Erth’s Dinosaur Zoo: An Interactive Family Experience

Holli Harms
February 20, 2025
Holli Harms, kupferbergcenter, Openingnight.Reviews, theFrontRowNYC

5/5 - (1 vote)

A Unique Blend of Science, Puppetry, and Magic

Erth’s Dinosaur Zoo is unlike anything you or your family have ever had the pleasure of viewing. It is a fast-paced science show, a puppet show, and a magical interactive experience inviting its youngest audience members onto the stage to help with the show and the DINOSAURS!

Here’s a sample!

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Masterful Puppeteers Bring Dinosaurs to Life

The puppeteers are masters at their job, manipulating full-size puppets that they inhabit. And I mean inhabit. Inside the puppet are the feet and claws moving and the sounds of these incredible creatures that once roamed this planet.

The Endless Fascination with Dinosaurs

Many of us are fascinated by dinosaurs. How incredible that this planet once had these huge animals living on it, and now they are gone, wiped out by an asteroid 66 million years ago!

Uncovering the Past

And how amazing that scientists and paleontologists have dug into the earth and uncovered the bones of these magnanimous beings.

A Show That Delights Young and Old Alike

Erth’s Dinosaur Zoo performance at the Kupferberg Center in Queens was packed with families, many of the audience members being 4- and 5-year-olds. All of them were there for the dinosaurs, and let me say—they know their dinosaurs!

An Interactive Learning Experience

The lead scientist and creator of Erth’s Dinosaur Zoo, Scott Wright, serves as our guide, telling us about the dinosaurs and asking the audience questions. The screams of answers flying around the theater—correct and tremendous—show just how excited and knowledgeable these young dinosaur fans are.

A scene from the Erth's Dinosaur Zoo. Courtesy @kupferbergcenter on Instagram — A scene from the Erth’s Dinosaur Zoo. Courtesy @kupferbergcenter on Instagram

No Talking Down to the Audience

There is no condescension in this show. We are the puppeteers’ collaborators, fellow performers, and creators.

Children Take Center Stage

The younger audience members that Wright invites onto the stage help feed and pet the dinosaurs. One lucky child even gets to put their head into a dinosaur’s mouth!

A Grand Adventure for All Ages

None of this is frightening to the children because Wright and his puppeteers make the entire 55 minutes of learning and discovering the beauty of our extinct fellow travelers on this small planet a grand adventure. And it is not just the single-digit audience members who are in awe—at one point, as huge insects fly overhead, we double-digit audience members are just as excited and astounded at the dinosaurs and the show before us!

A Treat for the Entire Family

Meet-and-Greet Pre-Show Experience

Erth’s Dinosaur Zoo offers a meet-and-greet pre-show opportunity for families to meet the puppeteers and dinosaurs before the performance. It is a chance for everyone to see the puppets up close, touch them, hear more about them, and get a family photo WITH them! NOT TO BE MISSED!

A Must-See for Dinosaur Fans

The whole experience is a NOT TO BE MISSED for dinosaur fans, young and old!