JOHNNY and Pedro, the puppets Senor Wences immortalized for TV audiences a generation ago, are ageless. Yes? “Yes,” piped Johnny, looking for all the world like a bewigged hand with a lipsticked mouth ...

Senor Wences, 103, the master ventriloquist who delighted “Ed Sullivan Show” audiences by bantering in a comic Spanish accent with his puppet-in-a-box Pedro (“S’OK?” “S’awright!”) and his ...

Though the Muppets (among assorted other Jim Henson productions) are unmatched as a long-lived, many-portaled franchise, puppets have always occupied a significant place in the life of the culture.