In partnership with Joe Selph, we’re honored to be the stewards of the collection and archive of legendary puppeteer and puppet builder René Zendejas. The collection includes René’s renowned scenery and marionettes as well as his personal collection of music, photos, and ephemera.

René’s longstanding collaborative partnership with Bob Baker is an integral part to our six decades of history, with many of his puppets still being used in our performances today. Beyond his work with Bob, René’s craft and imagination in performance, film, and beyond made him an essential figure in the history of puppetry. BBMT’s mission preserve, educate, and innovate at the intersection of Puppetry and the Allied Arts extends beyond Bob’s work, and celebrates the artists and community who have made Los Angeles puppetry possible.

Since Rene’s passing in 2014, just months after Bob, Joe Selph has honored René’s wish to continue to perform his puppets. Joe has been intentional about finding a future home for René’s collection, and in early 2024 committed to a partnership with BBMT. Scroll below for more information on this process and partnership in its ongoing development.

This project is made possible thanks to the support of the Cooks-Mark Foundation. Alan Cook was a great steward of the art of puppetry in Los Angeles and beyond, and we are proud that this project part of that tradition.

About René Zendejas

René was born in 1927 in San Salvador, El Salvador and moved to California when he was still very young. He soon began performing marionettes, and in 1940 he became Bob Baker’s 1st official apprentice while Bob was still in high school! They went on to become lifelong colleagues and collaborators. Appearing under the name “René and his Artists,” Zendejas performed shows everywhere from Knotts Berry Farm to Las Vegas to international stages and he even designed the hit bilingual marionette television show Domingo for 8 years.

About Joe Selph

Joe Selph has been performing throughout the Los Angeles area for more than 30 years. An accomplished puppeteer, magician, ventriloquist and clown, he has been labeled “L.A.’s Most Unique Family Entertainer” by the LA Times. He is well known for his work in both film and television for the Muppets. Joe met René in the 1990s and began performing marionette shows for him on weekends. They quickly forged a lifelong friendship that kept them performing together until René’s death in 2014 when he left his business to Joe. Joe continues to keep René’s legacy alive through performances all over Southern California.

Project Process

We’re currently in Phase One of this project:
Auditing and Assessing

What does this mean?
We’re creating a full catalog of René’s collection, with assesment on restoration needs.

After this process, we are excited to restore marionettes, and produce programming, partnerships, and educational resources to make this historic collection accessible to all.