SINGAPORE — The world of puppetry is one that fascinates children from every culture. That much is clear to long-time puppeteer and children books author Brian Zimmerman.

“Wherever I go and put on a puppet show, I see children responding really well to the puppets,” the 50-year-old enthused. “I remember going to Ukraine in 1992 — that was the period after the Cold War. Everything seemed bleak, and we went to orphanages and hospitals to perform. The mood brightened the moment we started the show as the children could connect to the puppets.”

The American, who is based in Malaysia, will be bringing his brand of puppet magic with two workshops at the Asian Festival of Children’s content happening from now till Sunday at the National Library Building. “Puppets aren’t toys, they’re great tools to use to tell a story, and every culture has its own form of puppetry to do so.”

Q: After being in the business for so long, what is the most fascinating puppet experience you have had?

A: It was when I went to Egypt as a young puppeteer. I saw these amazing marionettes and was just amazed at the craftsmanship, uniqueness and liveliness of these puppets. Now that I’m living in Asia, I got the chance to see the water puppets in Hanoi. They were absolutely gorgeous. I was blown away by that too as the puppeteers are actually submerged in the waters and yet managed to control the puppets such that they could shoot water and spit fire. And I love the mystery projected by the shadow puppets of Indonesia.

Q: Could you tell us more about your latest project, Hogie the Globehopper, revolving around travel?

A: It’s an upcoming cartoon series for kids promoting global friendship. It’s about a little frog who travels the world and befriends children from different cultures and cities. Some of the places Hogie and his friends travel to are based on my personal experiences, such as seeing the pyramids of Egypt, the terracotta warriors of China and the canals of Amsterdam. These locations were also chosen as they have interesting stories. The series will probably be ready to be shown next year.

Q: You’ve been in Malaysia for a long time since 2005. What are some of your favourite places there?

A: I’m from Texas, so I’m not a big city sort of guy. I love the outdoors and I enjoy places like Frasers Hill, Cameron Highlands and Port Dickson.

Q: Have you ever had a bad experience travelling with your puppets?

A: Not with my puppets but I did have a horrible time on a flight from Hong Kong back to Los Angeles because I was told to leave the plane to make way for another passenger. This was back in 1987, and my friends who were with me got to fly back while I had to disembark. The airline then put me on another flight to Japan and after that Seattle, even when I was supposed to be in LA. My friends were wondering what had happened to me as I had no way of informing them!