Ah yes, I remember Dr. Tick Tock . . . well, more specifically, the bit about dialing 911 only in the event of an emergency; I honestly can't say I recall seeing any other Tick Tock Minutes . . . maybe I have and they've just escaped my memory, but I just remember the 911 one.
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Worst/creepiest puppets/puppeteer work
- Thread starter mr3urious
- Start date
I don't remember ever seeing that one about emergencies, although there are several others that I do have on videotape -
- He's in a garbage dump wearing a hardhat singing about recycling. In the background, a bulldozer is covering heaps of trash with dirt, while Dr. Tick Tock sings about how "week after week, year after year" this process is done, and what happens to old cans, bottles, newspapers and tires after they're taken to a recycling center. "Pretty cool, huh?".
- Dr. Tick Tock is at a health and fitness club, where he opens the segment dressed in a dark blue workout suit eating yogurt in the cafeteria. He sings from the gymnasium about the different foods we eat and how their nutritional values benefit our health and energy, such as proteins and carbohydrates. While he's singing, he wares himself out exercising on the rings, handlebars, and chinning himself. WARNING: For those intimidated by this puppet, Dr. Tick Tock's face takes up the ENTIRE screen after mentioning the five nutrition groups (he holds up all four fingers as if he has five).
- He's in his doctor's office before relocating to a pharmacy to inform us on how medicine is a drug and we should only take them when necessary, and never to accept pills from strangers. There is another segment I have where he's in a pharmaceutical aisle of a store singing about vitamins and minerals, and how they help us to grow up strong. He mentions multi-supplements as a helpful source of vitamins for children who don't gain enough in their daily diets. Stocked on the shelves in the store are containers marked "Centrum" and "One a Day", and if you look carefully, you may even spot "Flintstones" vitamins!
- This segment about the five food groups opens with Dr. Tick Tock filling his car with gas at a service station. He compares automobiles to humans because, just like how we need food for nourishment and energy, cars need gasoline for acceleration. He suddenly appears dressed in some "hip" attire as he sings his song. The segment ends with the Doc having a basketball thrown to him while he's in the middle of a game played in a backyard.
There is one I remember seeing just once (I wish I still had it on tape) and would love to see again -
It was a message informing children to never answer the door to strangers, unless it's someone they know. At the start of the segment, Dr. Tick Tock is in his house. There's a knock at the door, and when he answers it, there's a deliveryman, or else a traveling salesman, at his doorstep. To make things rather startling, yet in a comedic sort of way, the man at the door is an exact doppelganger of the Doc! Of course, this was just intended to be funny. Dr. Tick Tock looks right at us with an expression of surprise. He probably slammed the door shut right on the man's face.
I also remember seeing the above mentioned segment with the one where Dr. Tick Tock is in a park riding a bicycle, singing about how bike riding is such good exercise.
There must have been some occasions on certain PBS stations, during the educational programming line-up (to be shown during classroom hours), when at least five consecutive "Tick Tock Minutes" would be played, along with assorted "PTV" segments.
- He's in a garbage dump wearing a hardhat singing about recycling. In the background, a bulldozer is covering heaps of trash with dirt, while Dr. Tick Tock sings about how "week after week, year after year" this process is done, and what happens to old cans, bottles, newspapers and tires after they're taken to a recycling center. "Pretty cool, huh?".
- Dr. Tick Tock is at a health and fitness club, where he opens the segment dressed in a dark blue workout suit eating yogurt in the cafeteria. He sings from the gymnasium about the different foods we eat and how their nutritional values benefit our health and energy, such as proteins and carbohydrates. While he's singing, he wares himself out exercising on the rings, handlebars, and chinning himself. WARNING: For those intimidated by this puppet, Dr. Tick Tock's face takes up the ENTIRE screen after mentioning the five nutrition groups (he holds up all four fingers as if he has five).
- He's in his doctor's office before relocating to a pharmacy to inform us on how medicine is a drug and we should only take them when necessary, and never to accept pills from strangers. There is another segment I have where he's in a pharmaceutical aisle of a store singing about vitamins and minerals, and how they help us to grow up strong. He mentions multi-supplements as a helpful source of vitamins for children who don't gain enough in their daily diets. Stocked on the shelves in the store are containers marked "Centrum" and "One a Day", and if you look carefully, you may even spot "Flintstones" vitamins!
- This segment about the five food groups opens with Dr. Tick Tock filling his car with gas at a service station. He compares automobiles to humans because, just like how we need food for nourishment and energy, cars need gasoline for acceleration. He suddenly appears dressed in some "hip" attire as he sings his song. The segment ends with the Doc having a basketball thrown to him while he's in the middle of a game played in a backyard.
There is one I remember seeing just once (I wish I still had it on tape) and would love to see again -
It was a message informing children to never answer the door to strangers, unless it's someone they know. At the start of the segment, Dr. Tick Tock is in his house. There's a knock at the door, and when he answers it, there's a deliveryman, or else a traveling salesman, at his doorstep. To make things rather startling, yet in a comedic sort of way, the man at the door is an exact doppelganger of the Doc! Of course, this was just intended to be funny. Dr. Tick Tock looks right at us with an expression of surprise. He probably slammed the door shut right on the man's face.
