The 10 Greatest Puppet TV Shows of the 90s

Posted 13 years ago by Television

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Everybody loves a great puppet show, and in honor of the decade that doesn’t get written about much, I give you the 10 Greatest Puppet TV Shows of the 90s. I didn’t want to include the 80s for various reasons, but mainly because there would be a lot more obvious choices in that list. Hopefully you’ll remember some shows you haven’t thought about in a long time, or discover some you’ve never heard of.

Whether you’re trying to remember what that puppet show in the 90s with the dragon was called or just want to be reminded of some awesome shows, this list is for you.

10. The Wubbulous World of Dr. Seuss

Buy the DVD on Amazon

First up is the short-lived puppet series based on the works of Dr. Seuss. The Wubbulous World ran on Nick Jr. for two seasons (96-97) and included all of the classic Seuss characters, but in new stories. I always had a fascination with shows that I knew I was too old for in the 90s, and I remember watching a few episodes of this. I loved how well Dr. Seuss’ characters translated into puppet form. I’d take a movie in this style over either of the horrible live action Seuss stories any day.

9. Dog City

Buy the DVD on Amazon

Dog City was a cartoon/puppet hybrid show that aired from 1992-1995. It was a spinoff of the Dog City segment on an episode of the Jim Henson Hour, which was all puppets. The puppet segments revolved around Elliot Shag, a dog cartoonist who creates the detective character Ace Hart. I know there was more cartoon than puppets, but I still had to include it.

So far in the states the only way to legally find the show is to download episodes on Amazon for $1.99. Boo for Amazon Video on Demand being Windows only. You can also check out the intro on YouTube.

8. Lamb Chop’s Play-Along

You didn’t think I’d leave Shari Lewis’ oh-no-that-damn-song-is-stuck-in-my-head Lamb Chop’s Play-Along off the list did you?

7. Cousin Skeeter

Cousin Skeeter barely qualifies as a 90s puppet show, but two years is good enough for me. It ran from 1998-2003 on Nickelodeon and focused around Bobby Walker and his crazy puppet cousin Skeeter, voiced by non other than Whatever Happened To Bill Bellamy. I hate when crazy puppet cousins move in with me almost as bad as when crazy puppet aliens do.

6. Allegra’s Window

Allegra’s Window was another Nick Jr. show that I secretly watched even though I was 9 when the series premiered. Allegra is a preschool aged puppet voiced by Kathryn Mullen, who is a Muppet regular with roles including Mokey Fraggle and Kira in the Dark Crystal. This show was supposed to show you life from the point of view a three year old puppet, so I’m sure plenty of hilarity ensued. Update: Allegra’s Window is free to stream on Amazon Prime!

5. Under the Umbrella Tree

Buy the DVD on Amazon

I’ve written about Under the Umbrella Tree a couple times before, and it was a show I remember watching a lot in the early 90s. This show originated in Canada on CBC but was aired in the United States via syndication on the Disney Channel. It was created by Noreen Young, and ran for 280 episodes. I couldn’t let a 90s puppet show list not include Under the Umbrella Tree.

If you’re a fan of this show, I’ve got a review coming up soon of the DVDs Noreen Young has available on the official Umbrella Tree website.

4. Weinerville

Aw, nothing says nostalgia for me like classic 90s Nickelodeon. Weinerville was arguably one of the more bizarre shows of the 90s, and that’s saying a lot. The show was the brainchild of Marc Weiner, and featured his unique style of puppet humor. This show is a classic to me, and I’d love to see some episodes again. I’ll never forget Dottie, Boney the dinosaur and Socko.

3. Eureeka’s Castle

Again with the classic Nickelodeon, what did I tell you? Eureka’s Castle was a staple of my early early years. I remember watching this at my grandma’s house while she tried to stuff me with any food she had in the house. The show had awesome characters, including Eureeka (duh), Magellan the dragon, Batly, Quagmire, and Bog. As I’ve said before, I really want some episodes of this show on DVD.

Update: Check out this post to read more about Eureeka’s Castle!

2. Muppets Tonight

I’m a pretty big Muppets freak, and I remember being very excited about Muppets Tonight when it premiered on ABC in 1996. I don’t know if I followed the series for the entirety of the two seasons it aired, but I remember loving it. It was supposed to be the spiritual sequel to The Muppet Show, taking place in a TV studio rather than a theater. It introduced some new Muppets like Clifford and Pepe, and had a slew of celebrity guest stars. What other show could get Coolio and Don Rickles in the same episode?

