In 1989, the first installment of Puppet Master spawned an entire franchise that includes sequels, prequels, and spin-offs that detail the origins of the living puppets created by André Toulon. After several additions were made, the timeline of the series became even more complex than the one established by the original movie. There are even points in the franchise where the sequels interject, resulting in Toulon's origins as the puppets' creator being questionable. As the Puppet Master franchise continues to expand, it is necessary to identify where each existing installment falls on its timeline.
With the recent announcement that Dr. Death from Retro Puppet Master will be the second puppet to receive a standalone movie, fans and critics have drawn attention to the errors of Blade: The Iron Cross. In particular, it takes place several years before the original and complicates the overall timeline. It threw the biggest wrench in the franchise's order of events, as it caused the 1989 movie's Toulon storyline to become derivative and pointless, whereas the installments that proceeded it aimed to strengthen his backstory. Charles Band's Puppet Master introduced the puppeteer at the very beginning in 1939, when he brought the original puppet to life and hid it in the walls of his home. It jumps to 1989 when Neil Gallagher (Jimmie F. Skaggs) and a group of psychics discover the Jester and sets him free.
It is common that horror movies centered around haunted or possessed dolls delve into their origins. Puppets are by far the most popular haunted doll as well. This is proven through R.L. Stine's Goosebumps series, which features Slappy the Dummy and the movie Dead Silence. The Conjuring universe's Annabelle series has worked tirelessly at establishing her origins with three movies. Annabelle takes place in 1967, its prequel takes place during 1943, 1952, 1955, and 1967, while the third movie is set in the late-1960s or early-1970s. The Annabelle franchise needed to have a prequel and sequel in its timeline in order to establish how malevolent the doll truly was and how she became so violent. In the case of Puppet Master, the origins were set into motion by the 1989 movie, but they had the opportunity to expand on the briefly shown Nazi storyline as well as how Toulon became such a powerful alchemist.
Retro Puppet Master - 1902
Retro Puppet Master (1999) takes place in Paris, France during 1902. It features the puppets known as Blade, Jester, Pinhead, Leech Woman, Dr. Death, Cyclops, and more. After Blade discovers the head of a random puppet in Toulon's belongings, he tells them about his retro puppets that he created in 1902. Back then, Toulon was an innocent puppeteer in love with a woman named Elsa, but on the night an ancient sorcerer named Afzel was nearly beaten to death, his life took a drastic turn. In Afzel's final moments, he transferred his powers to Toulon, who went on to create the retro puppets. Retro Puppet Master serves the purpose of locating the exact moment Toulon gained the power to bring his puppets to life and even ends with the tease of a follow-up movie. While there was never a Retro Puppet Master sequel, the standalone movies about Toulon's retro puppets may act as such.
Puppet Master II - 1912
Puppet Master II does not take place entirely in the year 1912, but it does feature a flashback scene to Cairo, Egypt during this year. When Toulon recalls the moment he and Elsa bought a formula to bring inanimate objects to life, it is alluded that this was the exact year his retro puppets were able to come to life, though this is never expanded on nor explained in Retro Puppet Master. In fact, the sequel to the original movie posits that Toulon's alchemic powers came from curiosity and practice, whereas Retro Puppet Master ascribes him with a backstory where his gifts from Afzel gave him such powers. This creates a massive plot hole in Toulon's storyline in particular, which may be attributed to the franchise's reboot.
Puppet Master III: Toulon's Revenge - 1941
Puppet Master III: Toulon's Revenge takes place in Berlin, Germany during 1941. During World War II, a Nazi scientist tries to create a formula that can bring inanimate objects to life. While it proves a viable way to bring the dead back to life, it cannot do the same with non-living objects.
Once the doctor discovers that Elsa and Toulon have a formula that keeps their puppets alive, he tries to steal it from them. The entirety of the movie centers around why Toulon despises Nazis, which may be obvious, but it runs far deeper than the fact that they committed mass genocide. They killed the only woman he ever loved in an attempt to steal the formula they created together. Toulon sets out to take revenge against them, which he does successfully. The third installment managed to make the puppets heroes rather than villains, but it didn't necessarily last long.