I also remember seeing the above mentioned segment with the one where Dr. Tick Tock is in a park riding a bicycle, singing about how bike riding is such good exercise.
There must have been some occasions on certain PBS stations, during the educational programming line-up (to be shown during classroom hours), when at least five consecutive "Tick Tock Minutes" would be played, along with assorted "PTV" segments.
Last edited:
Convincing John
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Well, I found the one with the greedy kid meeting an old lady on Christmas. You were right! It was "Kids Like You". I got some of the details wrong (then again I had the flu and was all groggy when I first saw it). Anyway, here it is!
Jared DiCarlo
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Reviving this topic after two years -
I'm back. Yes, I know I haven't been on these boards in quite a long time, but I was reminded of this topic a while ago when thinking of examples of unusual puppets on TV.
There was this one show I recall on PBS titled "The Swamp Critters of the Lost Lagoon". It had very crude-looking full-bodied costume puppets each resembling different animals. The main character, I believe, was a hillbilly possum, who sounded an awful lot like Ken Curtis as Festus on "Gunsmoke" doing an impression of Pat Buttram's Mr. Haney on "Green Acres". I recall there being a frog, who I believe was dressed like a ship's captain, a crocodile dressed in a black tie tuxedo, and a pig who was a cook. The characters were all voiced by the show's creator, Bobby Goldsboro. Yes, the exact singer of that "Honey" song from the 1960s. I believe this show may still be airing on the Trinity Broadcasting Network's sister channel Smile of a Child.
Here's a strange one. Some puppet short known as "Chunks of Life" starring some puppet roommates avoiding their landlady on the day they have to pay rent on their apartment -
The puppets' designs are all strange and kind of ugly-looking. Other than that, I think the puppet construction and the puppeteer work is pretty good. I've noticed that the puppet construction credit goes to Norman Tempia, who built the puppets of "The Puzzle Place". Of course, the puppets of that show are far more appealing and have a child-friendly look to them. This "Chunks of Life" short is dated 1994, the same year "The Puzzle Place" had started production.
Here's a very strange and obscure children's program from the mid-late 1970s. It's called "The Froozles" or "The Land of Frooze", and it was produced by a local Los Angeles TV affiliate.
Some of the puppets on this show are rather crude, such as those two fuzzy beige-colored puppets each named Uncle Fronz and Fritzy, while others like the red rabbit, the giraffe (in the "Laugh-In" Joke Wall-like segment), and those marionette children, look really nice, and almost professional.
You may notice that one of the hosts credited at the end of the program is King Hall, who was the head puppeteer/main puppet builder/set designer/set builder of KETC's "The Letter People". I believe King Hall is performing most of the puppets seen in this program. His puppeteer style is really good, and his way of motioning a puppet's hands as the character speaks reminds me very much of Mr. M (as well as other "live hands" puppets) on "The Letter People".
I'm back. Yes, I know I haven't been on these boards in quite a long time, but I was reminded of this topic a while ago when thinking of examples of unusual puppets on TV.
There was this one show I recall on PBS titled "The Swamp Critters of the Lost Lagoon". It had very crude-looking full-bodied costume puppets each resembling different animals. The main character, I believe, was a hillbilly possum, who sounded an awful lot like Ken Curtis as Festus on "Gunsmoke" doing an impression of Pat Buttram's Mr. Haney on "Green Acres". I recall there being a frog, who I believe was dressed like a ship's captain, a crocodile dressed in a black tie tuxedo, and a pig who was a cook. The characters were all voiced by the show's creator, Bobby Goldsboro. Yes, the exact singer of that "Honey" song from the 1960s. I believe this show may still be airing on the Trinity Broadcasting Network's sister channel Smile of a Child.
Here's a strange one. Some puppet short known as "Chunks of Life" starring some puppet roommates avoiding their landlady on the day they have to pay rent on their apartment -
The puppets' designs are all strange and kind of ugly-looking. Other than that, I think the puppet construction and the puppeteer work is pretty good. I've noticed that the puppet construction credit goes to Norman Tempia, who built the puppets of "The Puzzle Place". Of course, the puppets of that show are far more appealing and have a child-friendly look to them. This "Chunks of Life" short is dated 1994, the same year "The Puzzle Place" had started production.
Here's a very strange and obscure children's program from the mid-late 1970s. It's called "The Froozles" or "The Land of Frooze", and it was produced by a local Los Angeles TV affiliate.
Some of the puppets on this show are rather crude, such as those two fuzzy beige-colored puppets each named Uncle Fronz and Fritzy, while others like the red rabbit, the giraffe (in the "Laugh-In" Joke Wall-like segment), and those marionette children, look really nice, and almost professional.
You may notice that one of the hosts credited at the end of the program is King Hall, who was the head puppeteer/main puppet builder/set designer/set builder of KETC's "The Letter People". I believe King Hall is performing most of the puppets seen in this program. His puppeteer style is really good, and his way of motioning a puppet's hands as the character speaks reminds me very much of Mr. M (as well as other "live hands" puppets) on "The Letter People".