The Puzzle Place

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The Puzzle Place
Format Children's television series
Starring Julie Woo, Kiki Flores, Ben Olafson, Leon,Skky , Jody Silver, Sizzle and Nuzzle, The Piece Police, Kyle O'Connor
Country of origin  United States
No. of episodes 75
Production
Running time 30 minutes
Broadcast
Original channel PBS
Original run September 15, 1994 – December 4, 1998

The Puzzle Place is a children's television show produced by KCET in Los Angeles, California and Lancit Media in New York City, New York. It premiered on the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) on Monday January 16, 1995, (although production was dated starting 1994) and ran for about four years, airing its final episode on Friday December 4, 1998. The show followed a multi-ethnic group of kids (puppets) from different parts of the United States who hung out at "the Puzzle Place", which is a teen hangout themed around jigsaw puzzle pieces. In each episode the characters were confronted with an everyday conflict usually encountered in childhood and even early teenagerdom, such as making moral decisions, sharing, racism, sexism, etc.

Contents

[edit] Characters

Julie Woo
A Chinese-American girl from San Francisco, California. She is very sensitive and caring of her personal possessions and she sometimes tries a little too hard. She is performed by Alice Dinnean.
Kiki Flores
A Mexican American girl from San Antonio, Texas. She is very outgoing and has a temper. She once pretended to be a homeless alien after being teased about her "accent". She also is a great chili cook and has a Spanish-speaking cousin who helped everyone to learn about acceptance. She is performed by Carmen Osbahr, the same woman that plays Rosita, Monstrua de las Cuevas on the similar but longer-airing program Sesame Street.
Ben Olafson
A boy of Norwegian and German descent from a farm near Renner, South Dakota. He is good at difficult puzzles and is a talented dancer. He is performed by Jim Martin.
Sonny MacNeal (aka Leon)
An African American boy from New York City. He wears dreadlocks and gets jealous easily and sometimes does not think before he acts. Sonny is a fan of hip-hop music (as in Gotta Dance) and loves basketball. He is performed by the same puppeteer of Bear from Breakfast with Bear and Bear in the Big Blue House, Noel MacNeal (in fact, the puppet's first name is the puppeteer's first name spelled backwards, and the last name is the same).
Cuchi Nakaiye (aka Skye)
An Apache boy from an Indian reservation in Arizona who always wears a bandana, a raincoat, and a feather necklace. He's very curious and always sticks to his values and his culture. He is performed by the same puppeteer of Lofty from Bob the Builder, Neil Morrisey.
Jody Silver
A Lithuanian-Jewish girl from Cincinnati, Ohio. She does not like to be called names and is very gullible but is very enthusiastic. She is performed by Alison Mork.
Sizzle and Nuzzle
The anthropomorphic pet dog and cat at the Puzzle Place. They are seen mostly in the basement, talking to each other and act as animals around the Puzzle Place kids. They are usually involved in a subplot. Sizzle and Nuzzle were played by the same puppeteers as the ones who played Julie and Skye

(Alice Dinnean and Peter Linz) ((

The Peace Police
Multicolored inhabitants of the Puzzle Place. The Peace Police don't speak, communicating amongst themselves using grumbling noises, although they understand the English language. It has been hinted in some episodes that they all know what both Sizzle and Nuzzle are saying.

[edit] Reception

In the weeks after its debut, The Puzzle Place won a great deal of acclaim (ironic considering that some people find it stereotypical), and "enjoyed an average audience-per-viewing second only to 'Barney and Friends' among shows in the popular PBS daily children's block."[3] It received a citation of excellence from UNIMA-USA for its use of puppetry.[4] In 1997, ten more episodes of the show were "in the works".[5] Toys "R" Us, Sears, and Payless Shoe Source all announced that they would carry merchandising from the series and showcase that merchandise in its own separate "boutique" rather than integrating it with the other products.[6]

