The Puzzle Place

The Puzzle Place
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Created by	Cecily Truett Suzanne Singer Rob Stork Ellis Weiner David Yazbek
Starring	Alice Dinnean-Vernon Carmen Osbahr Jim Martin Noel MacNeal Peter Linz Matt Vogel Sonya Leite Alison Mork
Theme music composer	Steve Horelick Janet Weir
Composer(s)	Steve Horelick Janet Weir
Country of origin	United States
Original language(s)	English
No. of episodes	75
Production
Executive producer(s)	Cecily Truett Larry Lancit Stephen Kulczycki (seasons 1–2) Patricia Kunkel (season 3)
Camera setup	Videotape; Multi-camera
Running time	30 minutes
Production company(s)	KCET Lancit Media
Release
Original network	PBS
Picture format	480i (SDTV)
Original release	January 16, 1995 – December 4, 1998

The Puzzle Place is an American children's television series produced by KCET in Los Angeles and Lancit Media in New York City. It premiered on the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) on January 16, 1995, (although production was dated and first premiered on two Los Angeles PBS stations, KCET and KLCS, on September 15, 1994.) and ran for about four years, airing its final episode on December 4, 1998. Reruns were continued until March 31, 2000. It became one of PBS Kids most popular series on the line-up since Barney & Friends and Sesame Street. It follows a multi-ethnic group of kids (puppets) from different parts of the United States who hang out at "the Puzzle Place", which is a teen hangout themed around jigsaw puzzle pieces. In each episode the characters are confronted with an everyday conflict usually encountered in childhood and even early teenage years, 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, and she especially loves singing. 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 helps everyone to learn about acceptance. She is puppeteered by Carmen Osbahr.
• Ben Olafson: A boy of German and Norwegian descent from a farm near Renner, South Dakota. He is good at solving difficult puzzles and is a talented dancer. Though normally easily going and friendly, he can be unforgiving when angered. He is puppeteered by Jim Martin.
• Leon MacNeal: An African American boy from New York City. He wears dreadlocks, gets jealous easily, and sometimes does not think before he acts. Leon is a fan of hip-hop music and loves basketball. He is puppetered by Noel MacNeal. His first and last name are a direct allusion to his puppeteer, seeing as "Leon" is "Noel" backwards and that they share a last name.
• Skye Nakaiye: An Apache boy from an Indian reservation in Arizona who always wears a bandana, a raincoat, and a feather necklace. He is naturally curious and believes in staying true to his values and his culture. He is puppeteered by both Peter Linz and Matt Vogel.
• Jody Silver: A Lithuanian-Jewish girl from Cincinnati, Ohio. She does not like to be called names and can be gullible but is usually enthusiastic. She is puppeteered by Alison Mork in Season 1, Stephanie D'Abruzzo in Season 2, and Terri Hardin in Season 3.
• Nuzzle and Sizzle: The anthropomorphic pet dog and cat, respectively, 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 is puppeteered and Voiced by Alice Dinnean-Vernon (who also performs Julie) and Nuzzle is performed and voiced by Peter Linz (who also performs Skye).
• The Piece Police: Multicolored inhabitants of the Puzzle Place. They communicate amongst themselves using grumbling noises, although they understand the English language. It is hinted in some episodes that they all know what both Sizzle and Nuzzle are saying. They are puppeteered by Carmen Osbahr (who also performs Kiki), Jim Martin (who also performs Ben), Noel MacNeal (who also performs Leon), and Alison Mork (who also performs Jody). Stephanie D'Abruzzo provides their singing voices.
• Kyle O'Connor: An Irish American wheelchair user, who appears towards the end of the series.

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]

Episode guide

Season 1 (1995)

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

Season 2 (1996)

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

Season 3 (1998)

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

Merchandise

VHS

• Tuned In (10. Spud Buds and 14. Cute Is as Cute Does)
• Rock Dreams (18. Mad Music Magic and 8. Rock Dreams)
• Rip Van Wrinkle (17. Going by the Book and 3. Rip Van Wrinkle)
• Deck the Halls
• Sing-Along Songs
• Accentuate the Positive (6. Rudy One and 4. Accentuate the Positive)

Broadcasting around the world

Besides the PBS stations in the US, it also aired on TV Cultra in Brazil, Playhouse Disney in France, Gerje TV in Hungary, RTP in Portugal, Nickelodeon Greece in Greece, Fuji TV in Japan, ABC Kids in Australia, and BBC2 in the UK.

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". BNET. CNET Networks, Inc. Business Wire. 1995-04-04. Retrieved 2008-06-25.
2. "Citations of Excellence Recipients (1996) RECORDED MEDIA CATEGORY". UNIMA-USA. Retrieved 2008-06-25.
3. Michaelson, Judith (1997-09-05). "KCET Chief Leads Station Into Expansion Era". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2009-02-06.
4. "PBS' The Puzzle Place has apparel solved". Discount Store News. accessed through ProQuest. 34 (16). 1995-08-21. ISSN 0012-3587. Retrieved 2009-02-06.

External links

• The Puzzle Place at the Internet Movie Database