The Grogs (also known as Grogs Inc.) were a

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puppet company troupe active from 1992 to 2009. They produced a variety of television shows and short films for

Nickelodeon Nickelodeon (often shortened to Nick) is an American pay television channel which launched on April 1, 1979, as the first cable channel for children. It is run by Paramount Global through its networks division's Kids and Family Group. It ...

, its sister channels YTV and

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,and CBC Television.

Career

The Grogs were founded by Jamie Shannon and Jason Hopley in 1992 in

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. The two 21-year-olds As a puppet troupe, they were somewhat unusual as they designed and moulded their puppets and sets as part of the creative process for writing, directing, and performing in their TV shows. They were present in the process from pre-production to post-production with the help of their partner

Jack Lenz John Frederick "Jack" Lenz is a Canadian composer. He has written, performed, and produced music for film, television, and theatre, along with working on non-soundtrack album ventures. He is also the founder of Live Unity Enterprises, an organiza ...

. The troupe's name comes from their work on interstitials for YTV featuring a group of monster puppets called the Grogs; by the end of the year, YTV had aired a Christmas special featuring the Grogs, and the duo were working on a series. After a stunt 12-hour "takeover" of the channel by Warren Chester Grog, one of the characters, on New Year's Day 1994, the channel's viewership soared. However, when the network wanted to merchandise the puppets, the relationship soured; the process introduced them to Lenz, who counselled them to start their own company—at which time the network fired Shannon and Hopley. In 1999, the Grogs began a partnership with

, producing a series of shorts called '' Nanalan''' for the network and its sister channel

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, which aired in Canada on YTV and CBC. In 2004, Nickelodeon released the shorts to DVD. ''Nanalan'' was developed into a full-length series that finished airing in 2004. In the same year, the Grogs appeared and worked on the Nick Jr. series '' Whoopi's Littleburg''. In 2005, they produced a teen-oriented sitcom for Nickelodeon titled '' Mr. Meaty'', which likewise began as a collection of shorts. These were originally seen on

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and during commercial breaks on Nickelodeon's channels. It was picked up for two seasons of 22-minute episodes that aired from 2006 to 2009 on Nickelodeon and

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. Their other work has included '' Swami Jeff's Temple of Wisdom'', '' The Grogs'', '' Warren, Filth, Gidian, Iffer, Sorbet, Jasper and Cupcake'', '' Al's Tales of the Tank'', '' It's Alive!'', '' Ooh, Aah & You'' and most recently '' Hotbox''. The Grogs were formally dissolved in 2009 after a successful 17-year partnership.Jamie Shannon: The Grogs (1992-2009)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Grogs Canadian puppeteers 1992 establishments in Ontario 2009 disestablishments in Ontario Canadian children's television personalities Puppets