Bil Baird (1904-1987) grew up in Mason City, Iowa and went on to become one of the world's foremost puppeteers of the 20th century. Bil Baird was born in Grand Island, Nebraska. His parents moved around the country, following his father's job as a chemical engineer. His interest in puppets began at age eight, when his father made him a simple string puppet. By the age of fourteen, Baird was making his own puppets and giving performances of "Treasure Island" in the attic of his parent's Mason City home.

What exactly is a puppet? According to Bil Baird, as defined in his book "The Art of the Puppet," a puppet is "an inanimate figure that is made to move by human effort (not mechanized) before an audience." Puppets are figures constructed so that various parts can be moved to imitate imaginary or actual characters. They may or may not resemble human beings but are generally given exaggerated human characteristics.

During a career spanning 60 years, Baird and his "little friends", as he called them, touched the lives of millions of people as they worked the nightclubs, city streets, Broadway stages, World's Fairs, television, Hollywood Films, his own New York City puppet theater and other venues. His creative legacy and accomplishments are recognized and preserved at the Charles H. MacNider Art Museum in Mason City, Iowa where the largest holdings of the artists/performer's work, to be found anywhere, are regularly exhibited in the "Bil Baird: World of Puppets" exhibit.

View Bil Baird biographical timeline.