Puppets of Gorbachev, Princess Diana, Thatcher star in Cambridge exhibit

Spitting Image producer John Lloyd with a puppet of former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher during the preview for the Spitting Image exhibition at Cambridge University Library, London, U.K., Sept. 28, 2023. (dpa Photo)

by Deutsche Presse-Agentur - dpa

Oct 04, 2023 10:42 am

Iconic puppets of Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, Princess Diana and Margaret Thatcher are among the celebrity likenesses going on display in Cambridge after the "Spitting Image" the archive was donated to Cambridge University Library.

A new free exhibition is now showing puppets, sketches and other documents from the British satirical show, which was a cultural phenomenon in its heyday between 1984 and 1996.

Spitting Image producer John Lloyd with a puppet of Princess Diana during the preview for the Spitting Image exhibition at Cambridge University Library, London, U.K., Sept. 28, 2023. (dpa Photo)

According to producer John Lloyd, two bags of viewer mail came in every week, ranging from abject praise to pure hatred. In those days, he said, you had to make an effort to write a letter of complaint – envelope, stamp and then a trip to the post box.

"I would hate to have the whole of Instagram and TikTok after me," Lloyd said of possible reactions today, according to the PA news agency. "That must be absolutely intolerable."

Caricatures and sketches alongisde a puppet of former President of the USSR Mikhail Gorbachev during the preview for the Spitting Image exhibition at Cambridge University Library, London, U.K., Sept. 28, 2023. (dpa Photo)

The British TV classic became world famous in 1986 with its Genesis music video for "Land of Confusion". In it, the Ronald Reagan puppet accidentally presses the nuclear button at the end.

"Spitting Image: A Controversial History" exhibition is on display until Feb. 17 at Cambridge University Library.

Edited By: Buse Keskin