What if Puppets

What if Puppets was founded in 1987 as Paul Mesner Puppets, Inc. by world-renowned puppeteer Paul Mesner in Kansas City, MO. In their first 30 years, the company impacted nearly 2 million young people through engaging puppetry performances. The company has received three UNIMA-USA Citations, considered the “Academy Awards” of American puppetry, and has been the recipient of multiple grants from The Jim Henson Foundation to support the creation of new works for families. 

Following Mr. Mesner’s 2017 retirement and the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, the company restructured its programs and revised its mission: “to inspire play and cultivate connections through puppetry.” With this new focus, the company rebranded as What if Puppets in 2022. The company tours nationally and internationally, engages classrooms with arts integration programming to support social-emotional development, and builds custom puppets for theatrical and commercial clients across the country.