Vashon Allied Arts will welcome Tears of Joy, an acclaimed puppet troupe from Vancouver, Wash., to kick off a new series of Sunday matinee family shows.

Tears of Joy will perform “When Animals Were People” and “The Lazy Bee” at 2 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 25, at Blue Heron Art Center.

The stories of both puppet shows are inspired by fables from Mexico and Argentina.

The shows are bilingual, with dialogue performed in English and Spanish.

Tickets are $8 to $12, depending on VAA membership status and age.

They can be purchased in advance by calling 463-5131.

The next performances in the family series will be Nomadic Theatre’s “How to Fly,” in January, “The Cody Rivers Show” in February and Book-It Repertory Theatre’s production of “Catching the Moon” in March.