''Peppermint Park'' is a

direct-to-video Direct-to-video or straight-to-video refers to the release of a film, TV series, short or special to the public immediately on home video formats rather than an initial theatrical release or television premiere. This distribution strategy was p ...

children's show consisting of six volumes, released in 1987 and 1988 on VHS. The show is a mixture of

live action Live action (or live-action) is a form of cinematography or videography that uses photography instead of animation. Some works combine live-action with animation to create a live-action animated film. Live-action is used to define film, video ga ...

animation Animation is a method by which image, still figures are manipulated to appear as Motion picture, moving images. In traditional animation, images are drawn or painted by hand on transparent cel, celluloid sheets to be photographed and exhibited ...

, and

puppets A puppet is an object, often resembling a human, animal or mythical figure, that is animated or manipulated by a person called a puppeteer. The puppeteer uses movements of their hands, arms, or control devices such as rods or strings to mov ...

. Characters included Ernie, who sang a song about the letter M; Snorkee, a reptile who is often oblivious to his surroundings and lacks common sense; Maynard, an elderly man who laments over his wasted youth; and Piggle, a pig with a big appetite whose voice was similar to that of

Kermit the Frog Kermit the Frog is a Muppet character created and originally performed by Jim Henson. Introduced in 1955, Kermit serves as the everyman protagonist of numerous Muppet productions, most notably ''Sesame Street'' and ''The Muppet Show'', as well ...

, among others. Many of the show's elements seem to have been copied from ''

Sesame Street ''Sesame Street'' is an American educational children's television series that combines live-action, sketch comedy, animation and puppetry. It is produced by Sesame Workshop (known as the Children's Television Workshop until June 2000) a ...

''.

Production and release

The series was directed and produced by John Horton and Mark V International and released by Televidics Productions. Most of the puppets were created by Dann O'Quinn, but volumes four through six also featured puppets created by Dave Chapman. Human characters included "The Story Lady" (played by Melody Knighton, who also assisted in the operations of some of the puppets) and "Magic Megan" (played by Deanna Hawkins). Additionally, animated segments were done by "Those Designers", Inc., and the music was composed by Tuesday Productions and John Horton. Most likely due to very poor sales, budget problems, and/or negative reviews, the series was cut short and was canceled sometime in 1988. By this point, the six volumes had already gone out of print. For at least 1990 and 1991, it was distributed to Low-Power TV stations by Enoki Films USA.

Reception and inspiration

Nick Antosca Nicholas J. Antosca (born January 23, 1983) is an American film and television writer, producer, and novelist. He is the creator and showrunner of the horror anthology television series '' Channel Zero'' (2016–2018). He also co-created and sh ...

, creator and showrunner of

SyFy Syfy (formerly Sci-Fi Channel, later shortened to Sci Fi; stylized as SYFY) is an American basic cable channel owned by the NBCUniversal Television and Streaming division of Comcast's NBCUniversal through NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment. Lau ...

's series '' Channel Zero'', watched ''Peppermint Park'' and other "really creepy old children's TV shows" for inspiration for the puppet show in season one, '' Candle Cove'' (2016). American artist

Andrew Norman Wilson Andrew Norman Wilson may refer to: * A. N. Wilson (born 1950), English writer and newspaper columnist *Andrew Norman Wilson (artist) Andrew Norman Wilson (born November 1983) is an artist living in America. Education Wilson went to Medfield ...

remembered as a kid "being terrified of an unexplained dance sequence by a breakaway puppet dressed to look like a

scarecrow A scarecrow is a decoy or mannequin, often in the shape of a human. Humanoid scarecrows are usually dressed in old clothes and placed in open fields to discourage birds from disturbing and feeding on recently cast seed and growing crops.Lesley B ...

." But rewatching clips posted online a few years ago he said, "my relationship with the dancing scarecrow has shifted from horror to obsession." He created ''Reality Models'', an extended remake of that scene for a 2016 exhibit.

Screen Rant ''Screen Rant'' is an entertainment website that offers news in the fields of television, films, video games, and film theories. ''Screen Rant'' was launched by Vic Holtreman in 2003, and originally had its primary office in Ogden, Utah. ''Scr ...

included the series in a 2017 list of forgotten creepy kid's shows. They suggested it is the "

uncanny valley In aesthetics, the uncanny valley ( ja, 不気味の谷 ''bukimi no tani'') is a hypothesized relation between an object's degree of resemblance to a human being and the emotional response to the object. The concept suggests that humanoid object ...

" and "melancholy voice acting" which makes the episodes "unnerving". In 2019,

Cracked.com Cracked.com is a website based on the humorous Cracked (magazine), ''Cracked'' magazine, which dates back to 1958. It was founded in 2005 by Jack O'Brien.Axon, SamuelStreamy Awards 2010: Here Are the Winners ''Mashable''. April 11, 2010. In 2007, ...

included the series in a list of nightmarish children's characters. The

Found Footage Festival The Found Footage Festival is an American film festival and live comedy event and featuring unusual and humorous found footage clips and films. History Founded in 2004, the Festival originated in Wisconsin and Minnesota by Joe Pickett, Nick Prue ...

's "VCR Party Live!" channel also mentioned the "uncanny valley" and included a clip from the series with a puppet singing about the letter M.

References

External links

* {{IMDb title, 2390606, Peppermint Park 1987 direct-to-video films Film and television memes Internet memes Direct-to-video television series American television shows featuring puppetry American television series with live action and animation Personal development television series