Colorful puppet resembling a parrot with green, blue, yellow, and red feathers and large black beak.

Red and yellow striped puppet with big eyes and pink feathery hair.

Colorful puppet with blue hair, pink face, red lips, yellow nose, and striped rainbow neck.

Brown plush hand puppet shaped like a bearded tree with facial features and leaves.

The Story Behind the Stage

It started in a preschool classroom in Albany. Today, it's the Bay Area's highest-rated kids' entertainment company.

Meet the Ricky Roo Founder

It started in a preschool classroom in Berkeley. Chris Rachowicz picked up a puppet for the first time as part of his curriculum — and the kids went wild. They didn’t just laugh. They were completely mesmerized. They connected with the silliness in a way that regular teaching just couldn’t do. Chris was hooked. He spent three years doing puppet shows in the classroom. Then he found out there was a birthday party industry. He built his own storylines from scratch, built a stage by hand, and launched Ricky Roo & Friends. It took off within weeks.

Today, Ricky Roo & Friends is the Bay Area’s highest-rated kids’ entertainment company — six puppeteers, four stages, over 1,500 shows. But it still comes down to what Chris figured out in that classroom: puppets connect people. They make kids laugh, they bring families together, and they turn ordinary parties into something everyone remembers.

Chris is a proud stay-at-home dad, an after-school enrichment teacher, and the guy who still lights up every time a little one hugs Ricky Roo after the show. These days, Chris is focused on growing the Ricky Roo team, expanding into grown-up celebrations, and finding new ways to bring puppetry into schools and communities across the Bay Area. The mission hasn’t changed since that first classroom — it’s just bigger now.

Ricky Roo & Friends founder Chris Rachowicz in a straw hat holding a colorful parrot puppet wearing a black Ricky Roo shirt.

Every Entertainer is a Kids Professional.

Preschool teachers, child development specialists, and professional performers who love kids and love puppets. Our team doesn’t just do puppet shows — they live and breathe working with children, and it shows in every single performance.

Colorful sock puppet with big eyes, red mouth, and striped blue, green, orange body.

Ricky Roo & Friends entertainer Amina holding various plush toys including a turtle, corn, rabbit, and dinosaur.

AMINA — ENTERTAINER

Mother of three, second-grade teacher, and college-trained puppeteer. Amina brings warmth and wonder to every performance — she loves watching kids see themselves as characters in the story.

Colorful striped sock puppet with blue lips, red nose, large blue and white eyes, and pink eyebrows.

Ricky Roo & Friends entertainer Allison hugging colorful puppets including a striped one with pink feathers and a yellow furry one.

ALLISON — ENTERTAINER

Professional entertainer and clown with years of experience bringing laughter to kids and families. Allison’s energy is contagious — when she’s performing, everyone in the room is smiling.

Colorful sock puppet with blue eyes, red mouth, and striped yellow and blue body.

Ricky Roo & Friends entertainer Denise with a surprised expression holds colorful bird puppets and a snake and squirrel stuffed animals.

DENISE — ENTERTAINER

Forest preschool teacher by day, puppet show performer by weekend. Denise brings imagination, curiosity, and joy to everything she does — under the trees and behind the stage.

Colorful parrot with black, red, green, blue, and yellow feathers facing left.

Ricky Roo & Friends entertainer April with yellow hair and pink hat holding puppets and a shiny purple trumpet, making a surprised face.

APRIL - ENTERTAINER

Professional clown, improvisor, and performer for over 10 years, plus a teacher of clowning, improv, and musical theater for kids and adults. April brings so much fun, joy, and laughter to every show — she loves bringing the puppets alive and showing kids how silly and wonderful life can be.

Puppets with a Purpose

We believe laughter can change the world — and so can kindness. That’s why we partner with Saint Vincent’s Day Home in West Oakland, the oldest early childhood center in Alameda County. They provide quality preschool, kindergarten, and family services to over 200 children from low-income households.

Every year, we donate a puppet show to the kids at Saint Vincent’s and run a Christmas Drive so our community can help make the holidays brighter for families who need it most. It’s one of the things we’re most proud of.