Pip the Mouse
 A Short History of
Pip the Mouse
The holiday puppet show, The Mouse Before Christmas, was created by Dr. George R. Creegan, and made its world premiere at Hess’s Department Store in Allentown on Saturday, October 27, 1962. The puppet show stage was placed in the front window on Hamilton Street and delighted thousands of people of all ages.
 In the 1970s, Pip was moved to Hess’s fifth floor Community Room and a Winter Wonderland was added, complete with mechanical animals, people, trees and a Swiss chalet. After Bon-Ton purchased Hess’s, it continued the Pip the Mouse tradition, now beloved by two generations of shoppers and residents of the city. However, the store was closed in 1996, so the last production of The Mouse Before Christmas at 9th & Hamilton Streets was in December, 1995.
The Bon-Ton donated the Winter Wonderland, the Mouse Before Christmas stage, and Pip with all his pals to the Allentown Economic and Development Corporation in 1996. The show was presented by the former Allentown Downtown Improvement District Authority from 1996-2001, at several different venues, including the Allentown Public Library.
 Volunteers from Civic Theater of Allentown restored the puppet show stage in 2001-2002, and then when ADIDA was deactivated in 2003, Pip, the stage and props all were given to the Liberty Bell Museum, with the understanding that the Allentown Public Library also would be a partner in the Pip the Mouse program.
The museum restored and digitized the original audio soundtrack and has presented the traditional Mouse Before Christmas puppet show to thousands of visitors during the holiday season each year since 2003. Although the Creegan Company produced stages for 15 department stores across the country in the 1960s, we have the only surviving stage and puppet show.
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Pip the Mouse Show 2011 Holiday Season
PIP THE MOUSE AND HIS
CONESTOGA WAGON A HIT!
2011’s Pip the Mouse offering, “A Conestoga Christmas with Pip the Mouse,” was a hit with more than 27 preschool and Kindergarten through 3rd grade school groups attending the classic puppet show.
The success of the 2011 season is due to both an increase in school groups attending as well as an increase in families bringing their little ones to see Pip. We also had an increase in volunteer involvement with Pip the Mouse. Volunteers greeted Pip’s guests, read stories to the children and even helped run the holiday puppet show. We couldn’t present our Pip program without the help of our volunteers. Thank you for your help!
Each year, this magical holiday programming attracts Lehigh Valley children to the Museum to see the beloved Mouse and his Christmas Eve antics. In 2011, the Liberty Bell Museum and Pip introduced its newest treasure- a handcrafted, child-sized Conestoga wagon. The fun officially began Friday, November 26 and ran through Saturday, December 31, 2011.
In colonial times, a Conestoga wagon, built in the Lancaster area, was the primary means of transporting freight and families. The Liberty Bell traveled to Zion’s Church in Allentown, home of the Liberty Bell Museum, in a Conestoga, and the addition of this new wagon is a wonderful way to weave the history of the Liberty Bell into the traditional holiday celebrations with Pip the Mouse.
The handsome half-scale wagon was specially created for the Liberty Bell Museum by Lancaster carpenter Isaac Lapp and Spring Valley Woodworking, based on 18th century blueprints. Kathryn Schaar Burke, illustrator of the Museum’s Pip the Mouse books, has painted the wagon in rich reds and blues.
We hope our visitors enjoyed seeing Pip the Mouse as much as we enjoyed sharing him with you. If you missed seeing Pip in 2011 look for him in various areas around Allentown during 2012 as well as here at the Liberty Bell Museum.
Join Pip’s Pals Club  When you become a Pips Pals Club member, you'll receive (1) a free copy of "Hiding the Liberty Bell, as told by Pip the Colonial Mouse"; (2) free or discounted admission to all Pip's Pals events; and (3) a Pip's Pals membership card, giving you a discount of 10% or more on all gift shop items.
For more information, click here. |
A Short History of
In the 1970s, Pip was moved to Hess’s fifth floor Community Room and a Winter Wonderland was added, complete with mechanical animals, people, trees and a Swiss chalet. After Bon-Ton purchased Hess’s, it continued the Pip the Mouse tradition, now beloved by two generations of shoppers and residents of the city. However, the store was closed in 1996, so the last production of The Mouse Before Christmas at 9th & Hamilton Streets was in December, 1995. 
Volunteers from Civic Theater of Allentown restored the puppet show stage in 2001-2002, and then when ADIDA was deactivated in 2003, Pip, the stage and props all were given to the Liberty Bell Museum, with the understanding that the Allentown Public Library also would be a partner in the Pip the Mouse program.
