The Puzzle Place (partially found PBS puppet series; 1994-1998): Difference between revisions

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{{InfoboxLost
{{InfoboxLost
|title=<center>The Puzzle Place</center>
|image=20065uf.jpg.png
|image=20065uf.jpg.png
|imagecaption=''The Puzzle Place'' logo.
|imagecaption=''The Puzzle Place'' logo.
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There are 9 complete episodes in the VHS compilations, and 3 of them (Cute Is As Cute Does, Going By The Book, and Deck the Halls) haven't been found in a stand-alone format.
There are 9 complete episodes in the VHS compilations, and 3 of them (Cute Is As Cute Does, Going By The Book, and Deck the Halls) haven't been found in a stand-alone format.


As of April 2024, not counting episodes only contained in the compilations, 46 of the 75 episodes have been fully found.
As of July 2024, not counting episodes only contained in the compilations, 46 of the 75 episodes have been fully found.


==VHS Compilations==
==VHS Compilations==
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|33||At the End of our Rope||Mar 1st, 1995||<span style="color:red;">'''Lost'''
|33||At the End of our Rope||Mar 1st, 1995||<span style="color:red;">'''Lost'''
|-
|-
|34||Just Kidding||Mar 2nd, 1995||[https://youtu.be/-VZvllVuhvk<span style="color:orange;">'''Partially Found'''</span>] (in English, that is--full in [https://youtu.be/S-ISGwVwyWY Portuguese])
|34||Just Kidding||Mar 2nd, 1995||[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q3Vnb_XC64M<span style="color:green;">'''Found'''</span>] (also in [https://youtu.be/S-ISGwVwyWY Portuguese])
|-
|-
|35||Everything in its Place||Mar 3rd, 1995||[https://youtu.be/7LRNJHdcHeQ<span style="color:green;">'''Found''']
|35||Everything in its Place||Mar 3rd, 1995||[https://youtu.be/7LRNJHdcHeQ<span style="color:green;">'''Found''']
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   |description1 =Defunctland's video on the subject.
   |description1 =Defunctland's video on the subject.
}}
}}
==See Also==
==See Also==
===Bumpers===
===Bumpers===
*[[Bookworm Bunch (partially found interstitials from PBS Kids channel block; 2000-2001)]]
*[[Bookworm Bunch (partially found interstitials from PBS Kids channel block; 2000-2001)]]
*[[PBS Kids (Partially Found schedule bumpers and interstitial material of TV channel block; 1999-present)]]
*[[PBS Kids (partially lost schedule bumpers and interstitial material of TV channel block; 1999-present)]]
*[[PBS Kids Vote-A-Rama (lost bumpers of "Arthur" themed marathon; 2002)]]
*[[PBS Kids Vote-A-Rama (lost bumpers of "Arthur" themed marathon; 2002)]]
*[[Someday School (partially found PBS Kids channel block; 1998-2000)]]
*[[Someday School (partially found PBS Kids channel block; 1998-2000)]]


===PBS===
===PBS===
*[[Adventures with Kanga Roddy (Partially Found PBS children's series; 1998-2000)]]
*[[Adventures with Kanga Roddy (partially found PBS children's series; 1998-2000)]]
*[[Backyard Safari (found PBS children's educational series; 1997)]]
*[[Backyard Safari (found PBS children's educational series; 1997)]]
*[[Barney & Friends "Season 9" (partially found alternative version of PBS children's series; 2004-2005)]]
*[[Barney & Friends "Season 9" (partially found alternative version of PBS children's series; 2004-2005)]]
*[[Christmastime with Mister Rogers (found holiday TV special; 1977)]]
*[[Christmastime with Mister Rogers (found holiday special of PBS children's educational series; 1977)]]
*[[Lamb Chop's Play-Along (Partially Found PBS children's puppet series; 1992-1995)]]
*[[Feeling Good (lost PBS health series; 1974-1975)]]
*[[Mister Rogers' Neighborhood "Mister Rogers Talks About Conflict" (found episode arc of PBS children's educational series; 1983)]]
*[[Lamb Chop's Play-Along (partially lost PBS children's puppet series; 1992-1995)]]
*[[Mister Rogers Talks About Conflict (found episode arc of PBS children's educational series; 1983)]]
*[[Reading Rainbow (found Johnny Kemp opening sequence for PBS children's educational series; 1999)]]
*[[Reading Rainbow (found Johnny Kemp opening sequence for PBS children's educational series; 1999)]]
*[[Shining Time Station (found season one intro of PBS series; 1989-1990)]]
*[[Shining Time Station (found season one intro of PBS series; 1989-1990)]]
*[[Springtime with Mister Rogers (found primetime special for PBS children's educational series; 1979)]]
*[[Storytime (found PBS children's reading series; 1992-1998)]]
*[[Storytime (found PBS children's reading series; 1992-1998)]]
*[[Where In The World Is Carmen Sandiego? "Auld Lang Gone" (non-existent episode of PBS children's game show; 1992)]]
*[[Where In The World Is Carmen Sandiego? "Auld Lang Gone" (non-existent episode of PBS children's game show; 1992)]]
*[[Zoom (found pilot of revival of 1972 PBS children's series; 1995)]]
*[[Zoom (found pilot of revival of 1972 PBS children's series; 1995)]]
*[[Zoom (Partially Found revival of PBS children's series; 1999-2005)]]
*[[Zoom (partially lost revival of PBS children's series; 1999-2005)]]


