During his lifelong passion for puppetry, John Michael Blundall amassed a large and varied collection of puppets and puppet theatre-related material, spanning centuries and countries of puppetry traditions across the globe. Blundall made characters not only for television but also for his own theatre in Birmingham, cementing him as one of the leading designers, makers and performers of puppet theatre.
Blundall provided a home for the largest surviving group of marionettes from the famous 19th century Tiller-Clowes family troupe who operated from 1873 until WWI. This comprised trick figures, such as stretching clowns, disjointed skeletons and metamorphic scenery sets together with charming marionettes of giants, sailors, devils, donkeys, ladies and gentlemen all of whom retain their original costumes. Further featured personalities include leading figures from the British puppetry world, such as H. W. Whanslaw, Waldo Lanchester, Joe de Randel Hodgson and Jan Bussell, represented through various quality puppets.