After 65 years of travelling through space, our hearts and television screens, Mr Squiggle and his lovable friends have landed at their final destination, the National Museum of Australia (NMA).

In a nostalgic and significant acquisition, the NMA houses more than 800 objects showcasing the life work of master puppeteer cartoonist, artist and performer Norman Hetherington.

The amazing collection features puppets, artworks, scripts, costumes, props, sets, production notes, merchandise and audio-visual materials, all showing the dedication of one man to his craft. Highlights include the complete set of Mr Squiggle and Friends puppets, scripts and squiggles and the Nick and Noodle string puppets which featured in ABC TV’s first broadcast on 5 November 1956.

Just three years after televisions became available in Australia, we were introduced to a character that captured our attention and hearts through his creative artistry and storytelling. The first episode of Mr Squiggle and Friends aired on 1 July 1959 and entertained generations of children before the final episode hit our screens on 9 July 1999.

Norman’s daughter Rebecca Hetherington has handed over the reins as keeper of the collection to the NMA. She says the family had wanted to keep the collection intact as her father never threw anything away.

“He’d always kept it together and together it makes a much more interesting story. If you start to just look at the carton or just the Squiggle puppets, it tells a nice story, but it is the creative thread where you see he used, he reused, he reimagined and it is a really interesting story across 60 years,” she says.

The delightful pencil-nosed character turned squiggles into artwork, encouraging the audience to guess what the image might end up as. As the final presenter of Mr Squiggle and Friends, Ms Hetherington’s connection to the collection runs deep. She says parting with it is bittersweet for her and her children. 

“There is something about people who care for our objects. They have a lovely spirit about it, their care and respect for the items but also their joy and amusement and sense of fun with the items. That’s what dad was all about, a sense of fun and they get it,” smiles Ms Hetherington.

Mr Squiggle and Rocket will remain on display at the National Museum of Australia until 16 May with a large-scale exhibition in the works for next year.

When visitors see the exhibition, Ms Hetherington says some people will reengage and relive childhood memories, while others will come along with young children and introduce them to the characters. For both youth and adults, the magic and wonder will be present. She says it is also a testament to what one person can achieve.

“If you have a passion to do something or an interest in something that might seem a little bit out of the ordinary, if you work at it and you keep going, take every opportunity, bring your a-game and all your imagination, you can really get somewhere.”

Never welcoming the day unhappy, Ms Hetherington says her father always looked forward to working on something- a cartoon, a show or a puppet, it didn’t matter. It is this joy and enthusiasm that shone through in the wondrous work he created that kept Australian children enthralled.

Children across the country rushed home to watch Mr Squiggle each weekday, adds Katherine McMahon, director of the National Museum of Australia.

“My brothers and sisters and I used to play Mr Squiggle, somebody would draw something and you would have to turn it into something and turn it upside down,” smiles Ms McMahon.

The NMA is the home of the story of our country, says Ms McMahon and the Mr Squiggle collection is an important part of that story and Australian television history. She hopes that people will feel the magic, nostalgia and joy when they see the collection while also gaining a greater understanding of the incredible things Australians have achieved.

“It’s a part of puppetry here in this country; Norman Hetherington was a master puppeteer. It’s about creativity, innovation and arts – it’s all of those things. I hope people feel that Mr Squiggle is an expression of this country’s creativity.”

As there as so many items in the expansive collection, not everything might be able to go on show at once. That is part of the beauty of entire collections, there are many different stories just waiting to be told.

“Whenever we take these incredible collections in we know that the public want to see them. So, we turn our minds to how can we create a fantastic exhibition and get more Australian people to see the collection,” says Ms McMahon.

The product of many years of negotiation and collaboration, Dr Sophie Jensen, assistant director of discovery and collection, says it has been a joy to work with the Hetherington family. Knowing the pieces well, Dr Jensen says the Mr Squiggle characters are just the icing on the cake of the Norman Hetherington collection.

“It is a beautiful nostalgic moment but what is wonderful about this collection and what we’re excited at the museum is when you put this whole collection together, what Mr Squiggle becomes is the end trajectory of this artistic life. So many of his ideas and concepts came together in Mr Squiggle and then that incredible outlet that went out for so many years on Australian television.

As the program has been off the screen for over 20 years, there is a whole generation of children who didn’t get to meet the pencil-nosed moon man. Dr Jensen is excited that these older generations will be able to introduce the character to their children.

“The beauty and magic of Mr Squiggle in terms of his gentleness, his creativity, his energy, the idea that you can take something and draw and redraw, create and recreate, these are things that are still relevant and magical. I hope that it will inspire new generations to create, make, draw and enjoy,” smiles Dr Jensen.

While there is no official place to rewatch the Mr Squiggle and Friends show, Ms Hetherington says if you don’t have a copy of your old VHS, then you might be able to find some on YouTube.

To find out more visit; nma.gov.au

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