Mr Squiggle and Friends: The Creative World of Norman Hetherington opens Friday 4 July 2025 at the National Museum of Australia in Canberra, promising to take visitors on a warm-hearted, nostalgic journey this winter.
Considered Australian TV royalty, Mr Squiggle captivated and inspired generations of Australian children to draw, with his distinctive pencil for a nose, charming banter and ability to turn a simple squiggle into a masterpiece.
Norman Hetherington was the creative genius behind Mr Squiggle and also enjoyed a rich career as a wartime entertainer, cartoonist, artist, performer and puppeteer.
Featuring nearly 300 objects drawn from the Norman Hetherington collection acquired by the National Museum in 2024, Mr Squiggle and Friends explores Hetherington's whimsy, humour and magic, and takes visitors behind the scenes to experience more than 90 puppets, as well as wartime artworks, colourful theatre props and costumes.
Parents and grandparents who grew up with the show can bring along the next generation to meet the original Mr Squiggle. Visitors of all ages can explore their own creativity via an interactive 'squiggle' drawing experience.
National Museum Director Katherine McMahon said the show celebrates one of Australia's most loved children's television characters.
'Who can forget the man from the moon, aka Mr Squiggle, who entertained us with his upside-down sketches?' said Ms McMahon.
'Now he and his friends, Blackboard, Rocket, Bill Steamshovel and Gus the Snail, are back to star in this new show,' she said.
The Norman Hetherington collection was acquired by the Museum last year. Curators and conservators worked hard to prepare key items in the collection for display.
'Bringing such a deeply treasured family collection into our care has been a process of creating a shared vision and understanding of the significance of this unique piece of Australian history,' said Dr Sophie Jensen, National Museum Deputy Director, Collection and Curatorial.
Mr Squiggle and Friends was a family affair on ABC TV. While Norman voiced and made all the characters, his wife, Margaret, eventually took over scriptwriting, and his daughter, Rebecca, was Mr Squiggle's last on-screen companion (1989–99). Norman's grandson Tom is also a puppeteer and features in the exhibition.
'My father was incessantly creative. He never stopped thinking about what he could do to entertain people. He was wildly imaginative but always with a great sense of purpose and direction,' said Rebecca Hetherington.
The Norman Hetherington collection includes the original watercolour illustration from the first edition of a children's book, Mr Squiggle and the Preposterous Purple Crocodile, and a set of three Mr Squiggle colouring-in books. To celebrate the exhibition, the National Museum of Australia Press is republishing these enchanting titles.
Mr Squiggle and Friends: The Creative World of Norman Hetherington is open from 4 July to 13 October 2025.
Entry is free. Key objects from the exhibition will tour nationally at the close of the Canberra show.
Hurry up! Bring the family for a fun-filled day at the National Museum – it won't be boringgg!
