Old School Lane's Nickelodeon Tribute: Interview with Noel MacNeal

Noel MacNeal had been doing various amounts of characters for Sesame Street being the different relatives of Snuffleupagus, but there are two roles that he is most known for. For my generation, he was Magellan from Eureeka's Castle.

For the kids who are now in their late teens, he is Bear from Bear in the Big Blue House.

He has done puppeteering for many movies and kids' shows from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III as Raphael to Madam Chairbird from Follow That Bird. Today, he does puppeteering classes for kids in New York City and has written a book called 10 Minute Puppets. 

Kevin and I had the chance to interview Noel. I hope you enjoy.

Kevin- What was like operating the puppet for Magellan? Was it compared to Carrol Spinney when he did Big Bird?

Noel- First of all, it was fun playing Magellan. And yes, he was built on the principle of "Big Bird technology." Meaning, my right arm was up through his neck and my right hand operated his mouth. SInce it was TV puppetry, I had a monitor (aka small TV) strapped to my chest with a microphone next to it for me to do the voice. But I had NO vision to see out of; the monitor only showed me what you'd see at home. This is how TV puppetry is done. And since Magellan had to be taller than everyone else, while the other puppeteers held the puppets up and walked around the floor, I was on risers that were connected and wooden boards as "boarders" drill onto the sides to keep me from falling off. (See? It's that fun?)

Patricia- Do you have any advice for anyone who anyone who's interested in puppeteering?

Noel- I grew up watching Jim Henson and co., Shari Lewis, even those Sid & Marty Kroft shows (like HR Puffenstuff and Lidsville). Today, there are so many ways to see performances and puppet styles via the internet. So, I'd advise to  look online at what puppet companies are in your area and contact them about internships, especially for any summer shows. Also, start making your own videos for Youtube. It's fun, and great practice for monitor work. That way you can also start building a "reel."

Kevin- Did you ever meet R.L. Stine? If so, what was he like?

Noel- A very nice man. His credit was "Jovial" Bob Stine, which we (the cast) found ironic after reading some of his scripts. (Which is why I became a writer for the show for season 2. "If you want something done right, do it yourself." ;-)

Kevin- What was your response when you found out that Goosebumps became a huge best selling book series?

Noel- Actually when I asked him about the series he was very self-depricating. I asked how he came up with all those stories and he said it's "the same story; I just keep changing the names of the characters."

Patricia- Who was your influences in puppeteering?

Noel- Burr Tilsrom was the puppeteer for Kukla, Fran, & Ollie. I loved this show. VERY old school by today's standards but Burr was a master at character voices and improv. ALL their shows was not scripted; they'd talk about what the show could be that day, such as Ollie's birthday, and then just do it.

Patricia- If you could take one memorabilia from Eureeka's Castle, what would it be and why?

Noel- Webster was such a fun character and a great puppet. Jim Kroupa (of 3 Design Studio that designed and built all the puppets) added an eye mech to him so that they could shift left and right. Brilliant puppet.

Patricia- What was the audition process like for Eureeka's Castle?

Noel- There wasn't one. Since I knew and worked with 3Design on other projects, they thought of me and gave me the job. There was 10 minute pilot/test we did with the characters to show Nickelodeon (to test on kids). 

Patricia- What was it like performing the puppet of Webster? 

Noel- I made Webster my Oscar the Grouch. Carroll Spinney said that Oscar is always a good way to vent and not be so "sweet" all the time, the way Big Bird is. So as much as Magellan was sincere and fun to be with, I let Webbster be this small, loud, snarling beast, who always ran Batly ragged. Then, when a bit I wrote with Batly bragging that Webbster was a better pet than Cooey, Magellan's pet, I wrote that Cooey loved Webbster and was very playful and that Webbster (for some unknown reason) was terrified of Cooey.

Kevin- What are some fond memories working on the set of Eureeka's Castle?

The cast. Not just the puppets but their human operators. The nicest and supportive folks I ever got to work with: Cheryl Blalock (Eureeka), Jim Kroupa (Batly), Pam Arciero (Quagmire, Emma the Mouse), Brian Meehl (Bogg, Mr Knack), and Lynn Hippen (Cooey, Kate the Mouse)

Kevin- What was like being on the set of TMNT 3?

