Mr Squiggle  and his friends Blackboard, Rocket, Bill Steamshovel and Gus the Snail, have landed in Canberra after having been  acquired by the National Museum of Australia, says director Katherine McMahon.

On hand for the announcement was Rebecca Hetherington, daughter of Mr Squiggle’s creator, the late master puppeteer, cartoonist, artist and performer Norman Hetherington. Rebecca had also been a  Mr Squiggle presenter.

Sixty-five years after the famous puppet was first seen  on Australian TV,  the collection includes the original Mr Squiggle marionette and more than 750 related objects, including puppets, artworks, scripts, costumes, props, sets, production notes, merchandise and audio-visual material.

A small Mr Squiggle display will be on show for a short while at the National Museum, with a larger exhibition planned for later.