Photograph courtesy of the Center for Puppetry Arts
When The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales was first published in 1992, the children’s book became immediately popular and won awards for writer Jon Scieszka’s irreverent take on fairy tales and Lane Smith’s uniquely textured illustrations. Jason Hines, the artistic director of the Center for Puppetry Arts (CPA), always knew he wanted to adapt it. He was surprised when CPA gave him the greenlight for the “raucous, subversive” tale that reimagines classics like the Gingerbread Man as the Stinky Cheese Man. Hines got to work bringing the freaky fairy tales to life in 2024, and the new puppet show premiered on April 7.
Each of the 12 tales uses a different puppetry style, from shadow puppets to a giant puppet on a bungee cord (for the giant in Jack and the Beanstalk, of course). They even experimented with glove puppets, like the kind Mister Rogers used—a first for the center. With only five months to build the entire cast, the puppet shop turned to 3-D printing for character heads and hands. “The really ugly duckling is my favorite of the puppets because the design of them is so insane,” says puppet shop foreman Sam Carter. “They really shouldn’t work because their eyes are pointing in different directions, but I am really proud of them. The performers do such a great job of bringing that character to life.” Five actors perform the puppets and are on and off stage for the whole production.
Photograph courtesy of the Center for Puppetry Arts
Photograph courtesy of the Center for Puppetry Arts
Paying homage to Smith’s very tactile illustration style was key for the adaptation, according to Hines. “When people come to see an adaptation here, they want to see the book, not our take on it or our interpretation,” he says. “They want to be able to look at it and think it looks like the book they remember. That’s really what I strive for when adapting.” Replicating the look for puppet shop manager Jennifer Schottstaedt’s costumes was a challenge, though, when fabric stores are scarce. Hines even found some of the textiles for the puppets at a fabric store in his rural Virginia hometown while visiting his parents for Christmas. Replicating the vivid backgrounds of the book was also pivotal to capturing the spirit of the story, and technical director Jeremy Villines built all the sets himself to echo the book.
While the show is for all ages, Hines says the first few performances have had a lot of adults enjoying the nostalgia. Even Carter found the book in college while wandering a bookstore. “The cover caught my eye,” he says. “I was drawn to Lane Smith’s artwork and have been a fan ever since.”
Photograph courtesy of the Center for Puppetry Arts
With this new adaptation, a new generation will become fans, too. “For kids, I don’t think they know all of the original stories, like Chicken Little,” Hines says, “but they definitely understand it’s very silly and laugh at all the right parts.”
The Stinky Cheeseman and Other Fairly Stupid Tales runs through May 17 at the Center for Puppetry Arts. Tickets start at $25 and include museum admission.
