The Puppet Hideaway Announces The Launch Of Multi-Platform Live Series
The Puppet Hideaway
In an ambitious new chapter for digital puppetry, Eric Thomsen, puppeteer, media creator, and founder of The Puppet Hideaway, has officially launched his live shows across five major platforms: Substack, Twitter, Patreon, OnlyFans, and YouTube. With the curtain now lifted on a project years in the making, Thomsen is inviting audiences of all ages into an immersive and collaborative puppet experience like no other.
A lifelong puppetry enthusiast, Thomsen's journey began during his youth, when a love of puppets became a refuge and creative outlet during challenging times. 'I was a teen, an American kid living in the U.K., and I just fell in love with puppets,' Thomsen recalls. 'It was how I built a world of my own, and it grew from there.' From local community shows to a degree in radio, television, and film, Thomsen's passion led him to start a successful career in entertainment merchandising, working behind the scenes with well-known household names.
Eric Thomsen in 1993 with His Original Puppets
But even as his resume expanded, something vital was missing: the chance to create his own show. That opportunity finally arrived in 2020 when, at age 50 and mid-pandemic, Thomsen made a bold leap, leaving his high-paying job to fully pursue The Puppet Hideaway, a vision that had been building for decades.
Today, Thomsen is embracing the creator economy with a self-funded, platform-diverse puppet series that's accessible to fans around the world. Each day of the week is dedicated to a different aspect of the creative process: Monday is the writer's workshop, Tuesday dives into technical production, and Wednesday through Friday deliver multiple 'takes' of the live show across YouTube, Patreon, and OnlyFans. On Saturday mornings, the final edited show premieres on YouTube, blending the week's best content into a polished episode.
Subscribers can choose to support one or all of the platforms, $5 each, or $20 for full access, to not only watch the shows but also participate in them. Supporters get access to archives, behind-the-scenes dress rehearsals, live interaction, polls, and even the chance to shape storylines. 'Fans can watch for free, but supporters are part of the show,' Thomsen explains. 'They can chat live, vote on plot directions, and even introduce their own puppet characters.'
Eric Thomsen with Ima Fraida Nuttin Puppet
Thomsen's programming is intentionally varied. He doesn't anchor the show to a recurring cast, but instead showcases a wide range of puppets to highlight diversity in design, storytelling, and voice. 'It's all about the puppets,' he says. 'I want to show the richness of what puppetry can be, not just one story, one character, one world.'
In addition to episodic series like Halloween Candy Hunt, The Little Merman, and Bunny Club, the Puppet Hideaway features standalone segments such as Puppet World Tour and Career Day, designed to both entertain and educate. Thomsen also hopes to expand into children's books based on his stories, with plans to publish in the future.
The overarching mission of The Puppet Hideaway is simple yet powerful: promoting puppets and puppery. Thomsen sees puppetry as a tool to spark joy, connection, and creativity. 'Puppets are a shared experience,' he says. 'I have seen kids and parents light up when handed a puppet; they begin talking to each other in a whole new way. That's what I want to bring to the world.'
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