Folkmanis Puppets originally started back in the late 1960's in Watertown, MA., as a cottage industry by Judy Folkmanis. Judy created her first puppets to entertain her own children, and was soon amazed that other parents also wanted to purchase her original puppets. In 1976, Judy's Ph.D. husband Atis happily abandoned a career in bio-chemistry for pattern making. They soon realized that their detailed and realistic animal puppets were the right 'livelihood' for them both, so they hired several seamstresses and never looked back. Folkmanis is headquartered in Emerville, California, and has grown to become the premier manufacturer of plush puppets worldwide. They are still a family owned business, and are consistently awarded excellent marks by toy evaluators such as Dr. Toy, Parents Choice and the Oppenheim Toy Portfolio, in addition to numerous other awards. Piragis Northwoods has carried the Folkmanis line of puppets for several years in our store, and now offers them on line.