THE UNSTOPPABLE PUPPETEER

Kiatsuda Piromya continues to produce children's puppet show Jao Khuntong almost 35 years after its debut

- STORY: AMITHA AMRANAND PHOTOS: VARUTH HIRUNYATHEB

The friendly and familiar faces emerged from the bags one by one: a buffalo, a dog, a bird, a crocodile and a pink-haired duck. Many Thais who grew up in the 90s will not only recognise these faces, but they will also know their names: Cha-ngon, Hang Dab, Jao Khuntong, Khon Loy and Ped Noi. These are the stars of children's television programme Jao Khuntong.

On the day of Life's interview with the show's creator, Kiatsuda Piromya, these furry anthropomorphised puppets were without their usual costumes. So Kiatsuda had prepared scarves to wrap them up for the photoshoot.

Kiatsuda didn't pull these puppets from any dusty old storage. They didn't have their costumes because they were about to get new ones specially made from waste material for an upcoming sustainability-themed live performance. The eponymous Jao Khuntong looked brand new that day with his jet-black body and wings and bright yellow beak and wattles. Up close, the others had some minor wear and tear. But these characters have never gone into retirement since they first appeared onscreen on Oct 1, 1991.

Neither has its creator. At 70, Kiatsuda is still producing TV programmes and live puppet shows for children. At the Bangkok Art and Culture Centre (BACC), she will be honoured with a Lifetime Achievement Award from the International Association of Theater Critics.

If you want a glimpse into Kiatsuda's childhood, Jao Khuntong can reveal a few things. As the youngest of five siblings, Kiatsuda often spent time alone daydreaming. She grew up an avid reader of historical factoids and of fairy tales and fables. Her father would let her run around bookstores for hours. Kiatsuda also grew up in a family of animal lovers. She loved watching Disney and Warner Brothers cartoons. Hence the all-animal cast of Jao Khuntong, always with knowledge to impart and stories to share.