Noel- There were "two" sets meaning shooting inside the studio for the turtles' lair and the shogun's palace but the rest was shot outside on location in the mountains of Oregon (which looked perfect for feudal Japan). An entire village was built within this little valley in the mountains. One day as the sun was setting, the fog/clouds started to creep over the edges and down the sides like fingers dipping into a bowl. Quite cool.

Kevin- What do you think of the new Michael Bay movie in which the Turtles are now aliens?

Noel- It's interesting how a good idea (aka franchise) can go through so many incarnations. Superman, Batman, Winnie the Pooh, Spiderman, even the Harry Potter films, have evolved over the years for a new "spin." So Mr. Bay is trying to make it as "different" as he can to make it his own stamp while still keeping with the spirit of the turtles. (But I won't go see it; they'll be too many explosions.)

Kevin- What was it like working with Jim Henson on the Jim Henson hour?

Noel- I only worked on the pitch/pilot to feel it to NBC and was flattered to be asked. I even got a line; I'm the door knocker at the end!

Kevin- Who was your favorite Muppet?

Noel- Any of the big ones such as Snuffy (on Sesame), Thog and Sweetums (on The Muppet Show), or the Gorgs (on Fraggle Rock). But Sesame had two of the oddest characters when i was growing up; Oscar and the Count. These two were so different that they would not be the same if created by today's standards, if at all.

Kevin- Do you have any fond memories being on the set of TMNT 3?

I was the puppeteer for Raph, meaning I operated the head via remote control. Matt Hill was the actor inside. It was great working with him and we hit it off immediately and knew how to be Raph, together. Our best scene was with the kid int he village and Raph is helping him feel better. We did a great job but I wanted to do the close up just one more time. Now, I had to ask Matt because he was incased in this thing. But when I did he wanted to also; he was going to ask ME for one more take! (Fast forward to 8:00)

Patricia- What was it like being in Follow That Bird?

Noel- That was my first movie and I loved it. I was Big Bird's wrangler (the person who preps the puppeteers for camera), his understudy (that's me in the field during the biplane chase), background characters (I filled in for Caroll as Oscar when Big Bird falls in front of his trash can), and my own character (Madame Chairbird).

Kevin- Who is your favorite Ninja Turtle?

Noel- Mine. Raphael was a great character cause he could get to be a wise-ass, a bad-ass, even grumpy, and get away with it cause inside, he's this softee who cares.

Patricia- When you did Madame Chairbird in Follow That Bird, how was like working the puppet?

Noel- She was BIG. I had to add stuffing inside the head so my hand could fit. And the set was raised five feet off the floor with holes where the chairs would be for us to reach up and operate the birds. Add onto this that I got the worse head cold EVER that morning. So I am performing the character that sets up the entire movie, on cold meds. I was so stuffed up and horse, I used it as part of her voice (cause I had no choice). So when I've been asked to do the voice, I sort of can't (not without Nyquill to start things off ;-).

Kevin- What was the most complicated puppet that you had to perform?

In some ways it was Rabbit from the Disney Channel series The Book Of Pooh. It was done bunraku style, the traditional puppetry of Japan that has more than one person to perform and character seen from head to toe. I was the head, Paul McGinnis did the arms and Matt Brooks, who built rabbit based on the Disney sketches, did the feet. So we always had to coordinate our moves so that rabbit could look natural (for a talking fussy rabbit).  Add to this we were all dressed in green against a green wall so the the Hundred Acre Wood could be superimposed in, and you have a very involved puppet moment. 

Patricia- Do you keep in touch with any people that you worked with in Eureeka's Castle?

Noel- I do. I've known Jim Kroupa since college, long before Eureeka, as well as Pam Arciero from our work on Sesame. But I also stay in touch with everyone else (through the magic of Facebook).

Patricia- What was the audition process like for Bear in the Big Blue House?

