The Puppet Man is the greatest thing to ever come out of Norwich

The Puppet Man – a little bit odd, but oh so Norwich. 

David John Perry, more commonly known as the Puppet Man, is in his early 70s and has been performing on the streets of Norwich since the early 1990s. A staple figure for UEA students, here’s why he’s the best thing to come out of Norwich.

Those who take to perusing Norwich shops are likely to have witnessed this local celeb at least once throughout their university career. Come day or night you’ll be sure to find him outside Primark and Maccy D’s, just off Hayhill Market, with a rack rammed full of CDs promoting his eclectic music taste.

These tunes, “the perfect backing tracks to puppeteering”, as I overheard him say to one baffled passerby, are perhaps the centrepiece to each and every show-stopper he performs. They aren’t your traditional genre of cartoon jingles either, which one might expect to hear at a puppet show, but rather more eccentric accompaniments to his dancing and wailing puppets. He loves a bit of rock’n’roll, and on a really good day, some heavy metal.

Fans have set up Facebook pages dedicated to him, countless YouTube videos have been made, and many citizens openly declare their love for the bloke. It’s fair to say that as a casual busker, he has made it… big time. While some may think he lacks talent, confused at what he sets out to achieve or express, clearly he enjoys what he does, and can’t keep away from Norwich.

Nobody really knows what he does, except mumbling over instrumental tracks and waves his hand around the insides of puppets, but he’s almost on the same celebrity level as Greg James. He even has his own Wikipedia page where someone has gone so far as to provide the names of his puppets. Our fave is Roy Waller, a snake hand puppet made out of a sock.

It doesn’t end there. With fame comes the need to broaden your horizons and satisfy further afield. This is why the Puppet Man now regularly comes back to Norwich after calling it quits a few years ago, venturing outside his hometown, of Great Yarmouth. Clearly he has reached thousands by the resounding levels of feedback and acknowledgement he gets on every post made.

He’s been around for years, and has touched the hearts of many

Perhaps his greatest moment though came in 2011, when “The Cult of Puppet Man” congregated to perform with their hero.

It was filmed and streamed live for the world to see and has since gathered over 11,000 YouTube views.

Behind his stage name, David John Perry is just another Norfolk geezer – but when asked about his past, he refuses to comment. It all adds to the mysterious illusion of the Norwich Puppet Man.

Whatever your views may be of the Puppet Man, it’s difficult to knock his enthusiasm for trying to entertain people. Maybe we can get him lined up to perform at the LCR.