Somebody like a Piggy or a Kermit, there needs to be several versions and so there will be several of them.
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and it may be necessary from time to time to give a stupid or misinformed beholder a black eye.
It's into the same bag as E.T. and Yoda, wherein you're trying to create something that people will actually believe, but it's not so much a symbol of the thing, but you're trying to do the thing itself.
I do remember doing shows strictly in black and white, too, so you're right.
When I was a kid, I never saw a puppet show. I never played with puppets or had any interest in them.