The Puzzle Place

I loved, LOVED this show in the 90's when I was in grade school. When I tried watching this show again in February 2014 (I was 27 at the time), I was sick at home with a bad head cold. At that time, I thought the show was cheesy and outdated. But giving it another try in 2021, I know now that it was and still is heartwarming and thought-provoking...for any age, really. I think what turned me off originally in 2014 was the production value. Some segments are still a little childish, but it had its moments even for adults. I'd take a dose of The Puzzle Place over most of what PBS aired after they got rid of Square One TV (when if it all is that show ever going to be released on DVD?!), and it was far better than Barney & Friends.

So what exactly made the show so good? I can think of a few reasons:

-The idea for the show came about because of the Los Angeles race riots involving the Rodney King beatings and the associated white policemen who were acquitted.

-Most of the puppeteers came from Sesame Street and the show was produced by Lancit Media, who were responsible for Reading Rainbow.

-No two kids were the same ethnicity, and that was the point, to celebrate their diverse backgrounds.

-Careful research was made on all the ethnicities.

-Some episodes were heartwarming, including Leon not being invited to his white friend's birthday party just because he was black.

-Besides racial harmony, it also talked about the equality of boys and girls.

-Sizzle and Nuzzle were so cute, and the subplots involving them were just as entertaining.

-Guest stars included Ernie Hudson, Sinbad, Amy Hill, Patti LaBelle and Nia Peeples, as well as Lynne Thigpen as the Chief from Acme Crimenet.

-The Puzzle Place itself was the perfect spot to let loose and have fun.

-Many real-life children wished they could be teleported to The Puzzle Place.

Also, if you'd like a good history of the show, check out the Defunctland documentary on YouTube.

If they ever release The Puzzle Place on DVD, I'll buy it. It needs to become popular again.

I always loved when Puzzle place came on as a kid. I was looking for this show on dvd not long ago. I did ended up finding it but there were some episodes missing in it.

The Puzzle Place is probably by far one of my favorite shows on my local PBS Station growing up in the '90s and it features Puppetry and Live Action. This show was like the '90s Generation of Fraggle Rock and a kid version of Friends (in which that greatest sitcom of all time aired on NBC), and throughout every episode the Kids from the Puzzle Place learn valuable life lessons like Sharing, Dealing with Bullies and Racism, Learn about there Culture and Accent and Friendship as well as learning from everyone's mistakes and Problems, even though this show was taken off the air back in 2000 and considered it Lost Media, plus I would like to see this show on DVD and maybe our kids from this Generation would like to expereince it now that we've watch plenty of Shows with Puppetry such as Sesame Street, the Muppet Show, Fraggle Rock, Eureeka's Castle, Allerga's Window, Kino's Storytime, Wimzie's House and many others; and of course this Show still has gain a cult following on Youtube over the years and still is too this very day.

I suddenly remembered this show out of nowhere a few nights ago, there was a thunderstorm that made me think of one of the episodes. When somebody (I think Kiki) was afraid of the storm. Where'd it go?! There is virtually nothing on this show anywhere. :( It was a good show, I watched it all the time when I was like 10 or 11.

I checked the PBS website, it says to check back for future updates! What future? The show doesn't even air anymore. Netflix doesn't have it either. I'm really sad about the whole thing.

It's a really great show though, very educational. Entertaining as well. The characters genuinely reflect a person's emotions. They handled things as realistically as possible, or so I thought. Most kids shows come at things too unrealistically, assuming that people will always react "the right way". This teaches kids how to interact with each other and learn to solve their own problems.

My daughter, who is almost 13, and I were discussing shows that she watched and enjoyed as a toddler today. Puzzle Place was at the top of our favorite list. We both remember fondly watching the series on PBS. We loved it! Each show was a lesson in multi-cultural education and friendship. The series was full of songs, games and crafts from around the world. The format was fun, but not "corny". We had a "Puzzle Place" play-set and a stuffed Sizzle and Nuzzle, providing hours of fun for my daughter and I. Anyone from PBS or other children's programming network, please bring this series back for all to enjoy and to learn the all important children's lessons of sharing and caring for each other.