And yet somehow the multiple people who have played them really bring them to life.

This is a very good point. I hope the display had some video. Apart from just being well known puppets, it’s kind of a ‘look at what you can do with so little’ thing.

It’s funny because of how unexpressive they are as puppets. I imagine people who are into puppetry enough to run a museum would want all kinds of eyebrows and cheeks and wings and bells and whistles, but these guys are basically bricks. Like, their mouths open and close, but that’s about it!