DefunctTV: The History of The Puzzle Place

32 thoughts on “DefunctTV: The History of The Puzzle Place”

1. The only bit of Puzzle Place that I ever got to see was on a VHS called Character Counts (it had Skye’s pouch story). Even though that’s the only bit I’ve ever seen, there’s something so comforting and nostalgic about the way the characters talk.

2. Puzzle Palace? As far as I know, Ft. Meade, Maryland is still open for business and business is as brisk as ever.

3. We need more stuff like this today

4. I'm very disappointed that this didn't get more views

5. Here at 377,849 views. (before that too)

6. I dont remember much about this show now but i do remember I loved it, Kiki was my favorite and i took her doll everywhere. I still have that doll somewhere as well as a book from the series

7. The puppets reminded me of cousin skeeter.

8. During the intro where all the people producing and promoting the series were white men, I was pretty nervous that this show would be a white-centric idea of race and oppression. I was pleasantly surprised when the show seemed to actually address multiculturalism in a way that's both appropriate for kids and actually applies to real-life situations. You can't really explain the systemic background of oppression that's plagued the United States since its inception to a child, but also the "racism is when people are mean to non-white people for no reason and can be fixed by telling them that everyone is the same" way that I've heard kids shows do before is horribly inaccurate and unhelpful. This show seemed to address actual issues marginalized groups faced. I can definitely relate to my last name being made fun of, I have a very stereotypically Jewish last name and that was always a point of mocking by my elementary school classmates, and no matter how many times the teachers would let my mom come in to my class to explain Chanukkah, the kids in my class still seemed to be unable to comprehend that I a.) did not celebrate Christmas or any part of Christmas, including ornaments, trees, Christmas songs, seeing family on Christmas, or going to church, and b.) did not have a "sad" time during Christmas, as I still got gifts, and I mostly just spent Christmas day as any other day off. It addressed cultural and personal differences and that we are different, but also portrayed to kids that those differences didn't make us any less human. I wish this show still ran just a few years later so kids in my grade could have seen it, would have maybe made them understand it a bit more.
   Also, I loved that Sinbad was a special guest. That's incredible.

9. Ah yes, Matt Vogel. Seemingly the only person the Muppets goes to if someone dies or quits.

10. this show seems incredible, i might try and watch what’s left!

11. NGL I was scared when the German kid confronted the Jewish kid about Christmas.

12. I was quite young when this show was on. So I don't really remember much about it, or what I learned from it as a kid in any definite manner. But I know that it's always something I've remembered with fondness. I still have a Ben doll that my mother bought me when it was, I think, my favorite show. I thank you for this video giving me background on something that was so important to me once upon a time. I do hope that some day I'll be able to see more of the series again. It wasn't perfect. And something with similar intent made today would certainly have more issues to tackle. But the importance of programs like these has neither gone away nor even become less in the time since its airing.

13. i remember this show so fondly. kiki was my favorite as a kid, being a bossy little first generation mexican american myself. i never knew that it was created in response to the L.A. race riots! i was a toddler at the time but we lived close to where rodney king was brutally assaulted, and my parents have since told me about what the climate was like at the time. wonderful video, though i'm haunted by how history continues to repeat itself.

14. I loved this show when I was younger.

15. on one hand, i'm seeing a lot of woke-isms from modern day race relations pretty much being in fucking tatters due to convoluted and unfortunate beliefs from the younger generation, but on the other hand it's nice to see that people made attempts to care for their fellow man without it feeling utterly fucking hamfisted.
    the modern day political sphere is actually why i outright hate anyone who is not like me

16. Kyle was the inspiration for the line “save your little wheelchair empowerment films” from the Harvey Danger song Terminal Annex, when band members, stoned and channel-surfing, came across a puppet explaining, “I’m not in a wheelchair, I use a wheelchair.”

17. We need more shows that teach us about different cultures and just how to handle uncomfortable topics

18. Ugh. Actors portray characters. Not themselves. And puppeteering actors aren't even seen by the audience. The point of the show was to have the PUPPETS represent different types of people, not the puppeteers. Get a grip. Do you think there were any kids out there who might have been influenced by the message of the show EXCEPT that they knew the puppeteer was white or something? The kids didn't have a clue.

19. This is one of the shows that is forgotten through time since I was a 2000's kid

20. Even at 9 years old, I always thought Leon was stoned.

21. im a mexican american but I identified more with the black character. leon

22. I loved this show so much as a kid. My mom tape recorded many of the episodes so I could watch it on weekends too. I’m almost 31 but still remember a bunch of episodes and songs so vividly and even had all the dolls. I lived in a white bubble of a small town and credit this show for teaching me so much at a young and impressionable age about diversity, respecting differences, and taking an interest in other cultures and traditions. I’m glad I had this show and hope kids today have something similar.

23. I was one of the kids this show was aimed at, while I wasn’t actually represented on screen I remember wishing I had a friend like Skye who was so insightful and always willing to help.

24. Thanks for the video! No one ever remember this show when I talk about it

25. I need to find my VHS copies of this show. As someone living in Chicago, it's something I thought most people forgot, or didn't know in the first place.
    Glad to know I was wrong.

26. I barely remember the show, I just know that I had an imaginary friend named Kiki after the character in it!

27. I genuinely do not see why people get so worked up by cartoon characters and puppets not being voiced by performers of the exact same ethnicity. Or rather, people getting selectively worked up… For example, in "Into the Spider-Verse" Mary-Jane Watson (a red-haired Caucasian character) was voiced by Zoe Kravitz (an African-American) and nobody took issue with that as far as I'm aware.
    Besides, when American cartoons are redubbed for e.g. the Chinese market, the characters of every ethnicity (white, black, Mexican etc) will be voiced exclusively by Chinese actors, and no one bothers to get offended by that…

28. 13:04 I found the meme.

29. I loved this show as a kid. My mom bought us some of the VHS’s.

30. Do you know how gooped I would be if I went ice skating and my friend was like “oh btw meet Patti LaBelle” like omg

31. Shoot bring back the Puzzle Place now.

32. I absolutely love this video. I don't know how often you read comments, but id love to see an episode on "It's a big big World". I remember liking it as a kid 🙂

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