$25,000 on a puppet show

Yeah. You read that right.A left wing puppet show, to boot.

WASHINGTON -- The feds have spent millions in stimulus cash on "silly" projects, including left-leaning puppet shows, a martini bar, and a study of Viking civic life, according to a devastating new report.

One grant, for $25,000, went to The Heart of the Beast Puppet and Mask Theatre in Minneapolis.

The group puts on an annual May Day parade, and its current production is titled "The Puggles -- a Platypus Adventure."

Another $50,000 grant, to the Parks Department in Washington state, hosts Asian-style rod-puppet shows.

A $25,000 grant went to Philadelphia's Pig Iron Theatre, which calls itself a "dance-clown-theatre ensemble."