Ronnie Burkett at the NAC

On March 16th I attended Ronnie Burkett's opening night performance of Penny Plain at the NAC. This performance proves once again why Ronnie is so often referred to as a Master Puppeteer. Penny Plain is a wonderfully dark and dramatic performance with an all-new cast of beautiful, skilfully crafted marionettes. Every time I see one of Ronnie's shows I am left in awe, and Penny Plain is certainly no exception. Be sure to see it while you can. It is playing now at the NAC until April 1st. Tickets for the performance are very reasonably priced at $22 to $25. Also, be certain not to miss out on a very special and rare opportunity "Ronnie Burkett Unstrung" is a special benefit appearance by Ronnie at the NAC's Fourth Stage in support of the Puppets Up International Festival. Take a look at the nifty poster for the event below. Be sure to get your tickets before they are sold out!

Perseus and the Gorgon Medusa

Perseus, Son of Zeus by Artelle Puppets

Looking for a fun family event during the March Break? Artelle Puppets will be performing the popular story "Perseus and the Gorgon Medusa", from Greek Mythology, at four branches of the Ottawa Public Library.  Performances are 45 minutes each and are free for the public with pre-registration. Please see the schedule of locations and dates below. Hope to see you there.

To register, click here:

http://biblioottawalibrary.ca/en/main/program?branch=255&type=All&audience=All&keyword=perseus

Monday March 12, 2012 at 2pm – Carlingwood branch

281 Woodroffe

Ottawa, K2A 3W4

613-725-2449

Tuesday, March 13, 2012 at 2pm – Ruth E. Dickinson branch

100 Malvern

Ottawa, K2J 2G5

613-580-2796 

Wednesday, March 14, 2012 at 2pm – Alta Vista branch

2516 Alta Vista

Ottawa, K1V 7T1

613-737-2837

Friday, March 16, 2012 at 2pm – Sunnyside branch

1049 Bank

Ottawa, K1S 3W9

613-730-1082

Hey everyone, it's HR Pufnstuf!

Sing with me! "HR Pufnstuf, can't do a little 'cause you can't do enough"

As a new feature for my puppet blog I'm going to spotlight a new puppetry character collectable each month. So I thought the best choice for the first post would be the lovable and goofy looking HR Pufnstuf, the Mayor of Living Island.

Here is the action figure of Pufnstuf made by Living Toys in 2000 as part of the Krofft Superstars series. Below is the back view of the figure. This figure has eight points of articulation: neck, shoulders, wrists, legs and tail. It's a very well made action figure with a lot of detail. An excellent addition to a Pufnstuf or Krofft collection. Yep, Pufnstuf is one weird looking dude!

Created by Sid and Marty Krofft, the HR Pufnstuf TV show premiered in Sept 1969 and ran for 17 episodes. The shows were re-broadcast numerous times throughout the 1970s, gaining fans of all ages. However Pufnstuf wasn't the only star. Who can forget the awesome Billy Hayes as the comical villain Witchiepoo, and her bumbling henchmen Orson Vulture, Seymore and Stupid Bat! There's also Jimmy, performed by 16 year old Jack Wild who has a remarkable talent for dancing and singing. My favourite song from the TV series is "How Lucky I Am" from episode two. Jimmy's pal Freddy Flute and other puppet characters make the program that much more enjoyable. HR Pufnstuf is an imaginative TV series that I'll always enjoy.

Pufnstuf vs Kermit the Frog

Something that I find interesting about Pufnstuf, is that he has a pointed collar not unlike Kermit the Frog. So who was first to wear the pointed collar on TV? I suspect it was HR Pufnstuf. Since 1955, Kermit was simply a lizard without a collar. In 1968 he had been transformed into a frog for the production of "Hey Cinderella", however that TV special stayed in the can for a few years and did not air on television until 1970. Therefore, it seems likely that Kermit's first TV appearance as a frog, with the pointed collar, was for the first episode of Sesame Street in Nov 1969, more than a month after Pufnstuf made his TV debut in Sept 1969. However, it's also possible that Kermit made an appearance as a frog on the Ed Sullivan show in 1968 before his Sesame Street debut, and before Pufnstuf, though any footage I've seen from the Ed Sullivan program shows Kermit as the "lizard" who had not yet become a frog. In any case, I find it an interesting coincidence that similar green collars appeared on both of these characters around the same time in late 1969.

This is a great CD set for Krofft and Pufnstuf fans that was available in 2010. Sid and Marty Krofft's Saturday Morning Hits has a selection of episodes from several of the Krofft's best programs, including HR Pufnstuf, Bigfoot and Wildboy, Sigmund and the Sea Monsters, Lidsville, and several others. The complete series of HR Pufnstuf is also now available on DVD. Obsessed Krofft fans (like me!) would also be interested in the original Pufnstuf movie, that was released on DVD in 2011. Though it's interesting to watch for nostalgia sake, the movie is not as much fun as the TV series.  



Mikey's Muppet Memorabilia Museum

Ho Hi! I've been collecting Muppet Memorabilia for many years and have put some of the collection online. Take a look! http://mikeysmuppetmemorabiliamuseum.blogspot.com/

Puppet Making Workshop for Culture Days, Oct. 1, 2011

Join Artelle Puppets for a free two-hour puppet making workshop at Dovercourt Recreation Centre. Suitable for ages 5 to 12, parents are welcome to participate. This event is offered as part of the national Culture Days activities.

Date/Time: Oct 1, 2011 10:30 am to 12:30 noon

Registration: 613-798-8950  www.dovercourt.org

Location: 411 Dovercourt Ave.

For more information, please see the listing on the culture days website:
http://www.culturedays.ca/en/2011-activities/view/4e78a083-5b0c-44ac-a752-41ad4c4a89be

Hope to see you there!

http://www.artellepuppets.ca/

Artelle Puppets website is online!

 

My new website for Artelle Puppets went online yesterday, Saturday June 25, 2011. I'm very happy with the final look of the site. In addition to offering Puppet Shows and Puppet Workshops, I'm exploring a new avenue in puppetry which is to sell original hand-made puppets. The new website has a Puppet Store where current puppets will be offered. I'll be adding new puppets to the Puppet Store each month so be sure to check back for updates! http://www.artellepuppets.ca/

Welcome to my new Puppetry blog!

Thanks for visiting my new puppetry blog. This is where I'll be posting updates about my puppet shows and other nifty puppetry news.

Presently I'm working on a brand new website for Artelle Puppets! For those of you who may not know, I work with my mother Peggy Artelle. Together we make all of the puppets and scenery for our live puppet shows, and have been doing so for over 20 years. We are presently remounting our live show Perseus and the Gorgon Medusa, as well as designing a variety of puppets to sell online and around the city at local events. We also have several puppetry workshops available, so there is much happing these days here at the Artelle's puppet studio! Please check back for updates, or post a comment. Bye for now! :)

Here we are (Peggy and Mike Artelle) with our Hero Puppets of Athena and Perseus after our performance at the Puppets Up International Festival in 2006.