Karbonkel puppet exhibition draws more than 5,000 visitors in six days

More than 5,000 people visited the Karbonkel Experience at the Netherlands Institute for Sound & Vision in its first six days, the museum says — twice as many as during the same week last year. It noted that part of the country was on autumn holiday, which may have contributed to the increase. [1]

The exhibition features Karbonkel, the one-eyed puppet monster from the 1994–96 children’s television series *Ik Mik Loreland*. Museum spokesman Dennis de Bruin said visitors’ reactions ranged from children crying and wanting to leave to adults revisiting a childhood fear or introducing the character to their own children.

Some visitors said the puppet was less frightening when it was motionless behind glass, De Bruin added. He also described a woman in her early thirties who had hesitated to approach the display because of her childhood fear. After looking at Karbonkel for several minutes, she said the experience had been “healing”.

The puppet had been in the museum’s storage depot before it was cleaned up and put on public display. The Karbonkel Experience is scheduled to run until 8 November. [1]