Grogs (YTV) facts for kids
The Grogs were super cool puppet characters that appeared on the YTV television channel between 1992 and 1994. They were created by two young people named Jason Hopley and Jamie Shannon. This was their very first professional job working with puppets! Later on, Jason and Jamie started their own puppet company called The Grogs. They went on to create other awesome puppet shows like Mr. Meaty, Nanalan', and even worked on shows for Playhouse Disney.
Jason and Jamie actually started working on the Grogs as volunteers, without getting paid at first. They had even left York University to follow their passion. Because the Grogs became so popular, YTV hired them full-time!
Meet the Grogs!
The most famous Grog was Warren Chester Grog. He was a funny mix of a frog, a turtle, and moss! Warren had a grumpy voice and a bit of a cynical (meaning he often saw the bad side of things) personality. Other Grogs included Gidian, Chigonk, Rosencrantz, Jasper, Filth, Sorbet, and Iffer.
During the time the Grogs were on YTV, the hosts of the shows, called PJs, would sit behind a desk, kind of like a news show. A TV screen hung from the ceiling, showing clips. The Grogs were really loved by kids and got just as much fan mail as the human PJs!
Warren's Big Takeover!
The Grogs even had special shows on YTV. One of the most memorable was on January 1, 1994. Warren pretended to take over the YTV station! He "hijacked" the network, and it was renamed WTV (which stood for Warren TV). Warren even locked up the studio and made Filth his chief engineer.
Warren announced his plan to take over in late 1993. He even started a contest where kids could answer fun questions printed in the Christmas edition of TV Guide. If they got at least one answer right, they could win one of 100 t-shirts signed by Warren himself! Each shirt had a picture of Warren and said, "On Jan. 1st, 1994, TV Guide and I helped Warren Chester Grog take over YTV to create a network with attitude: WTV." But don't worry, the takeover was just for fun! In the end, PJ Fresh Phil and PJ Jenn stopped Warren's plan.
Why Did the Grogs Leave YTV?
The "WTV" takeover special marked the end of the Grogs' time on YTV. There was a disagreement between the TV station and Jason and Jamie, the puppeteers. YTV wanted to make toys based on the Grogs, but Jason and Jamie wanted to have control over their own creations. Because they couldn't agree, Jason and Jamie left YTV.
What Happened Next?
After the Grogs left, a new puppet character named Snit took their place from 1994 to 1997. Snit was a purple, gum-covered TV/computer! Later, a new group of puppets called Fuzzpaws took over the main puppet roles on YTV in 1995.
