought the City to life with giant puppets, workshops, and three exciting Puppet in the City Trail Map adventures for attendees to choose from.

The project not only captivated families, but also revitalised empty shops with puppet-making-workshops, and cleverly engaged local businesses.

Puppets in the City was supported with a $10,000 Local Activation Grant. The full-day activation was a free community event, targeted towards families during the school holidays. Kids became puppeteers of a giant 4.5m puppet, Leor, bringing him to life in Forrest Place.

The event was a resounding success, attracting over 5,000 children, parents, and puppet-lovers into the heart of our city during the school holidays for a high-quality, highly accessible art experience.

Their Puppet in the City Trail Map offered attendees three unique adventure routes leading participants through the CBD to different workshop destinations. The adventure trail map sparked collaboration with businesses, with local retailers along the trail offering special discounts or activities to engage participants.

All the businesses engaged reported increased foot traffic and sales on the day. Amongst the retailers that took part was Mica’s Creamery in London Court. The iconic ice-cream spot offered a special flavour, Leor the Giant Puppet’s favourite. They reported "The result from this day was way beyond anything we would imagine. Our sales ended up just over double from what we could have expected on this day, so that was amazing!"