A family-friendly exhibition celebrating the life and work of Norman Hetherington, creator of the beloved Australian children's character Mr Squiggle, featuring puppets, sketches and interactive activities.
New Annual is bringing Mr Squiggle & Friends: The Creative World of Norman Hetherington to the Newcastle Museum from 25 September to 4 October. It's a look at the man behind one of Australia's most loved children's characters, Mr Squiggle, and the whole world he built around him.
If you grew up with the show, you'll remember the pencil for a nose, the chatting, and the way he'd turn a simple squiggle into a proper drawing right before your eyes. He wasn't alone, either — Blackboard, Gus the Snail and Bill Steamshovel were always there in the mix. The exhibition draws on the Norman Hetherington collection, which the National Museum of Australia recently acquired, and gathers the things that actually went into making the show: hand-crafted puppets, whimsical sketches and colourful stage props. There are also wartime artworks from Hetherington's own life, so you get to see the artist as well as the characters.
It's a family-friendly display, and there's an interactive 'squiggle' drawing experience where you can have a go yourself. The museum is wheelchair and mobility scooter friendly and welcomes visitors with access needs, so it's an easy one to bring the kids or the grandparents along to.
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Entry is free, and it runs from 25 September through to 4 October at the Newcastle Museum, 6 Workshop Way, Newcastle NSW 2300.