Noel- I had gone it to audition for another character for another show that morning. That afternoon I got a call and was asked to come back to do another audition for a different character. they faxed me the drawing and the lines for this bear. It looked cute and I got a cab, headed back. As soon as I walk in I'm told "Use your own voice." What? We're the Muppets; we don't do that. But Bear was designed to be the anti-Barney and be a show kids AND parents could sit through together. 

So I get in the prototype that just has the foam head and the body (with no fur) and ..... I... love it! It felt so comfortable and  cool and what a great character this will be. Then I thought, "Wait, Noel. It's after 5:00. You're the last one they're seeing and have already picked the guy for this. This is just a formality; a courtesy." So I decided I would just have as much fun as a could since I wouldn't be doing this again. So I had Bear go WAAAAY into the camera and back and run around and..... This was on a Friday.

That Monday I got the call just before 6:00. I got the part.

Patricia- There was a documentary for Kevin Clash and his experiences with being Elmo. Will we see something like that for you and your experiences with Magellan or Bear?

Noel- Not anytime soon. But I like that my book, 10 Minute Puppets, is not only a way of showing people my life-long love for puppets but also lets them have a chance to discover it too.

Patricia- What was the process of getting an episode done on Eureeka's Castle?

Noel- Eureeka was "bits," little short skits. So we would do them out of order. Any bits in the Moat Lair were done, then move to another set such as the Courtyard.

Patricia- What was the best compliment or feedback that you have ever gotten from a fan?

Noel- I always loved (and still have) the artwork kids would give Bear. But one of the most memorable "feedback" was a letter from a mom of a child with special needs. The little girl, since a baby, never really responded our even spoke. When she was two, she was in her high chair when the mom turned on the TV. Bear welcomed them in, smelled something, and sniffed the camera. She said when Bear's nose came that close and sniff, the girl, jumped back, squealed, and smiled. I've always loved how Bear was such a positive part of so may people's lives.

Patricia- Do people know you more as Magellan or Bear?

Both. The "kids" who grew up with Bear are now in high school. The "kids" who knew Magellan have graduated college.

Patricia- What are your upcoming projects?

Noel- I've been working with The Center for Arts Education through the "Parents As Arts Partners" program to teach puppetry to autistic kids and their parents puppetry. I will be teaching a puppetry course for the GO Project summer program to low-income/special needs kids in July.

Patricia- Great. Thank you so much for taking the time to answer our questions, Noel.

Noel- Whew! Cheers!

You can learn more about Noel MacNeal at noelmacneal.com. You can also follow him on Twitter @NoelMacNeal. Hope to see you around Old School Lane soon. Take care.


-Patricia and Kevin

Old School Lane's Nickelodeon Tribute: Interview with Cheryl Blaylock

Cheryl Blaylock became a puppeteer in Sesame Street and had done extra work in The Muppets Take Manhattan before becoming her best known role as Eureeka in Eureeka's Castle. From 1989 to 1995, she was everyone's favorite sorceress in training. After that, she had done puppet work in many other kids' shows like The Adventures of Timmy the Tooth, Oobi, and Blue's Room. Today, she works at a non-profit organization in New York called Trees New York where she's the director of Youth Programs.

Kevin and I had the chance to interview Cheryl so I hope you enjoy.

Patricia- What shows did you grow up watching that got you interested in puppeteering?

Cheryl- I grew up in Kalamazoo Michigan.  At that time, we had two television channels, NBC and CBS.  OMG, this is sounding like ancient history!  I watched Howdy Doody and Captain Kangaroo and was a big fan of the Banana Man.  Had me in 3-yr old hysterics.  We also had Channel 3 Clubhouse, a locally produced show that had a puppet show and a very interesting artist character who would do "squiggle lines" (a kid would draw a squiggle line on an easle and the Artist would make a drawing out of it).  I was amazed by him.  Later on in high school, I realized he was my Art teacher, Don Bonevich.  What a privilege to have him for a teacher.  He was an actor, puppeteer, sculptor, painter, ceramist.  So cool.  Had a goatee and used terms like "trite" and "dogmatic."  And he let us grade ourselves.

Patricia- Who were your influences?


