[2][3] He was born Alf Olafsen at Rudshøgda in Ringsaker in Hedmark county, Norway.

[5][6] Prøysen became an apprentice at the Norwegian School of Applied Sciences, where he was a copywriter and actor in the annual student reviews from 1942 to 1945.

Through songs such as Husmannspolka, Tango for to, Lillebrors vise, Du ska få en dag i mårå, Julekveldsvis, Jørgen Hattemaker, Musevisa and Romjulsdrøm he became extremely popular through the 1950s and 1960s.

Prøysen contributed to many artistic fields: children's radio, short stories, theater and music.

Prøysen was awarded the Norwegian Cultural Council Honorary Prize (Norsk kulturråds ærespris) in 1970.

Røsbak also wrote an article in Dagbladet stating that several of his sources confirmed that Prøysen had discussed his bisexuality during the 1960s.

In Samtiden; nr 2, 2007 Dagbladet also had an interview with gay activist Karen-Christine Friele in which she confirmed that Prøysen had told her about his love of men and his divided life.

Dagbladet editor Knut Olav Åmås commented later that the resulting debate revealed mixed feelings towards gay/bisexuality.

The main part of the museum is a permanent exhibition that tells of the life and career of Alf Prøysen.