[edit] Funding

[edit] Episode guide

[edit] Season one

  1. Tippy Woo (1/16/1995)
  2. Train Drivin' Kids (1/17/1995)
  3. Rip Van Wrinkle (1/18/1995)
  4. Accentuate the Positive (1/19/1995)
  5. Gotta Dance (1/20/1995)
  6. Rudy One (1/23/1995)
  7. Butterfingers (1/24/1995)
  8. Rock Dreams (1/25/1995)
  9. Roamantics (1/26/1995)
  10. Spud Buds (1/27/1995)
  11. Different Drummer (1/30/1995)
  12. I Love Kiki (1/31/1995)
  13. True Colors (2/1/1995)
  14. Cute Is as Cute Does (2/2/1995)
  15. Leon's Pizza (2/3/1995)
  16. Real Horses (2/6/1995)
  17. Going by the Book (2/7/1995)
  18. Mad Music Magic (2/8/1995)
  19. Party of One (2/9/1995)
  20. Dancing Dragon (2/10/1995)
  21. Picture Perfect (2/13/1995)
  22. Maiden Voyages (2/14/1995)
  23. Donuts and Dithering (2/15/1995)
  24. Bully for Jody (2/16/1995)
  25. Ben's Bad Hair Day (2/17/1995)
  26. All Weather Friends (2/20/1995)
  27. Bread and Matzoh (2/21/1995)
  28. Owning It (2/22/1995)
  29. Baffled Ben (2/23/1995)
  30. Practice Makes Perfect (2/24/1995)
  31. Finders Keepers (2/27/1997) (This Episode can be seen as a skit on the Kids for Character with Tom Selleck VHS)
  32. You Say Potato (2/28/1997)
  33. At the End of Our Rope (3/1/1995)
  34. Just Kidding (3/2/1995)
  35. Everything in Its Place (3/3/1995)
  36. Big Boys Don't Cry (3/6/1995)
  37. Here's to the Winners (3/7/1995)
  38. A World of Difference (3/8/1995)
  39. Willing and Able (3/9/1995)
  40. It's Magic (3/10/1995)

[edit] Season two

  1. Deck the Halls (1/15/1996)
  2. Dressing Up is Hard to Do (1/16/1996)
  3. One Way (1/17/1996)
  4. Oldies But Goodies (1/18/1996)
  5. Helping Hands (1/19/1996)
  6. Yellow Belt (1/22/1996)
  7. The Mystery of the Fabulous Hat (1/23/1996)
  8. How Much is That Doggie in the Window? (1/24/1996)
  9. The New Adventures of Julie Woo (1/25/1996)
  10. We Three Kings (1/26/1996)
  11. Hello, Maggie (1/29/1996)
  12. Off the Track (1/30/1996)
  13. Beautiful Doll (1/31/1996)
  14. Tattle Tales (2/1/1996)
  15. Those Ears, Those Eyes (2/2/1996)
  16. That's Weird (2/5/1996)
  17. The Ballad of Davy Cricket (2/6/1996)
  18. Little Leon, Big Ben (2/7/1996)
  19. I Scream, You Scream (2/8/1996)
  20. Skye's Coat (2/9/1996)
  21. It's Mine (2/12/1996)
  22. One Big, Happy Family (2/13/1996)
  23. Leon Grows Up (2/14/1996)
  24. Cowpokes (2/15/1996)
  25. Hurricane Julie (2/16/1996)

[edit] Season three

  1. Family Fun (10/19/1998)
  2. Anything She Can Do (10/20/1998)
  3. You Don't Match (10/21/1998)
  4. To Have and Have Not (10/26/1998)
  5. Fiesta Follies (10/27/1998)
  6. Between You and Me (10/28/1998)
  7. A Star is Burned (10/29/1998)
  8. Spooky (10/30/1998)
  9. Up! (12/3/1998)
  10. I'm Talking to You (12/4/1998)

[edit] References

  1. ^ Matt Vogel's IMDb page
  2. ^ Eric Jacobson on Muppet Wiki
  3. ^ "Lancit Media sees domestic "Puzzle Place" licensing guarantees approaching $12 million; CEO reports "highly promising" early ratings for Lancit/KCET Series at Alex. Brown Media/Communications seminar in NYC (Business Wire, April 4, 1995)". BNET. CNET Networks, Inc.. 1995-04-04. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0EIN/is_1995_April_4/ai_16769498. Retrieved 2008-06-25. 
  4. ^ "Citations of Excellence Recipients (1996) RECORDED MEDIA CATEGORY". UNIMA-USA. http://unima-usa.org/citations/96recorded.html. Retrieved 2008-06-25. 
  5. ^ Michaelson, Judith (1997-09-05). "KCET Chief Leads Station Into Expansion Era". Los Angeles Times. http://articles.latimes.com/1997/sep/05/entertainment/ca-28967. Retrieved 2009-02-06. 
  6. ^ "PBS' The Puzzle Place has apparel solved". Discount Store News (accessed through Proquest) 34 (16). 1995-08-21. ISSN 00123587. http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?index=1&did=6744703&SrchMode=2&sid=3&Fmt=3&VInst=PROD&VType=PQD&RQT=309&VName=PQD&TS=1234203285&clientId=43936. Retrieved 2009-02-06. 

[edit] External links

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