Cheryl- Jim Henson, Jim Henson, Jim Henson.  First viewing:  The Glutton on The Ed Sullivan Show.  Laugh riot.  Speaking of Ed Sullivan, Topo Gigio.  Mahna mahna.  Ballet.  Airplanes.  Mummenschanz.  Kukla Fran & Ollie.  Shari Lewis.  Nestle's Quik w/Farfel.  Judy Holliday.  Lucille Ball.  Goldie Hawn.  Tracey Ullman.  The Beatles.  The Beach Boys.  Joni Mitchell.  Lar Lubovitch.  Martha Graham.  Isadora Duncan.  Philippe Genty.  Claude Kipnis.  Maira Kalman.  Helen Keller.  Joseph Campbell.

Kevin- What was the audition process like for Eureeka's Castle?


Cheryl- It seemed a wonderful opportunity to connect again with my puppet buddies.  I had been going back and forth from NY to LA pursuing acting and puppeteering, doing a few TV shows, commercials and voice over.  Seemed like there were only a handful of us doing TV puppetry at the time.  So - compared to most auditions that are highly competitive with lots and lots of auditionees, it seemed more like a small rep company audition with colleagues.

Kevin- Do you still have your Eureeka puppet?


Cheryl- Eureeka is owned by 3/Design Studio and I believe she's preserved safely somewhere.

Patricia- What were some fond memories that you have when doing Eureeka's Castle?

Cheryl- I meant to do that...  Batley, played by Jim Kroupa.  There was a great camaraderie between all the cast members, Pam Arciero, Brian Meehl, Noel MacNeal and Lynn Hippen.  We were all fairly new and all had experience on Sesame Street and with Muppets or Muppet-style puppets.  And it was a nice break for 3/Design Studio.  And I got to write a couple of pieces that were actually produced.

As the show got more popular, we were occasionally asked if we gave tours.  The producer came in one day to tell us that there was a little girl who was such a fan that her mother just had to bring her on the set could they please please please, so we had a special day when she came in with her parents & brother.  I don't know exactly what she had in mind, but the moment she saw the sets built up above our heads and puppeteers below and lights and cameras, she turned and buried her head in her father's chest for the rest of the visit.  We all hoped she wasn't scarred for life.  ...Her brother loved it though!

Well, not exactly in the category of fond memories, but the news of Jim Henson's death came during one of our shoot days.  It was bizarre.  Someone mentioned it.  We all kind of said, hey, that's not a funny joke, something like that and continued working...  All I remember is that they finally shut down the set and took all six puppeteers in the green room and sat us down to tell us.  It was just too unbelievable to be true.

Kevin- What was it like working with R.L. Stine?


Cheryl- I think I still have a script somewhere - by Jovial Bob Stine.  That's how we knew him.  He became R.L. Stine after Eureeka.  He talks about it in his biography It Came From Ohio.  There's even a photo of me and Eureeka in the book.  Bob was the head writer and there were several other writers on staff including Judy Katschke, who created it.  Many of them were also children's book authors.  We always hoped they didn't get too offended when we (as always happens) improvised around their scripts in the process of taping.  Bob was a good sport.  I love that he gave himself the name Jovial Bob Stine.  You really see it when you look at him.

Kevin- How did you react when you heard that Goosebumps became a huge best selling book series?

Cheryl...Jovial Bob...???   OUR Jovial Bob?  I had no idea.  He has always been a neighbor of mine.  When his biography was published I called to ask if he'd autograph my copy.  He said sure, come on over.  We've moved.  Oh, did they move.  The doorman lead me to a private elevator, door opens, yep, there's good ol' Jovial Bob.  In the house that Goosebumps built.  O. M. G.  But he was still exactly the Bob I knew.  Very genuine and kind.  And seemed kind of amazed by it all himself.

Patricia- When people find out that you were Eureeka, do they ever demand that you do the character?

