Best known as Special Costume, Puppet, Prop and Doll Designer, Michael Baroto spent his formative years, dreaming, drawing and going to the local movie house once a week to see his latest matinee idols, a double feature, two WB Cartoons, and a ten-cent bag of the saltiest popcorn on Earth. 

His love and passion for film however, with all of its flickering images and icons has always inspired his work in some form or another. Once an aspiring film student himself, his career was sidetracked into legitimate theater when his ever-growing hobby for puppets became his profession. 

Hired as a young apprentice by the renowned Bil Baird Marionette Company in 1973, he was subsequently promoted to shop foreman working along side Bil Baird on several industrial and theatrical venues for his Off- Broadway theatre on Barrow Street in NYC. His work in NYC also included two Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parades. 

Hired by Radio City Music Hall in 1979, he helped to design and create the puppets for  Walt Disney’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs  and worked on 6 consecutive productions for the Hall including their famous Christmas and Easter Spectaculars. 

A holiday display at Bergdorf Goodman’s on Fifth Avenue brought his early celebrity doll creations to the fore. 

Hired in California by Sid and Marty Krofft  in 1984, he designed and created 4 original puppet characters for The Richard Pryor Show and helped prototype several characters for their production Broadway Baby that saw its backers audition in Connecticut. Moving on to NBC Studios, in Burbank, he continued to work on a number of  Television Variety Shows and Specials including Bob Hope, Johnny Carson’s Tonight Show, Punky Brewster, and larger Arena Shows like Alvin and Chipmunks, Thundercats, Masters of the Universe, and Super Mario Brothers.

Outdoor theatrical events include Hershey Amusement Park, Six Flags Great Adventure and a national tour of the Wizard of Oz. Specialty Costumes for ‘Splash’ at the Riviera Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.  Freelancing for CBS, he created the infamous Parisian Chandelier, for Paul Reubens’ Pee-wee’s Playhouse, and the giant dancing Teddy Bears for Barbara Mandrell’s Christmas Special. Larger Properties and Scenic Effects, Prototypes and Puppets for several Games Shows and Commercials include Audrey II for Little Shop of Horrors and Pumbaa for the Lyon King.

As a performer Michael Baroto, studied voice for eight years while in NYC, performing with his own Jazz Trio. He has recently gotten back on stage after a 25-year hiatus to rekindle those vocal talents in his spare time and operates his own design business Spectacular Dimensions where he developed the first on-line Puppet Parts Catalog, for schools and community theaters interested in pursuing the Art of Puppetry.

imago3d@juno.com