From 2009 to 2013, the U.S. government has spent $1,188,382 on puppetry-related expenses. Some of the expenses include puppet shows for kids on educational topics. Others include puppet-based research. In 2010, the taxpayer-funded National Science Foundation awarded the University of Central Florida a $199,754 research grant for “Efficient Control and Transmission of Digital Puppetry.”

Source: Wynton Hall, "U.S. SPENDS $1.18 MILLION ON PUPPETS AMID SEQUESTER," Breitbart, 3/27/13