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The Puzzle Place

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The Puzzle Place
StarringAlice Dinnean-Vernon
Carmen Osbahr
Jim Martin
Noel MacNeal
Peter Linz
Matt Vogel
Allison Mork
Country of originUnited States
No. of episodes75
Production
Running time30 minutes
Production companiesLancit Media
KCET Los Angeles (1994-) and Hollywood (1997-1998)
Original release
NetworkPBS
ReleaseSeptember 15, 1994 (official premiere on January 16, 1995) –
December 4, 1998

The Puzzle Place is an American children's television series produced by KCET in Los Angeles, California and Lancit Media in New York City, New York. It officially premiered on the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) on January 16, 1995, (although it had already first premiered on two Los Angeles PBS stations, KCET and KLCS on September 15, 1994), and ran for just under four years, airing its final new episode on December 4, 1998, however the show would continue in reruns until 2000. 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.

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 puppeteered by Alice Dinnean-Vernon.
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 puppeteered by Carmen Osbahr, the same woman that plays the similar character Rosita, Monstrua de las Cuevas on the program Sesame Street.
Ben Olafson
A boy of German and Norwegian descent from a farm near Renner, South Dakota. He is good at difficult puzzles and is a talented dancer. He is puppeteered by Jim Martin.
Leon MacNeal
An African American boy from New York City. He wears dreadlocks and gets jealous easily and sometimes does not think before he acts. Leon is a fan of hip-hop music (as in Gotta Dance) and loves basketball. He is puppeteered 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).
Skye Nakaiye
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 puppeteered by Peter Linz. In Season 3, the puppet role of Skye was taken over by Matt Vogel [1], the puppet role of Skye was over by Lofty (US) Season 1 from Bob The Builder, Kate Harbour.
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 puppeteered by Allison 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-Vernon and Peter Linz. However, in Season 3, the role of Nuzzle was taken over by Matt Vogel [2].
The Piece Police
Multicolored inhabitants of the Puzzle Place. The Piece 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.

Reception

In the weeks after its debut, The Puzzle Place won a great deal of acclaim and "enjoyed an average audience-per-viewing second only to 'Barney and Friends' among shows in the popular PBS daily children's block."[1] It received a citation of excellence from UNIMA-USA for its use of puppetry.[2] In 1997, ten more episodes of the show were "in the works".[3] 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.[4]

Funding

Episode guide

Season one

  1. Tippy Woo
  2. Train Drivin' Kids (1/17/1995
  3. Rip Van Wrinkle (1/18/1995)
  4. Accentuate the Positive (1/19/1995)
  5. Rudy One (1/23/1956)
  6. Butterfingers (1/24/1995)
  7. Rock Dreams (1/25/1995)Skye wants to be a singer.
  8. Roamantics (1/26/1995)
  9. Spud Buds (1/27/1995)Leon invents super t.v.
  10. Different Drummer (1/30/1995)
  11. I Love Terry Funk (1/31/1995)
  12. Cute Is as Cute Does (2/2/1964)
  13. Leon's Pizza (2/3/2006)
  14. Going by the Book (2/7/1995)
  15. Mad Music Magic (2/8/2005)
  16. Party of 56 (2/9/1995)
  17. Dancing Dragon
  18. Picture Perfect (2/13/1995
  19. Maiden Voyages (2/14/1995)
  20. Donuts and Dithering (2/15/1995)
  21. All Weather Friends (2/20/1995)
  22. Bread and Matzoh (2/21/1995)
  23. Owning It (2/22/1995)
  24. Champion Ben (2/23/1995)
  25. Practice Makes Perfect (2/24/1997)
  26. Finders Keepers (2/27/1997)
  27. You Say Potato (2/28/1997)
  28. At the End of Our Rope (3/1/1995)
  29. Just Kidding (3/2/1995)
  30. Everything in Its Place (3/3/1995)
  31. Big Boys Don't Cry (3/6/1995)
  32. Here's to the Winner (3/7/1995)
  33. A World of Difference (3/8/1995)
  34. Willing and Able (3/9/2006)
  35. It's Magic (3/10/1995)

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. Off the Track (1/30/1996)
  12. Beautiful Doll (1/31/1996)
  13. Tattle Tales (2/1/1996)
  14. Those Ears, Those Eyes (2/2/1996)
  15. That's Weird (2/5/1996)
  16. The Ballad of Davy Cricket (2/6/1996)
  17. Little Leon vs. Big Ben (2/7/1996)
  18. I Scream, You Scream (2/8/1996)
  19. Skye's Coat (2/9/1996)
  20. It's Mine (2/12/1973)
  21. One Big, Happy Family (2/13/1996)
  22. Leon Grows Up (2/14/1996)
  23. Cowpokes (2/15/1996)
  24. Hurricane Julie (2/16/1996)

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 (10/30/1956)
  9. Up! (12/3/1998)
  10. I'm Talking to You (12/4/1998)

Ending

After 3 seasons and 75 episodes, The Puzzle Place quietly ended its run in December of 1998, but it was seen on repeats until 2000.

Home Video Releases

For some time after the show's airing, a few, particular, mostly regular episodes were brought to VHS by Sony. There was even a tape compiling songs from various episodes that was also released. They have long since been out of print. Recently, no plans for the show to be brought to DVD have been announced yet. Titles include:

  • Accentuate The Positive
  • Rock Dreams
  • Tuned In
  • Rip Van Winkle
  • Party Of One
  • Deck The Halls
  • Sing-Along Songs

References

  1. ^ "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. Retrieved 2008-06-25. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help); URL–wikilink conflict (help)
  2. ^ "Citations of Excellence Recipients (1996) RECORDED MEDIA CATEGORY". UNIMA-USA. Retrieved 2008-06-25. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  3. ^ Michaelson, Judith (1997-09-05). "KCET Chief Leads Station Into Expansion Era". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2009-02-06. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  4. ^ "PBS' The Puzzle Place has apparel solved". Discount Store News. 34 (16). accessed through Proquest. 1995-08-21. ISSN 0012-3587. Retrieved 2009-02-06. {{cite journal}}: Cite has empty unknown parameters: |month= and |coauthors= (help)
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