Norman Stiles was the head writer for Sesame Street for more than 20 years. You know that one Ernie and Bert sketch you like? Or that song that always gets you tapping your toes? There’s a pretty good chance he had something to do with it. The man knows how to write for puppets.
Not a picture of Norman Stiles.
We at Tough Pigs recently spoke to Mr. Stiles at length about his Sesame Street career, so you should definitely keep an eye on this website for that. And today, we want to tell you about a new online video project Stiles is working on, along with his wife, educator Ellen Dillon, and child development expert Amy Hatkoff. It’s called BTPNN, which stands for Baby & Toddler Parenthood News Network, and it’s touted as “a parody of a cable news network, hosted by baby and toddler puppet reporters, correspondents and pundits.”
Basically, Stiles is once again using his skills at delivering useful information in an entertaining way, but now he and Dillon are using funny puppets to teach grown-ups how to be better parents. The puppets are performed by familiar names like Noel MacNeal, Jennifer Barnhart, and Heather Asch, and they have delightfully ridiculous names like Todd Lerr, Di Perr, and Anderson Pooper.
To get the show off the ground, they’ve just launched an Indie Gogo campaign, and they could use your help. There are several contribution levels, and perks range from “gratitude” to a custom-made lamp built by Stiles to dinner with Stiles, Dillon, and Hatkoff.
Here’s a video preview of BTPNN:
You can check out the Indie Gogo page for lots more info and a list of all the perks.
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by Ryan Roe – Ryan@ToughPigs.com
