As I have mentioned before I am a collector of puppetry videos and DVDs.  The other day I was out shopping and I came across three very cool DVDs.  This is the first one I saw.  It is called “Baby’s First Words” and it is starring Mallory Lewis (daughter of Shari Lewis) and includes puppets built and performed by Pat Brymer.  To see video clips from the DVD go here (and click on the desired video) or you can read more about the series at their website.

I came across this DVD a while ago and decided to share it with you all.  It is called Pinatta’s View and it is a puppet video that is intended to help children deal with any worries about going to the dentist.  The puppets look great (designed by Julie Morrison and build by Rick Lion and his crew), there are video clips on the website.  This may make a wonderful addition to your collection. Check it out!

The long awaited second PlaySoup video on puppet building featuring Dave Privett is now available.  Both videos are available for a package price or owners of the first video can get a discount.  The first one was a great investment. 

Get yours today.

I was fortunate enough to run across this very cool puppet project that proposes to teach kids a variety of educational concepts using puppets and rap music called The Kids Block.  Now I have seen many show ideas that have tried to use this approach and have failed.  One of the biggest strikes against other show concepts is that the rap music has clearly been a secondary consideration and is often written and produced by artists that are trying to use a very unappealing style of rap (let’s call it “bubblegum rap“) to appeal to children.  Now the truth as I see it is that children who like rap know the difference between good rap and poor rap.  Up until now it has been the latter.  The Kids Block has made sure that the rap music is well produced and appealing by having the songs created by Poke and Tone of Track Masters.  If you don’t know who they are you probably know one of the amazing artists they have helped make successful.

I think that the potential of this project is quite high and the production quality of the pilot (specifically the 3D graphics) are nothing short of awesome:  the website is fantastic too.  I do have my personal opinions on some of the things that I hope they focus on in the future.  One thing is that a unique property like The Kids Block should have unique puppets.  They have opted to go with cookie cutter puppets from Puppet Productions called Innova puppets.  Don’t get me wrong the puppets are basically fine (and I am sure they chose to do this based on costs, seeing as how each puppet costs under $200) but I hope that if/when the show gets picked up that they decided to make each character more original.  With a wealth of puppet building talent in New York (in North America even) there are tons of builders to choose from.

My second observation is on the puppeteering (you can see the promo video on You Tube here).  I don’t have anything bad to say about it, but there are a few things that I would like to see addressed.  The first is the puppet’s eyelines are usually off and this makes the characters less believeable in my opinion.  The second is the lifting of the puppet’s heads when they are talking.  This is a basic puppeteering no-no and I would like to see that be corrected to add to the believeablity of the puppets.  And finally, I wanted to address the use/over use of the puppet’s arms when they talk and sing.  I am sure that it might seem more animated and lively to move the puppet’s arms around to a wonderful lively rap song, but the impression I am left with is that this character is not as beliveable as it could be. I feel that one of the reasons that Sesame Street (among other shows) were so successful, was that the puppets were beliveable as characters.  They were not pieces of fabric that were shaken at the screen, but rather seemingly real people.  With some minor tweeking, in my opinion this property has a very good chance of making it to television screens.

You can read more about the project here and here.

Look for the DVD to come out in February of 2007 and the plan is to get it on television from there.

Great job to all involved!

Dinosaurs: The Third and Fourth Seasons DVD box set (the remaining 36 episodes from 1992-1994) is due to be released in May 2007. It is suppose to be packed with special features including “I’m the Baby” music video. 

The Muppet Show: Season Two is due to come out in the next 120-200 days from now.  Our luck is that they both come out at the same time! 

Start saving now!

Okay this post is really specific to people who live in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA); CANADA for people who weren’t sure. I am a bit of a puppetry video collector. I have tons of puppet DVD’s and videos of shows that some people don’t even realize are on DVD or video. I also like to collect more mainstream puppet show DVDs and today I found something I am totally excited about.

At Loblaws stores (specifically the one in Milton, Ontario) I found the Nanalan DVDs that came out a couple of years ago and that seemed to have disappeared from any store completely. They are not the newer CBC 30 minute episodes, but rather the earlier YTV shorts (At least I think they are; I haven’t even opened them yet). At any rate I have them now and they were under $4.00 each. If you too love the Grogs and are a collector of puppet related DVD/videos, then get to the Loblaws in Milton or check you local Loblaws to see if they have them.

An event over Christmas made me remember a short film I saw a couple of years ago called ‘The Firefly Man’. It’s a mixture of many different styles of animation and puppetry.The film is not only a feast for the eyes but also has a good story element following the circle of life and death.

I saw the film on a dvd which I think was called “shorts - best of the fesitvals” but I noticed while searching the internet that you can watch the short film on the atom films website. Click here for the link

I was in a secondhand bookstore the other day and came across a couple of DVDs of the Thunderbirds. Thunderbird DVDs and other merchandise isn’t rare. A quick search on Amazon.com will confirm that. I must say I’ve been very pleased with the purchase and find the episodes very inspiring.

The Thunderbirds had a relatively short run. It originally aired in 1965, but was set around the year 2026. That part is interesting in itself, but there were a couple of things I thought were noteworthy especially for puppeteers and puppet builders today. Read more »

Well the truth is that it is soon my son’s birthday and I have been looking for cool gifts for a little boy…that have to do with puppetry if possible. Now that may sound totally selfish, and if he wasn’t crazy about puppets it would be. But the truth is that my son loves puppets.

During my search I came across a very cool company called “Juno Baby“. After reading a bit about the company and seeing some of the people involved I am convinced that the Juno Baby DVDs are a cool addition to anyone’s puppet DVD collection.

Oh, yes I collect puppetry DVDs and I am ready to order this one for myself and my son. After reading that some some Fraggle Rock alumnae were involved I am left wondering who? I think I will do a little digging to find out. If you know anything about the company or their DVDs please let me know.

The puppets are simple and very cute. They were created by a compnay called “Images In Motion” based in the US, who were also responsible for the sets.

The show combines puppets shot against a green screen with colourful computer animations. The look is very appealing to me and I can see my son loving it as well. You can see one of the seveal clips from the show on their site here.

So be sure to check out their site and if you collect puppetry DVDs like me, write this one down on your “to get” list.

Today, Sesame Street is aired in more than 120 countries around the world, and Sesame Workshop is developing co-productions in India, Afghanistan, Indonesia, Northern Ireland and Brazil. As fascinating primer on art, media and intercultural dialogue, THE WORLD ACCORDING TO SESAME STREET illustrates both the many cultural differences and similarities of producing the children’s television program on a global level.

With today’s global landscape dominated by such pressing issues as poverty, human rights, AIDS and ethnic genocide, how can the world’s most-watched children’s television show bridge cultures while remaining socially relevant? THE WORLD ACCORDING TO SESAME STREET explores the dramas, challenges and complexities behind producing international versions of the beloved television program. The film follows productions in Bangladesh, Kosovo and South Africa and examines how producers from New York’s Sesame Workshop take the iconic American television show and localize it with indigenous songs, puppets and curricula while facing cultural, political and production challenges.

I fully recommend getting your hands on a copy. See the trailer HERE