Cheryl- Of course!  ...well, maybe I encouraged it a bit.  Doesn't happen much anymore, thank goodness.  I don't know why, but it's always a little shocking to know the people who remember Eureeka fondly are now in their 30s.  Yikes.  But yes, I did commit to memory one of Eureeka's little songs, just for these moments:
My name is Eureeka, I'm an almost wizard
Which means that I'm a wizard but, not quite
I'd love to take a lizard in the middle of a blizzard
Make him be a bunny rabbit in the summer sunlight
My tricks don't always work but I never sweat it
Me weep or moan or sweat it forget it
There's just too much to do and I know I'll be okay
Cause I know that it's true
Every wizard has her day!
(thank you Peter Lurye)

Patricia- In your opinion, what was it about Eureeka's Castle that became so popular and loved by many people?


Cheryl- That's so nice to hear.  I'm stunned.  Was it popular and loved?  Maybe Eureeka really did become a wizard.  Seems like magic.

Kevin- What was it like working on the set of Sesame Street?


Cheryl- Ok, dare I confess this?  I had never seen Sesame Street before I started working on the show.  I was hired to assist Caroly Wilcox with the costumes and props.  They had a sort of haphazard system of recording what the anything puppets wore.  My first day, I gathered everything together as best I could and brought it over to the set.  By this time I had at least figured out which puppet was Ernie and Bert.  Great.  Next scene is Guy Smiley, who is an anything puppet I had put together.  Jim says "Where's his jacket?"  Jacket?  Of course he has a jacket.  Of course, it's here somewhere.  Thank god we broke for lunch and I could run over to the workshop and grab the jacket and save my job!  I spent the next weeks viewing every tape of Sesame Street I could find.

Kevin- What was it like working with Jim Henson?


Cheryl- Well, what is it like be in the presence of genius?  It's hard to believe I've actually outlived him.  He always seemed miles ahead in age and talent.  Extraordinary.  He seemed, like Kermit, to be the calm center of a wacky cyclone that he created around himself just by loving silliness.  I remember when we were in Aspen shooting a special with John Denver and I went over with him to see how they were doing getting the set built for the next day's shoot.  We arrived to see that they hadn't even started.  I would have been furious!!  He just calmly went about talking to them, blablabla...I said, you know Jim, you can get mad now.  He said, well, what good would that do, really?  True.  But couldn't you see Kermit, arms flying in the air, "But we need the set TOMORROW!!"  And I loved that he would take a project like a PSA for the World Wildlife Federation.  I used to stay after work and spend time in the conference room going through the video library.  Wilkins Coffee, Time Piece, The Cube, Youth 68, etc, etc, etc...  That was an education.



Kevin- Do you think that they should release Eureeka's Castle on DVD?


Cheryl- That'd be great if they did release DVDs.  I'd buy one.

Patricia- Do people still remember your work as Eureeka?


Cheryl- I've been presenting environmental programs with a non-profit organization, Trees New York, and sometimes I talk about my background.  When I mention Eureeka it brings back fond memories for a few people.

Patricia-How did Trees New York get started?

Cheryl- The organization has been around since the early 1970's.  They got started as a way to train and license people to volunteer to prune and care for the city's trees when there were major cuts in the Parks Dept budget.  I took the training as part of a new hobby when I started a volunteer garden in Riverside Park.  The executive director asked me if I'd be interested in developing their youth programs and I thought I'd give it a try.  So far we have four programs, my favorite being "Trees? Who Cares??" a visit with Mrs Crabapple, the cantankerous puppet who hates trees.

Kevin- What was it like being on Muppets Take Manhattan?


Cheryl- It was great to shoot in New York so we could all stay home.  I was working in the workshop at the time and starting to get auditions for TV commercials, so I was really torn.  I wanted to be on the set, I wanted to puppeteer but I was still just learning and I also wanted to be available for acting auditions when they came up.  So I ended up working mostly in the workshop except for special days on the set.



Kevin- What was it like being on the set of Muppets Take Manhattan when Kermit and Miss Piggy got married?

Cheryl- It was kind of special for me because I was dating Ronn Lucas, an extraordinary ventriloquist.  I asked Jim if Ronn could be one of the extras.  Jim said, do you think he'd do it?  I said, are you kidding?  He's such a fan!  So Ronn and I got to be in the trenches together for the marriage scene.

Kevin- Who is your favorite Muppet?

