Noreen Young facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Noreen Young
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| Born |
Noreen Isabel Brathwaite
10 May 1939 |
| Died | 18 April 2025 (aged 85) Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
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| Spouse(s) | Bruce Kingsley |
| Children | 5 |
Noreen Isabel Young (born Brathwaite; May 10, 1939 – April 18, 2025) was a talented Canadian artist. She was famous for creating, building, and performing with puppets. Noreen Young also produced many popular children's TV shows.
Contents
Life and Career Highlights
Noreen Young grew up in Old Ottawa South, Ontario. She had two younger brothers. Later, she studied drawing and painting in Toronto.
How Noreen Young Built Puppets
Noreen learned how to build puppets by reading everything she could. She became known for a special way of making them. She used liquid latex, which allowed her to sculpt the puppets' faces. This made it possible for their mouths to open and close, and their faces to show expressions.
Early TV Shows and Awards
Noreen Young started her long career in television puppetry in Ottawa. She worked on shows like Hi Diddle Day (1967–1976). This show was about a female mayor in a small town. She also worked on Pencil Box (1977-1979). Hi Diddle Day won an Ohio State Award. Pencil Box was named Best Children's Programme in 1978.
She also built puppets for other well-known shows. These included Today's Special and Téléfrançais!.
Producing Under the Umbrella Tree
Noreen Young started her own company, Noreen Young Productions Inc. With the CBC Television and Telefilm Canada, she produced Under the Umbrella Tree. This was a very popular children's series. It ran from 1987 to 1993 in Canada. Later, it was shown on the Disney Channel from 1990 to 1997. The show was also translated into French. You can still watch it online today. For this show, Noreen was the main producer. She also performed as "Gloria the Gopher."
Other Puppet Characters
Noreen Young was also the puppeteer for "Dodi" on Sesame Park. This was the Canadian version of Sesame Street. Her puppets appeared on many TVOntario shows. These included Readalong and Téléfrançais!. She was also featured in a special TV show for the Care Bears in 1984.
Caricature Puppets
Noreen Young was also known for her special caricature puppets. These puppets looked like famous people. She made puppets of former Governor-General Adrienne Clarkson. She also made puppets of news anchor Peter Mansbridge. Another famous puppet was of hockey commentator Don Cherry. She also made puppets of many well-known people from her hometown of Almonte, Ontario.
Puppet Exhibitions
In 2018, many of Noreen Young's puppets were shown in an exhibit. It was called "Noreen Young, a Puppet Retrospective." The exhibit was at the Mississippi Valley Textile Museum in Almonte. It featured 150 puppets from her collection. These puppets showed her work from 1967 to 2018. Some puppets were from Hi Diddle Day. Others were from an adult opera she created puppets for. Many of her puppets are now kept in the National Museum of History. They are also at Library and Archives Canada.
Personal Life and Passing
Noreen Young was married to Bruce Kingsley. She had two children and three step-children. She passed away on April 18, 2025, at the age of 85. Her passing was announced two days later.
Order of Canada Recognition
In 1995, Noreen Young received a special honor. She was made a Member of the Order of Canada. This award recognized her important work. She used puppetry to teach children about important topics. These included safety, healthy eating, caring for the environment, and avoiding harmful habits.
