During a very special D23 Day at Bob Baker Marionette Theater event, D23 members were treated to an absolutely charming and whimsical time with Disney history, live marionette performances, free ice cream, and more!

Here’s everything we saw during D23 Day at Bob Baker Marionette Theater on February 9, 2025.

The event featured four total opportunities to join in on the fun with tickets costing $46 for Gold Members and $61 for General Members. Highlights included a Disney-themed marionette show with historic puppets and anniversary tributes, plus an archival display, live organist, backstage tour, and refreshments.

The morning concluded with Bob Baker Marionette Theater’s traditional post-show ice cream plus a Disney touch — exiting through the theater’s gift shop. Here’s a closer look at the fanciful fun…

In the Theater

Inside the whimsical theater, a pre-show live organist performed tunes including several Disney ones which may sound familiar to anyone who has visited the El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood. All event guests were treated to a popcorn treat, a bottle of water, and a special event gift.

The event gift was a trio of pin buttons commemorating D23 Day at Bob Baker Marionette Theater. One pin button featured the event logo while another featured Pinocchio and the other Mickey Mouse. The artwork on the pins was inspired by the 1953 Walt Disney Studios Christmas Card.

The Main Show

A special show was exclusively curated for D23 Members by Bob Baker Marionette Theater which featured both live performances of marionette numbers and fun historical jumps back in time with presentation of rare and interesting pieces of Disney history. As a special surprise, the marionettes featured in Escape to Witch Mountain (1975) were brought out for a very special look. The show touched on other collaborations and connections Bob Baker had with Disney (and 20th Century Studios) including The Sound of Music (1965), Escape to Witch Mountain (1975), and much more!

A really fun bit of Disneyland history that we learned was that Walt Disney recruited puppeteer Bob Mills from Children’s Fairyland in Oakland, CA to come do shows at the Tinkerbell Toy Shop in Fantasyland in 1957. You can hear more about this bit of Disney history from Mills own accounts at this page for Under the Puppet.

Perhaps one of the most fun learnings was about the discovery of a piece of hand-written sheet music penned by the Sherman Brothers for a song called “Funny Bones.” After some digging through the archives of the Bob Baker Marionette Theater, a cassette with demo recordings was found featuring the late Richard M. Sherman performing the number and singing the lyrics.

At the end of the presentation, all were welcomed for a brief backstage look at Bob Baker Marionette Theater for a gander at its technological heart, its menagerie of marionettes, and a peek at the backdrops and other special effects used for the various productions that take place here. Of course, as is Bob Baker Marionette Theater tradition, everyone was treated to a small cup of ice cream!

Archival Display

Several Disney-related items from Bob Baker Marionette Theater’s historical collection were on display including figures from some of the earliest Main Street, U.S.A. window displays at Disneyland.

There was even a wonderful piece of Disney history with portions relating to the original Figment the Dragon puppet. Bob Baker and company helped animate and build smaller foam versions of Figment that were filmed for use with the 1983 Journey Into Your Imagination attraction at EPOCT.

Another really great piece of history is a piece of music that was written for the Bob Baker Marionette Theater by none other than the Disney Legend duo of the Sherman Brothers. Little is known about the song called “Piano Papa” which the two penned for an unknown production or reason. This song, along with the “Funny Bones” performance we mentioned above, are both part of a piece of history lost to time. The accompanying letter (on absolutely epic letterhead by the Sherman Bros) indicates the demo recordings were sent over in 1979. Ultimately, it’s unknown what the numbers were for or if they were ever fully produced for any purpose.

Hungry for More?

To see even more photos from the event, check out our complete gallery for D23 Day at Bob Baker Marionette Theater.

To learn more about the history of the theater, the book Enchanted Strings: Bob Baker Marionette Theater is available in the gift shop. We also have a referral link below if you want to pick it up yourself ahead of your visit. As an Amazon Associate, MouseInfo will earn commission from qualifying purchases made from the below shop link.

See it for Yourself

D23 Day at Bob Baker Marionette Theater took place at select times from February 8-9, 2025.

MORE INFO: See all MouseInfo coverage of D23 Events