===PBS Kids===
===PBS Kids===
Line 247: Line 249:
*[[Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood (lost pitch pilot of PBS Kids animated musical series; 2006-2008)]]
*[[Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood (lost pitch pilot of PBS Kids animated musical series; 2006-2008)]]
*[[Dragon Tales "One Small Step for Cassie" and "Circle of Friends" (lost pilots of PBS Kids animated series; 1999)]]
*[[Dragon Tales "One Small Step for Cassie" and "Circle of Friends" (lost pilots of PBS Kids animated series; 1999)]]
*[[Dragon Tales Live! (partially found footage of live stage shows; 2001-2006)]]
*[[The Good Night Show with Melanie/Leo (partially found PBS Kids Sprout series; 2005-2006)]]
*[[The Good Night Show with Melanie/Leo (partially found PBS Kids Sprout series; 2005-2006)]]
*[[The Good Night Show with Nina & Star (partially found PBS Kids Sprout series; 2006-2017)]]
*[[The Good Night Show with Nina & Star (partially found PBS Kids Sprout series; 2006-2017)]]
*[[Jet Propulsion (partially found pitch pilot of "Ready Jet Go!" PBS Kids CGI-animated series; 2013)]]
*[[Jet Propulsion (partially found pitch pilot of "Ready Jet Go!" PBS Kids CGI-animated series; 2013)]]
*[[Kratts' Creatures (found PBS children's educational series; 1996)]]
*[[Kratts' Creatures (found PBS children's educational series; 1996)]]
*[[The Let's Go Show (partially found PBS Kids Sprout series; 2007-2008)]]
*[[Make Way for Noddy (partially found PBS Kids version of British children's TV series; 2005)]]
*[[Make Way for Noddy (partially found PBS Kids version of British children's TV series; 2005)]]
*[[Molly of Denali (partially found pitch pilot of PBS Kids animated series; 2018)]]
*[[Molly of Denali (partially found pitch pilot of PBS Kids animated series; 2018)]]
*[[Nature Cat (lost pitch pilot of PBS Kids educational animated series; early 2010s)]]
*[[Nature Cat (lost pitch pilot of PBS Kids educational animated series; early 2010s)]]
*[[Peg + Cat (Partially Found pitch pilot of PBS Kids educational animated series; 2011)]]
*[[Peg + Cat (partially lost pitch pilot of PBS Kids educational animated series; 2011)]]
*[[Preschool Musical... On a Stick (Partially Found PBS Kids Sprout "High School Musical" parody; 2008)]]
*[[Preschool Musical... On a Stick (partially lost PBS Kids Sprout "High School Musical" parody; 2008)]]
*[[Seven Little Monsters (found episodes of PBS Kids animated series; 2000-2004)]]
*[[Seven Little Monsters (found episodes of PBS Kids animated series; 2000-2004)]]
*[[Space Race (partially found PBS Kids web series; 2011)]]
*[[Space Race (partially found PBS Kids web series; 2011)]]
*[[The Sunny Side Up Show (partially found PBS Kids Sprout series; 2007-2017)]]
*[[Super Why! (partially found British dub of PBS Kids CGI animated series; late 2000s-2010s)]]
*[[Super Why! (partially found British dub of PBS Kids CGI animated series; late 2000s-2010s)]]
*[[What's The Big Idea? (partially found pitch pilot of "Sid The Science Kid" PBS Kids CGI animated series; 2007)]]
*[[Super Why! (lost second pitch pilot of PBS Kids CGI-animated series; 2004-2006)]]
*[[What's The Big Idea? (non-existent pitch pilot of "Sid The Science Kid" PBS Kids CGI animated series; 2007)]]
*[[WordGirl (lost pitch pilot of PBS Kids educational animated series; existence unconfirmed; 2005)]]
*[[WordGirl (lost pitch pilot of PBS Kids educational animated series; existence unconfirmed; 2005)]]
*[[WordWorld (found test pilot of PBS Kids CGI animated educational series; 2005)]]
*[[WordWorld (found test pilot of PBS Kids CGI animated educational series; 2005)]]

