ABOUT US IN-DEPTH
Tonya Traylor aka Mom
Born in Chattanooga, Tennessee, Tonya Traylor grew up in a house of five girls surrounded by antiques. Though her parents collected antique furniture, the collecting bug was passed on to Tonya as she discovered her love for Ventriloquism.
Ms. Traylor's passion first began when she was exposed to the amazing talent of Willie Tyler and Lester, as they appeared on a Lola Falana special. The young Tonya always dreamed of being Lola, with her own Vegas show. From there Tonya started to become fascinated with ventriloquist figures.
As the fascination with Ventriloquist figures grew, the curiosity for their histories began to grow as well. After finally purchasing her first expensive figure in the early 2000s, Tonya wanted to know where he came from. The lack of readily available knowledge lead Tonya to devote herself to preserving not only the figures, but the history that coincides with them and present those histories in new and explorative ways. "No one deserves to be forgotten." -Tonya
Leonard J. Moore II aka Son
Born in Miami, Florida, Leonard J. Moore II is a SAG-AFTRA actor, writer and ventriloquist. Leonard received his BFA in Theatre and BA in Psychology from Florida International University. He has performed on stages across New York (prior to Covid), even originating the role in a musical.
Born into one of the largest ventriloquist collections in the world means professional ventriloquism was probably in the cards. Leonard found his love for ventriloquism the moment his mom, Tonya, brought home the infamous Pops (the left figure in the picture). Together Leonard and Tonya were the principal puppeteers for over 30 Tobacco Free Florida commercials in a over 3 year ad campaign.
Leonard is elated to share in his mother's passions, by continuing to preserve the rich histories and timeless stories of this unbelievable collection. "Growing up, everyone has that one toy that their imagination ran off with. Pops was one of my best friends, because I grew up with him.” -Leonard
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