The Puzzle Place

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Puzzle Place was a children's American television show which premiered on PBS on January 16, 1995, (although production was dated starting 1994) and ran through 1998. It centered around a multi-ethnic group of kids (puppets) each from a different part of the United States, who hung out at a place called the Puzzle Place and explored and tried to figure out problems, similar to the ones real kids get into (resolving everyday problems, making good decisions, working together, learning about different cultures, etc.).

[edit] Characters

Julie Woo, a Chinese-American girl from San Francisco, California she is very sensitive and caring of her personal possessions and she sometimes tries a little too hard.
Kiki Flores, a Mexican-American girl from San Antonio, Texas she's very outgoing and has a temper. She once pretended to be a homeless alien after being teased about her "accent". She also is a great chili cook and has a Spanish-speaking cousin who helped everyone to learn about acceptance.
Ben Olafson, a boy of German and Norwegian descent from a farm near Renner, South Dakota. He is no good at difficult puzzles and is a talented dancer.
Leon MacNeal, an African-American boy from New York City wears dreadlocks and gets jealous easily and sometimes does not think before he acts. Leon is a fan of hip-hop music (as in Gotta Dance) and loves basketball. He is performed by the same puppeteer of Bear from Breakfast with Bear and Bear in the Big Blue House
Skye Nakia, an Apache boy from an Indian reservation in Arizona who always wears a bandana, a raincoat, and a feather necklace. He's very curious and always sticks to his values in his culture.
Jody Silver, a Lithuanian-Jewish girl from Cincinnati, Ohio. She does not like to be called names and is very gullible but is very enthusiastic.
Kyle O'Connor, a handicapped Irish-American boy from Savannah, Georgia, and who loves to play basketball (his own version of it anyway) and loves to listen to rock and roll music. (Note: Kyle O'Conner was a new character, he was introduced in the later seasons of this show).

Also featured on the show were Sizzle, a cat; Nuzzle, a dog; and the "Peace/Piece Police". The kids also used a computer called the Weebus which possessed an artificial intelligence to watch videos and communicate with people outside of the Puzzle Place.