Latest revision as of 02:20, 1 August 2024

20065uf.jpg.png

The Puzzle Place logo.

Status: Partially Found

The Puzzle Place was an edutainment puppet show produced by KCET and Lancit Media that initially ran from 1994-1998 on PBS with 75 episodes and 6 out-of-print VHS compilations.

Concept

The show utilized the talents of Jim Henson Company puppeteers such as Noel MacNeal of Bear in the Big Blue House fame, Carmen Osbahr, the puppeteer for Rosita from Sesame Street, and even Matt Vogel and Peter Linz, known best as the originators of Constantine the Frog and Walter in the Muppet films, respectively. Vogel is currently performing the roles of Kermit the Frog, Big Bird, and The Count, among others.

The show tackled all manner of difficult topics such as racism, sexism, handicaps, death, etc. and promoted diversity, open communication, and compassion. The production and writing quality were especially high for a puppeteering show that was never directly connected to the CTW.

Copyrights

Currently, PBS doesn't hold the rights to it, and chances are no one ever will. Lancit Media, which was the proprietor of the show itself and all merchandise pertaining to it, went through many financial restraints in its short-lived run and inevitably went under. In order to ever release these episodes on any format, one would need to renew the rights, which is a money-consuming prospect for a show as inconsequential to the public at large.

Pilot

According to a KCET article written in 2014, there was a pilot aired in 1994 titled The Puzzle Works or Puzzleworks.[1] There are two found videos so far that confirm this fact.[2][3] Before this point, a lot of write-ups were done for the show under the name of The Puzzle Factory, which was apparently changed to avoid copyright issues with a toy company of a similar name. Besides that, nothing else is mentioned about the pilot.[4]

While it's unknown if the pilot had different characters, one write-up calls one of the characters Jamal "Jammin" Waters and has a Hispanic character called Victor Melendez. In another article from, later on, characters have different first and last names (those being Max Olafsen, Leon Devon, Jazzy Silver, Skye Blazing Star).[5]

Availability

All six of the out-of-print VHS compilations (as well as an extra clip created for a special VHS in a series called Kids for Character) were sought out online and ripped by the currently defunct Dailymotion user TheRedBaron1985.

There are 9 complete episodes in the VHS compilations, and 3 of them (Cute Is As Cute Does, Going By The Book, and Deck the Halls) haven't been found in a stand-alone format.

As of July 2024, not counting episodes only contained in the compilations, 46 of the 75 episodes have been fully found.