Retro Puppet Master - 1941
A lot happens for the puppets during the year 1941. When Retro Puppet Master begins in 1941, it picks up right where the third movie left off. This time, Toulon and his puppets are in Switzerland, having successfully evaded the Nazis and enacting his revenge. This is moments before Blade discovers the head of a retro puppet named Cyclops.
Puppet Master: Axis Of Evil - 1941
At the Bodega Bay Inn in California, a young man named Danny Coogan (Levi Fiehler) has decided to help Toulon, who has taken refuge in America following the events of Puppet Master III: Toulon's Revenge. When he discovers that the puppeteer has taken his own life, he frees the puppets from the walls they were hidden in and uses them to fend against the Nazis that travelled to the states to kill Toulon. While it is never outwardly stated, the creator's death that this movie features is the one shown in the original 1989 Puppet Master. This is where the timeline gets a bit confusing.
In the original story, Toulon takes his life in 1939, but Retro Puppet Master has him alive in 1941 as well as the third movie. In Puppet Master: Axis Of Evil, it begins in 1939, when Danny discovers Toulon's dead body, but this isn't possible if Retro Puppet Master and Puppet Master III: Toulon's Revenge are true to the storyline, which would also mean that the first movie doesn't abide by this created timeline. It appears as if there was little attention given to the original movie as the franchise progressed and moved out of Charles Band's hands.
Puppet Master X: Axis Rising - 1941
Puppet Master X: Axis Rising is a direct sequel to Puppet Master: Axis Of Evil. As such, it picks up with the puppets lurking in the shadows as they wait to take down the remaining Nazis who have played a hand in killing their creator. With Nazi puppets versus Toulon's puppets, it has a very bizarre patriotic message, especially with one of its final lines, "never screw with America." It became less about the puppets and more about the United States taking down Nazis.
Puppet Master: Axis Termination - 1942
The Puppet Master axis movies could've stood a better chance as standalones and wouldn't have had a major impact on the series' timeline had they not intersected with Toulon's death. The final installment in the axis trilogy, Puppet Master: Axis Termination takes place a year after Puppet Master X: Axis Rising. Once again, Toulon's puppets are face to face with an all new set of Nazi puppets. It is a repetitive story that did not really serve a true purpose in regard the timeline except to say that the puppets kept fighting Nazis a year later.
Blade: The Iron Cross - 1945
Blade was one of the major puppets in the axis trilogy and, as such, he became the first to have his own standalone movie. Coincidentally, Blade: The Iron Cross made the timeline even more unoriginal as it continued to establish that all these puppets do is fight Nazis. While fans of the franchise have found merit in the standalone movie's abilities to expand on the human characters' stories, it failed to offer anything new to the overall story.
Puppet Master - 1989
Charles Band's 1989 Puppet Master starts in 1939 when Toulon takes his life as a last ditch effort to keep his formula and powers of bringing his puppets to life from the Nazis. This is the original story of Toulon: no Egypt, Paris, or Switzerland involved. The movie then shifts to 1989 when Neil discovers the puppets hidden in the walls of the home he now inhabits. Once he sets them free, they terrorize the entire group and eventually kill them all for rather inexplicable reasons. This may be due to the fact that they are presumably evil puppets; they didn't have an established savior arc at this point and, therefore, didn't necessarily follow any sort of guidelines.
Puppet Master II - 1990
Puppet Master 2 takes place a year later when the puppets discover the corpse of their creator in a cemetery. They successfully reanimate him as a zombie, bringing Toulon back to the 20th century. In this installment, Toulon falls in love with Carolyn, who he believes to be the reincarnation of his deceased lover, Elsa. While there is a flashback to 1912—when he and Elsa discover the formula—there is nothing said about Nazis whatsoever. At this point in the franchise, the puppets are still mindless killers who live to serve their creator, Toulon.