Cheryl- I love Janice.  I think she never got her due.  We don't know her very well.  And maybe that was the point about the band members, they were all sort of iconic types, not full-blown characters.  But I'd still like to see more of Janice.  I think she's got potential.  Love with all my heart every single character Jerry Nelson has ever played.  There must be thousands at this point.  Each one distinctly different.  I also loved my character, Mona Monster on Sesame Street.  I had lots of ideas for her.



Kevin- What did you think of the new Muppets movie?

Cheryl- Fantastic.  So many awesome moments.  The picture gallery.  Are you a Man or a Muppet?  Uncle Deadly.  To die for.  A fitting tribute and new beginning.  May there be more.



Patricia- Kevin Clash had a documentary done about his experiences as a puppeteer and being Elmo. Will you ever consider doing that about your experiences being a puppeteer?

Cheryl- Wasn't that amazing how much footage he had on his early career?  It seemed like there must have always been someone following him with a camera!  Glad he did.  That was a great film.  I have actually made documentaries, but not about myself.  One of them, In Vienna, They Put You in Jail: The Max Birnbach Story won best documentary at a film festival.  A total departure from puppetry.  It's the story of a man who escaped the occupation of Vienna in WWII.  It's available through Cinema Guild.



Patricia- What was it like being on Oobi?

Cheryl- That show was just brilliant.  A puppetry purist's puppet show.  And inspired from Puppetry 101 when you just start with a coupla ping-pong balls, your hand and a camera monitor, learning eye focus and lip sync.  Leave it to the talented Josh Selig to create a fantastic show around the idea.  I was happy to provide a bit of diversity with Frieda the Foot.  I had to actually go back to Puppetry 101 to train my foot to lip sync.  Oh yes, I was determined to do some kind of toe wiggle that could be convincing.  My favorite moment was when they had her play dress up and she popped up wearing a shoe.  That scene was with my Magellan, the amazing Noel MacNeal doing a southern accent.

Patricia- What are your upcoming projects?


Cheryl- I'm developing some more programs for Trees New York.  One for special needs elementary age kids involving puppets, nature and discovery, hosted by Mrs Crabapple.  Another one for teens about climate change and new careers evolving that are dealing with it.

Patricia- Alright, thank you so much for taking the time answering our questions.

Cheryl- Thank you!

To know more about Trees New York, check out the website at treesny.org. Hope to see you around Old School Lane soon. Take care.

-Patricia and Kevin

Old School Lane's Nickelodeon Tribute: Eureeka's Castle

Question: When I say the name R.L. Stine, what's immediately pops in your head?



Yup, Goosebumps. In the 90's, those were the most popular books for kids. It told stories of creepy monsters, supernatural events, and mysterious events. I was such a Goosebumps junkie! Everytime there was a Scholastic Book Event at my elementary school, I get all my money and buy the latest Goosebumps books. Today, I own all of them. R.L. Stine was my favorite author and one of my childhood heroes. In fact it's because of Goosebumps that Patricia and I first met and became friends when we were 9-years-old.

Now, what if I told you that R.L. Stine co-created a kids' show for Nick Jr? You're probably are thinking to yourselves, "Kevin, are you out of your fucking mind? I'm not going to show anything scary to my 3-year-old" or "You're joking, right? R.L. Stine did a kids' show? No way!" Well, don't worry, it's not scary and I'm not joking. On September 4, 1989, R.L. Stine alongside Judy Katschke created Eureeka's Castle.

After Pinwheel was off the air after 12 years, Nick Jr. needed a new official program. That's when Eureeka's Castle created. The show was about a giant who would wind a castle music box and it would come to life with the puppets inside it. The puppets consisted of Eureeka, the sorceress in training, Magellan, the lovable dragon with the wagging tale, Batly, the clumsy bat who would crash into walls saying "I meant to do that", Mr. Knack, the man who would sell knick knacks, Bog and Quagmire, the Moat Twins, and more.

In each episode, they would have fun with one another, have cartoons that would show in the middle of the show, and sing lots of silly songs. Every once in a while, they would even have guest bands performing music such as Squeaky Clean and The Usual Suspects.

It's interesting to note that unlike Pinwheel, Eureeka's Castle consisted of puppeteers that had been in Sesame Street and Muppet movies. Also, the show production had a lot more money so it looks better aged than Pinwheel. 

