The Puzzle Place

The Puzzle Place was a children's television program made in the United States. KCET in Los Angeles and Lancit Media in New York City produced it. The show first aired on two PBS stations in Los Angeles, KCET and KLCS, on September 15, 1994. It did not start on all PBS stations nationwide until January 16, 1995. The last episode aired on December 4, 1998. Funding came from the now-closed Corporation for Public Broadcasting, public television viewers, and corporate grants from Edison International, Chef Boyardee (through its Chef Jr. brand), and IBM.

The show follows a group of puppet children from different ethnic backgrounds and parts of the United States. They meet and spend time at a special hangout called the Puzzle Place. Each episode presents a common childhood conflict, like making moral choices, sharing, racism, or sexism.

The main characters include Julie Woo, a Chinese-American girl from San Francisco, California, and Sacramento, California in later versions. She is very sensitive and protective of her belongings, sometimes trying too hard. She loves singing, though her speaking voice can be harsh or funny. Kiki Flores is a Mexican-American girl from San Antonio, Texas, and Houston, Texas in later versions.

She is outgoing and has a temper. In one episode, she pretended to be a space alien after being teased about her accent. She is a good chili cook and has a Spanish-speaking cousin named Magdalena. Ben Olafson is a Norwegian American boy of German and Norwegian descent from a farm near Renner, South Dakota, and Bismarck, North Dakota in later versions.

He does not live with both parents; his father is deceased. He is good at puzzles and a talented dancer. He is usually easygoing but can be unforgiving when angry. Leon MacNeal is an African-American boy, possibly of West African origin, from New York City and Albany, New York in later versions.

He wears dreadlocks, gets jealous easily, and sometimes acts without thinking. He likes hip-hop music and basketball. Skye Nakaiye is a Native American boy from the Fort Apache Indian Reservation in Arizona. He often wears a bandana, yellow coat, and feather necklace.

He is curious and stays true to his values and culture. Jody Silver is a Jewish-American girl of Lithuanian descent from Cincinnati, Ohio, and Akron, Ohio in later versions. Her parents are divorced, with her mother living in New York City. She dislikes being called names, can be gullible, and is very enthusiastic.

Supporting characters include Kyle O'Connor, an Irish-American boy who uses a wheelchair and appears in some episodes. Weebus is a smart, talking super-telecomputer the group uses to communicate with people outside the Puzzle Place. It can do automated tasks and play video clips. Nuzzle and Sizzle are the pet dog and cat. They are mostly seen in the basement, talking to each other and acting like animals around the kids, often involved in a subplot. The Piece Police are multicolored inhabitants who communicate in gibberish but understand English. Some episodes hint they know what Nuzzle and Sizzle say.

In 1991, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting gave $4.5 million to KCET and Lancit Media to develop programs for children ages 2 to 6. They created an idea for a multicultural puppet show about self-esteem, respect, and cooperation called "The Puzzle Factory." To get the grant, producers needed $7 million in commitments. Southern California Edison, in partnership with Rebuild LA, provided $3.5 million to help heal the community after the 1992 riots. The rest came from deals with toy factories and merchandise manufacturers. To avoid copyright issues, the name changed to "The Puzzle Works."

Two pilot episodes were made in early 1994 under the name The Puzzle Works. The show was renamed The Puzzle Place shortly before its premiere months later. The series had three seasons: season 1 in 1995, season 2 in 1996, and season 3 in 1998.

Reruns aired until March 31, 2000, when the show was replaced by Between the Lions. It became one of PBS Kids' most popular series since Sesame Street. Besides PBS stations in the United States, it aired on TV Cultura in Brazil, Discovery Kids in Latin America, RTP in Portugal, Israeli Educational Television in Israel, Fox Kids in Scandinavia, Kids Station in Japan, Channel 5 in the UK, and ABC Kids.