These 1,100 dummies are getting a lux upgrade at new NKY facility

They may be dummies, but the 1,100 of them at the world's only ventriloquist museum in Northern Kentucky are picky.

For years, they've needed climate control, special lighting, and bigger digs. Thanks to $1.2 million in fundraising, they're getting it.

The Vent Haven Museum in Fort Mitchell, a few miles south of Cincinnati, has been closed for construction since 2021 and is opening its doors to the public again Tuesday.

Vent Haven: Fort Mitchell is the center of the dummy universe

"The joke I always make is that we're kind of a Pinocchio of museums in that we thought 'One day we'd be a real museum,' because we were just doing the best that we could. And it was quaint and it was lovely. It was a fantastic little place before," Curator Lisa Sweasy said.

NKY ventriloquist museum continues to grow with new upgrades, refurbished dummies and more

But the vision for the museum has always been to grow, in part, because the number of dummies at the museum has doubled since 2000 and more dummies keep joining the collection.

Everything from Lamb Chop to Jeff Dunham's Peanut to dummies that date back to the Civil War are on display.

On Saturday at a preview event, ventriloquist and comedian Jeff Dunham and his dummy sidekicks, Walter and Peanut, entertained the crowd.

During his show Dunham joked: “One thing I’ll take away from this, it doesn’t smell anymore,” referring to the musty odor in the museum before the overhaul.

Sweasy painstakingly hand-laundered most of the decades-old dummies’ clothes, eliminating the dust that accumulated through the years.

What's new at the Vent Haven Museum in Fort Mitchell?

The new 4,000 square-foot space is now twice its previous size and upgrades include better access for the disabled, a high end heating and cooling system, and a bathroom for museum goers.

The bathroom is a luxury the museum has gone without since it opened in 1973 (though, founder William Shakespeare Berger gave tours of his personal collection at the site long before then.)

Things to do: From ventriloquist dummies to a fork in the road, explore these 7 wacky wonders of Kentucky

Tours are still by appointment only – no drop-ins – and the cost to get in is $15. You can schedule a tour at the Vent Haven Museum website.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Vent Haven Museum in Northern Kentucky reopens with new upgrades