According to R.L. Stine in his autobiography called It Came From Ohio, he wrote an entire chapter about his experiences working on Eureeka's Castle:

"Kit Laybourne, the producer of Eureeka's Castle, called to talk about the show. He and I met and had a nice talk. We hit it off so well, he asked me to be the head writer. Eureeka's Castle was a program for preschoolers that have puppets and animated segments. It was just like Sesame Street, but we didn't teach them anything. As the head writer, I wrote all the segments of the program. Luckily, I had 10 writers to help me out. I never worked on TV before. It's completely different than working at home alone on your keyboard. You're surrounded by writers, actors, producers, and director sitting around and discuss about the scripts. We wrote them and revise them 7 times until the script was done. Then the puppeteers would go out there and do what they wanted. 

I learned about television and puppets. Doing puppet work is not easy. The temperature inside Magellan was so hot that the puppeteer had to wear a small fan around his waist. He also couldn't see so so he had to wear a small TV around his waist. The puppeteer used one hand to use for the mouth while the second hand was used for one of the dragon hands. If he needed to use both of his hands, a second puppeteer had to come and help him out. The puppet Batly was inspired by my son Matt. When he was a boy, he would trip on his feet and say "I meant to do that". So we did that for Batly. Matty outgrew his clumsiness, but the last time I saw Batly, he crashed into a street light. SPLAT!

We received mail from many fans. One was from a mother saying that she loved seeing it with her kids. They never missed it. In the bottom of the letter was a request to come to the studio. When they arrived, her and the children saw the set, the actors with the puppets, and the set. The little girl went up to her father crying and covered her head the rest of the day while the little boy stared with excitement. At the end of the first season, we won the ACE Award for the best kids' program, the highest honor. The writers and I had 100 hours of writing and 4 half-hour specials. What do you do with that amount of episodes? You show it again and again and again. It's been like that ever since.

After we were done with Eureeka's Castle, I returned home to my lonely keyboard. It became so quiet without the writers, the actors, and the producers walking around doing the show. What I didn't realize was that my life was about to begin".

Even the critics took notice. According to Eric Hedegaard in Entertainment Weekly, he interviewed Kit Laybourne on why kids loved Eureeka's Castle.

"We studied up and we think we know what makes kids laugh". 

Laugh Secret No. 1: Wordplay.

Batly crashes into Eureeka's kitchen. Eureeka's horns twitch a few times and she says, ''Hey, why don't you knock before you drop in.'' Batly's comeback: ''I did knock. I knocked my head.''

Or, Batly talking to his pet insects: ''Knock, knock.''
Insects: ''Who's there?''
Batly: ''Don.''
Insects: ''Don who?'' — Batly: ''Don go away, 'cause here's something that'll really make your day.''

'Preschoolers love jokes, including stupid jokes, much more than adults.

Secret No. 2: Sight gags and physical shtick.

Whenever Magellan sneezes, the entire castle shakes. And Batly's entrances are always head-bangers and laugh-producers. ''Big, big yuk getters,'' Laybourne says. ''Can't have enough.''

Of course, that sort of funny business ties the show firmly to a long-established tradition. ''I grew up watching the Three Stooges, Abbott and Costello, and Laurel and Hardy, and they're not on the air now, and I think kids are really missing out,'' says chief puppeteer Jim Kroupa, 32, whose New York City-based company, 3/Design Studio, designed and built the show's puppets.

Secret No. 3.: Running jokes.

Every time Eureeka casts a spell, it goes awry. Whenever Batly loses his glasses, Eureeka tries to divine them out of thin air — and comes up with grass, two basses, and a pair of Lassies, but no glasses. ''Little kids love this kind of stuff,'' Laybourne says, ''because they can see what's coming up and they're in on the joke and they delight in seeing how it gets played out.''

Overall, looking back at this show gives me and Patricia great nostalgic memories and it's still a fun show to watch. Check it out sometime.

Tune in next time as two interviews from the puppeteers at Eureeka's Castle had the time to interview us. Hope to see you around Old School Lane.

-Kevin