Pulling Strings

Parrots tickle kids’ faces with their feathers, ostriches nibble hair and skeletons are apt to lose their heads altogether in “Alegre!,” a festive, Latin-flavored puppet parade at the historic Bob Baker Marionette Theatre.

Happily, despite changing times and changing modes of entertainment, this company, tucked away in its modest white building on the outskirts of downtown, is still doing what it has done for almost 35 years: charming young children and adults with old-fashioned yet timeless puppet magic.

The cozy, colorfully decorated performance area includes an expanse of carpet in front of a draped stage, where all but the shyest (or youngest) child spectators sit, close enough to offer a lap to an obliging puppet. The chairs behind them are for parents and grandparents, who can enjoy their children’s enjoyment--birthdays are big here--and admire the creativity and variety of marionettes that cavort for the crowd, at the hands of black-clad puppeteers.

In this latest whimsical revue, performed to a pastiche of prerecorded musical moments, you’ll see cactuses and flowers dance, ostrich eggs hatch, a romantic chicken duet, a kissing burro and the show’s highlight, a black-light segment featuring a cantina full of comical dancing skeletons and a bullfight where a bony toro has the last laugh on a skeletal matador.

Flowers kick up their heels, too, elegant couples tango and clowns perform balancing feats. The moves, fancy and otherwise, are deftly supplied by a youthful ensemble of puppeteers: Yuliya Yemelina, Michael Brachfeld, Matthew Gross, Susan Gayle, Ray Veitia, Art Ruiz, Paul McGinnis and Steven Loeb--he’s also the appealing, pre-show warmup guy.

Anthony Jackson did the few, colorful sets; lights play a big part here, courtesy of Ana Estrada and Danny Gonzales.

The only blip in the proceedings was that last weekend’s show ended too tamely--the big finish was sparer than usual, the only indication that the show is still a work-in-progress for puppet master Bob Baker.

* Bob Baker Marionette Theatre, 1345 W. 1st St., downtown, Tuesday-Friday, 10:30 a.m.; Saturday-Sunday, 2:30 p.m. for an indefinite run. Birthdays accommodated. Children and adults $10; seniors $8; group rates available. (213) 250-9995.

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For captivatingly animated puppetry, don’t miss two new titles in the award-winning “Jane Hissey’s Old Bear Stories,” the British series that Sony Wonder has brought to home video.

You won’t find any violence or cynicism here, just delightful toy characters brought to life in beautiful stop-motion animation, charming miniature sets and gentle, narrated adventures told with refreshing simplicity.

In the first release, “Fun & Games,” playroom patriarch Old Bear and Little Bear, Zebra, Duck, Sailor, Jolly Giraffe and other toy pals create a circus under the playroom table, make boats out of found objects in the garden shed and have a sports day that ends with everyone getting a trophy cup, even Little Bear.

Little Bear’s encounter with a picnic basket and his lost trousers are featured in “Lost & Found” and so is the mysterious disappearance of the last piece in a jigsaw puzzle, solved by a visit to the dolls’ house. The videos, which include three tales each, are a celebration of friendship and imagination.

Length: 30 minutes. $9.98 each.

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Charlotte Diamond, a much-lauded children’s entertainer from Canada who combines humor, props and storytelling in her lively family concerts, is making a rare appearance in the Southland. Seats are still available for her show at Downey Civic Theatre at 10 a.m. Wednesday; her March 6 shows at Torrance Civic Theatre at 9:30 and 11 a.m. are sold out. Tickets are $4.50. Diamond will also appear in a short, free concert at Borders Books in Torrance Wednesday at 7 p.m. Information: (310) 541-5819.