Puppet Master 4 - 1993
Puppet Master 4 features a group of scientists who are examining the ability to bring inanimate objects to life. After discovering Toulon's diary, the formula, and his puppets, Ricky Myers brings them back to life. As a result, he becomes their new keeper. The puppets are hell-bent on keeping Ricky safe; Toulon's spirit even surrenders their ownership to him. This was an excellent move in the franchise, as it had to progress past Toulon's storyline in order to find success in the future, but they inevitably returned to the original puppeteer just a few movies later.
Puppet Master 5: The Final Chapter - 1994
Puppet Master 5: The Final Chapter stays true to the timeline and picks up where the fourth movie left off. As a result of the previous events, Rick has been arrested, but has been let out on bail by his colleague who wants to research the life-giving formula. The sole purpose of Puppet Master 5: The Final Chapter was to conclude the franchise, but it did not. It gave one of the best endings it could have, as Rick repairs the puppets who have protected him and will continue to protect him, with Toulon reassuring him that he is doing the right thing. As this timeline suggests, the final chapter was not, in fact, the final chapter.
Curse Of The Puppet Master - 1998
Sometime between 1994 and 1998, the puppets were acquired by a museum and are now under the ownership of Dr. Magrew. As he does not have the formula that brought Toulon's puppets to life, he needs to find a new means of giving life to the inanimate objects. In Curse Of The Puppet Master, Dr. Magrew transplants the souls of the living into the puppets. When the original characters come to life unexpectedly, they kill their new owner as they never wanted to harm anyone that was innocent, which somewhat contradicts their original storyline.
Puppet Master: The Legacy - 2003
Puppet Master: Legacy is composed primarily of flashbacks to earlier movies in the franchise. Unlike the other installments, this one searches for a permanent ending to the puppets' reign of terror. In a very bizarre and somewhat meta ending, the Puppet Masters and the puppets face off for what seemed to be the final battle. As a gun releases a note that reads "The producers would like to thank all the cast and crew that helped make the Puppet Master series a tremendous success over the years," it was believed that this was the end of the franchise, but it wasn't.
Puppet Master vs Demonic Toys - 2004
Puppet Master vs Demonic Toys isn't necessarily considered a part of the overall franchise timeline, but it does feature Toulon as well as his relatives, which makes it part of the greater Puppet Master universe. It is rather bizarre that Toulon's great-grandnephew and daughter entered the franchise after several movies where they could have interjected. Puppet Master vs Demonic Toys isn't considered canon, so it isn't given much weight in the overall timeline. The franchise was utilized by the SyFy network in 2004 to make a Christmas horror special, which resulted in this movie. If it were in Puppet Master canon, it would take place in 2004.
Puppet Master: The Littlest Reich: 2019
After years of sequels and prequels, it was time for the Puppet Master franchise to get the reboot treatment. In 2018, Sonny Laguna and Tommy Wiklund released their co-directed movie Puppet Master: The Littlest Reich. The movie begins in 1989 with Toulon bringing his puppets to life, then using them to kill a lesbian woman, as he disapproves of her sexuality. Before they kill her, she kills the puppeteer. The movie then jumps to 2019 with Edgar Easton and Ashley Sommers, who discovered the puppets, going from unsuspecting teenagers to ones that must fight for their lives. Featuring a storyline that includes some of the original puppets (and even the reanimated corpse of Toulon), Puppet Master: The Littlest Reich proved that the entire franchise needed to be redone in order to achieve anymore success.
Ultimately, the entire timeline of the Puppet Master franchise is overly complicated and somewhat messy. It jumps around far too often, changes the years where important events take place, and tries too hard to add something new. As a result, this creates an even more repetitive storyline, such as the axis trilogy. While there will inevitably be new additions to the Puppet Master franchise, the current timeline desperately needs a readjustment.