Kukla
- Sweet round-faced puppet with a big red nose from the
children's puppet show KUKLA, FRAN AND OLLIE/CBS/1948-54/ABC/1954-57.
Kukla and Ollie
Kukla (meaning "Doll" in Russian) received his name in the fall of 1936 when Russian Prima ballerina Tamara Toumanova visited the
USA Puppeteer Burr Tillstrom who was a fan of the ballerina visited her
backstage carrying his yet unnamed small hand puppet. When Tamara saw the puppet
she exclaimed, "Kukla!"
Kukla and other Kuklapolitan puppet players included
Oliver "Ollie" J. Dragon, Beulah the Witch, Fletcher Rabbit, Madam Ophelia,
Ooglepuss, Colonel Cracky, Cecil Bill the sailor, and Clara Coo Coo.