VHS Compilations

Episode List

Season 1

# Episode Title Air Date Status
1 Tippy Woo Jan 16th, 1995 Found
2 Train Driving Kids Jan 17th, 1995 Found
3 Rip Van Wrinkle Jan 18th, 1995 Found
4 Accentuate the Positive Jan 19th, 1995 Found
5 Gotta Dance Jan 20th, 1995 Found
6 Rudy One Jan 23rd, 1995 Found
7 Butterfingers Jan 24th, 1995 Found
8 Rock Dreams Jan 25th, 1995 Found
9 Roamantics Jan 26th, 1995 Found
10 Spud Buds Jan 27th, 1995 Found
11 Different Drummer Jan 30th, 1995 Found
12 I Love Kiki Jan 31st, 1995 Found
13 True Colors Feb 1st, 1995 Found
14 Cute is as Cute Does Feb 2nd, 1995 Found
15 Leon's Pizza Feb 3rd, 1995 Found
16 Real Heroes Feb 6th, 1995 Found
17 Going by the Book Feb 7th, 1995 Found
18 Mad Music Magic Feb 8th, 1995 Found
19 Party of One Feb 9th, 1995 Found
20 Dancing Dragon Feb 10th, 1995 Found
21 Picture Perfect Feb 13th, 1995 Found
22 Maiden Voyages Feb 14th, 1995 Found
23 Donuts and Dithering Feb 15th, 1995 Partially Found
24 Bully for Jody Feb 16th, 1995 Found
25 Ben's Bad Hair Day Feb 17th, 1995 Partially Found
26 All Weather Friends Feb 20th, 1995 Found (LQ)
27 Bread and Matzoh Feb 21st, 1995 Found
28 Owning it Feb 22nd, 1995 Partially Found
29 Baffled Ben (1 | 2) Feb 23rd, 1995 Partially Found
30 Practice Makes Perfect Feb 24th, 1995 Found
31 Finders Keepers Feb 27th, 1995 Found
32 You Say Potato Feb 28th, 1995 Found
33 At the End of our Rope Mar 1st, 1995 Lost
34 Just Kidding Mar 2nd, 1995 Found (also in Portuguese)
35 Everything in its Place Mar 3rd, 1995 Found
36 Big Boys Don't Cry Mar 6th, 1995 Found
37 Here's to the Winners Mar 7th, 1995 Found
38 A World of Difference Mar 8th, 1995 Partially Found
39 Willing and Able Mar 9th, 1995 Partially Found
40 It's Magic Mar 10th, 1995 Partially Found

Season 2

# Episode Title Air Date Status
1 Deck the Halls Jan 15th, 1996 Found
2 Dressing up is Hard to do Jan 16th, 1996 Found
3 One Way Jan 17th, 1996 Found
4 Oldies But Goodies Jan 18th, 1996 Partially Found
5 Helping Hands Jan 19th, 1996 Found
6 Yellow Belt Jan 22nd, 1996 Partially Found
07 The Mystery of the Fabulous Hat Jan 23rd, 1996 Found
08 How Much is that Doggie in the Window? Jan 24th, 1996 Lost
09 The New Adventures of Julie Woo Jan 25th, 1996 Partially Found
10 We Three Kings Jan 26th, 1996 Found
11 Hello, Maggie Jan 29th, 1996 Found
12 Off the Track Jan 30th, 1996 Lost
13 Beautiful Doll Jan 31st, 1996 Found
14 Tattle Tales Feb 1st, 1996 Lost
15 Those Ears, Those Eyes Feb 2nd, 1996 Lost
16 That's Weird Feb 5th, 1996 Found
17 The Ballad of Davy Cricket Feb 6, 1996 Found
18 Little Leon, Big Ben Feb 7th, 1996 Lost
19 I Scream, You Scream Feb 8th, 1996 Found
20 Skye's Coat Feb 9th, 1996 Partially Found
21 It's Mine Feb 12th, 1996 Found
22 One Big, Happy Family Feb 13th, 1996 Lost
23 Leon Grows up Feb 14th, 1996 Found
24 Cowpokes Feb 15th, 1996 Partially Found (Danish only)
25 Hurricane Julie Feb 16th, 1996 Lost

Season 3

# Episode Title Air Date Status
01 Family Fun Oct 19th, 1998 Lost
02 Anything She can do Oct 20th, 1998 Lost
03 You Don't Match Oct 21st, 1998 Lost
04 To Have and Have Not Oct 26th, 1998 Partially Found
05 Fiesta Follies Oct 27th, 1998 Lost
06 Between You and Me Oct 28th, 1998 Lost
07 A Star is Burned Oct 29th, 1998 Found
08 Spooky Oct 30th, 1998 Found
09 Up! Dec 3rd, 1998 Lost
10 I'm Talking to You Dec 4th, 1998 Found

Gallery

Defunctland's video on the subject.

See Also

Bumpers

PBS

PBS Kids

References