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Mr Squiggle and Friends: The Creative World of Norman Hetherington is set to tour Australia after a stellar launch in Canberra in 2025.

The exhibition reunites Mr Squiggle with friends Blackboard, Rocket, Gus the Snail and Bill Steamshovel – and is a playful exploration of puppetry, cartooning and art.

Keep an eye on the Museum's website to know where Mr Squiggle lands next!

About the exhibition

Mr Squiggle and Friends: The Creative World of Norman Hetherington reveals the magic of one of Australia’s most original and creative minds through objects including costumes, props, artworks and puppets.

This delightful exhibition takes us on a journey through Norman Hetherington’s remarkable career.

 Museum case displaying three puppets, from left, a blackboard with feet and a face, a man with a pencil for a nose and a bright yellow frock and a rocket with three fins and a small viewing hole in the nose cone. 
Blackboard, Mr Squiggle and Rocket reunited and on display at the National Museum

From his early years as a cartoonist, war artist and performer, to creating the much-loved children’s television program, Mr Squiggle and Friends, Norman brought passion and fun to everything he did.

A vivid imagination and the desire to experiment were essential to his creations, but most importantly, Norman’s puppets had to be fun – fun to make, fun to use and fun to watch.

Fun is the driving theme behind this exhibition. Visitors can watch episodes of Mr Squiggle and get creative with their own squiggle on our digital interactive.

Hosting the exhibition

Mr Squiggle and Friends is a touring exhibition developed by the National Museum of Australia. If you are interested in hosting the exhibition, please email touring@nma.gov.au.

More Mr Squiggle online

Acknowledgements

The National Museum expresses its deep thanks to the Hetherington family for their generosity, time and commitment to sharing Norman Hetherington’s legacy with all Australians.

Mr Squiggle and Friends: The Creative World of Norman Hetherington debuted in Canberra from 4 July to 13 October 2025.

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