2016 marked multi-Emmy Award nominated puppeteer Wayne Martin’s 50th anniversary in show business! 

You heard right, 50th! You see Martin is one of the lucky few that always knew what he wanted to do. His fascination with the art of puppetry began as a hobby at the tender age of three-and-a-half upon seeing Cincinnati television legend Larry Smith’s Puppets on the ‘Uncle Al’ program. With help from his mom and grandmother, he began creating his own puppets, and when his father built him his first puppet theater at age four, Wayne never looked back. In the spring of 1966, at age eight, with encouragement from his parents, he formed his own company, Wayne Martin Puppets™ and began performing professionally for country clubs, school carnivals and private functions. So successful were these early engagements that in 1968 at age ten, his idol and now mentor, Larry Smith began recommending Martin for shows.

Wayne’s credits over the past five decades include guest appearances with Symphony Orchestras and work as principal manipulator for industry greats, The Heiken Puppets, Sid and Marty Krofft Productions and Jim Henson’s Muppets, among others.

Martin’s talents have been featured in motion pictures, (‘Muppets Take Manhattan,’ ‘The Women’) award-winning television and print ads, (‘More Magic Money,’ ‘Stretch It to the Limit,’ ‘Waters’) critically acclaimed educational and training films, (‘Great Can Caper,’ ‘Early Bird Prevention Program™,’ ‘Good Citizen Show’) syndicated television series (‘Kartoon Klubhouse,’ ‘Braun & Company,’ ‘The Reggie & Oswald Alien Show™,’ ‘Lil’ Iguana’) and syndicated specials, (‘Magic Forest,’ ‘Buford T. Dog™,’ ‘The Magical Christmas of Michael Peabody™’).

Wayne has toured Canada, Mexico, Europe and Australia and presents his one-man marionette variety show ‘Martin’s Magical Musical Revue’ hundreds of times each year across the United States. Having designed and constructed over two thousand puppets during his career, Martin's act has appeared with such established artists as Bob Hope, Dolly Parton, Randy Newman, Willie Nelson, The 5th Dimension and The Temptations.