Make, Believe, Magic show at Goma stars Elmo, Big Bird and the massive Mr Snuffleupagus – and gives visitors the chance to try their hand at puppeteering

It’s said that celebrities are often shorter than you might expect when you encounter them in person. The opposite is true of the Muppets.

“That’s the quote of this show,” says Amanda Slack-Smith, curator at Queensland’s Gallery of Modern Art (Goma), where “Oh, it’s bigger than I thought it would be!” has become a catchcry among the Goma crew installing Make, Believe, Magic: The Worlds of the Jim Henson Company.