The Puzzle Place facts for kids

Quick facts for kids The Puzzle Place
Created by	Cecily Truett Suzanne Singer Rob Stork Ellis Weiner David Yazbek
Starring	Alice Dinnean Carmen Osbahr Jim Martin Noel MacNeal Eric Jacobson Peter Linz Matt Vogel Drew Massey Alison Mork Stephanie D'Abruzzo Terri Hardin Allan Trautman
Theme music composer	Steve Horelick Janet Weir
Composer(s)	Steve Horelick Janet Weir
Country of origin	United States
Original language(s)	English
No. of seasons	3
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	NTSC (480i)
Original release	January 16, 1995 (1995-01-16) – December 4, 1998 (1998-12-04)

The Puzzle Place is an American children's television series produced by KCET in Los Angeles and Lancit Media in New York City. Although production was dated and premiered on two Los Angeles PBS stations, KCET and KLCS, on September 15, 1994, it did not officially premiere on all PBS stations nationwide until January 16, 1995, with its final episode airing on December 4, 1998, and reruns airing until March 31, 2000. It became one of PBS Kids' most popular series on the line-up since Sesame Street.

On April 3, 2000, Between the Lions replaced it on the schedule. The show aired reruns on TLC on the Ready Set Learn block until 2003, & PBJ until 2016.

Premise

The series 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 teenage years, such as making moral decisions, sharing, racism, and sexism.

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. She especially loves singing; though, outside of the show's musical numbers, her voice can be cacophonous to humorous effect. Performed by Alice Dinnean.
• Kiki Flores: A Mexican American girl from San Antonio, Texas. She is very outgoing and has a temper. She once pretended to be a space alien after being teased about her accent (episode: Accentuate The Positive). She is also a great chili cook and has a Spanish-speaking cousin named Magdalena (or Maggie) (episode: "Hello Maggie") who helps everyone to learn about acceptance. Performed by Carmen Osbahr.
• Ben Olafson: A Scandinavian American boy of German and Norwegian descent from a farm near Renner, South Dakota. Like Jody, he is a child without both parents, but unlike her, whose are divorced, his father is deceased (episode: "Big Boys Don't Cry"). He is good at solving difficult puzzles and a talented dancer. Though normally easygoing and friendly, he can be unforgiving when angered. Performed by Jim Martin.
• Leon MacNeal: An African American boy, possibly of West African origin from New York City. He wears dreadlocks, gets jealous easily, and sometimes does not think before he acts. He is a fan of hip-hop music and loves basketball. Performed by Noel MacNeal, with Eric Jacobson puppeteering him to MacNeal's voice in season 3.
• Skye Nakaiye: A White Mountain Apache boy from an Indian reservation in Arizona. He always wears a bandanna, raincoat, and feather necklace. He is naturally curious and believes in staying true to his values and culture. Performed by Peter Linz in seasons 1 and 2, and Matt Vogel in season 3.
• Jody Silver: A Jewish Lithuanian American girl from Cincinnati, Ohio. Her parents are divorced, she does not like to be called names, and she can be gullible but is usually enthusiastic. Performed throughout the series by Alison Mork, Stephanie D'Abruzzo, and Terri Hardin.
• Weebus: The group's smart talking computer that they use to communicate with people outside of the Puzzle Place. She is also capable of performing automated tasks and playing video clips to answer a question.
• 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 acting as animals around the kids. They are usually involved in a subplot. Sizzle is performed by Alice Dinnean and Nuzzle is performed by Peter Linz in Seasons 1 and 2 and Matt Vogel in Season 3.
• The Piece Police: Multicolored inhabitants of the Puzzle Place. They communicate amongst themselves using grumbling noises, although they understand English. It is hinted in some episodes that they all know what Sizzle and Nuzzle are saying. Performed by Carmen Osbahr, Jim Martin, Noel MacNeal, and Alison Mork, with Stephanie D'Abruzzo replacing Mork in Season 2, and Eric Jacobson and Terri Hardin replacing MacNeal and D'Abruzzo in Season 3. D'Abruzzo also provides their singing voices.
• Kyle O'Connor: An Irish American wheelchair bound boy who appears towards the end of the series. Initially performed by Drew Massey, and later puppeteered by Allan Trautman to Terri Hardin's voice.

Episodes

Pilot episodes

In early 1994, two pilot episodes were produced for the series known as The Puzzle Works. Eventually, the show was renamed The Puzzle Place shortly before its premiere months later.

Series overview

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. Rudy One (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 Heroes (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. Donuts and Dithering (February 15, 1995)
24. Bully 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)
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 Ears, Those Eyes (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 22, 1998)
5. Fiesta Follies (October 23, 1998)
6. Between You and Me (October 26, 1998)
7. A Star is Burned (October 27, 1998)
8. Spooky (October 28, 1998)
9. Up! (December 3, 1998)
10. I'm Talking to You (December 4, 1998)

Broadcast

Besides the PBS stations in the United States, the series also aired on TV Cultura in Brazil, Discovery Kids in Latin America, Playhouse Disney in France, Gerje TV in Hungary, RTP in Portugal, ERTU Channel 2 in Egypt, Nickelodeon Greece in Greece, TV Tokyo in Japan, GMTV in the UK, and ABC Kids in Australia.