1. Dinosaurs

Buy the DVD on Amazon

In my opinion, Dinosaurs was one of the best shows of the 90s, period. This is a damn funny show, and if you haven’t seen it since its heyday you should check it out. It had a lot of social commentary underneath all the animatronic dinosaur baby humor. It lasted four seasons, and luckily they’ve all been released on DVD in two volumes. The adventures of the Sinclair family was one of my favorite sitcoms of the 90s, even though Earl’s boss scared the crap out of me.

So there are my picks for the ten greatest puppet TV shows of the 90s, did I leave any out?

  • Hated all of those. 😀

  • Don’t forget Sifyl and Olly. Even though the puppets were only socks the show was brilliant.

  • Wasn’t there a show that had a dragon puppet in it…cant remember if it was a Snow White kinda story but in modern times…Anybody know what i’m talking about or am I just crazy?

    • Mike

      The charmings

    • katy

      I know you are talking about and im playing this game and cant figure out what the name is……………..

  • Eureeka’s Castle had a dragon in it, but thats all I can think of.

  • duuude and remember under the couch er some shit, and I loved dinosaurs ahah

  • Dan

    I am looking for a TV show that had puppets that were caricatures of personalities – mostly political – and the setting was a bar – and it was satire Re: current political situations.
    Are you familiar with this program? And can you help me find ANY info on it??
    Thank You
    Dan

    • the name of the show is called d.c. follies

    • warblan

      We have been trying to remember a show from the late 90’s or early 2000. It was on whatever kids channel would also show short songs and videos by Joe Scruggs. It had two bunnies, a duck and other various animals living in an elaborate town setting. The one episode my daughter remembers the duck wears his pajamas all the time and the boy bunny keeps saying “the duck stinks!” and then the duck, who seemed pretty sassy, would say, “the bunny stinks!” Thank you!

  • Tom

    You forgot Hickory Hideout. That show was awesome!

  • Tom

    Wait a minute. This list is for 90’s shows. Hickory Hideout was from the 80’s.

  • belinda

    Thank you!! my daughter watched a lot of these shows,& I could not remember one of her favorites,”Under the Umbrella Tree”. your page helped me remember! Wish they still made shows like the old ones!!

  • Asha

    there was a really obscure puppet show i watched when i was little, it had 2 cats and a bird that travelled alot and he would visit them in this complex and tell them of all his adventures, anyone know what its called? oh and i think dudley the dragon is what you might also want to check out

  • Meg

    I remember a show witha dragon in it, and these other puppet characters would climb up a mountain to get her advice or something. The dragon was all different colours and would puff out dry ice “smoke” haha. Hanging to know the name of that show. It was played on abc in aus maybe in the mid to late 90’s.

  • Zac

    Are you Australian? I guess not – otherwise you would have “The Ferals” in there. That was a classic show! – and to Meg, I believe the show you are talking about is called “Magic Mountain”.

    • I haven’t heard of ‘The Ferals’ I’ll have to check it out!

  • keisha

    ok so ive been trying to think of this cartoon i saw when i was super small and i remeber it very little thanks for helping me figure it out eureekas castle!

  • Mal

    Does any one remember a puppet show from the 60’s where the wires were really obvious in the heads of the puppets and I thought it was called Tales of Rumania but I can’t find any record of it. It’s driving me crazy!!!

  • Mal

    Thanks to Shane for the D C Follies idea but sorry I’m sure it’s not that. My puppets were much earlier & definitely set in a Rumanian/Bolivian? type place.

  • Tay

    Oh man, this was a great Nostalgia trip for me. 🙂 I was actually trying to remember the name of “Cousin Skeeter” earlier today before I found this. :3

    • That’s what we’re here for 🙂

    • Katie

      Does anyone remember a show from 80s/90s it was a puppet one and they got into a machine and they could travels to different seasons it was educational

  • Nina

    Nice list. I was trying to think of a show I barely remember from childhood in the late 80s/early 90s. All I remember is a man standing under a tree with a guitar in a rain-forest like setting singing skinnamarinky dinky dink to a puppet in the tree above his head. He would start the show by talking to the character up in the tree. Any thoughts?

  • Tom

    Nina, could it be Fred Penner’s Place?

  • michael

    ok well im trying to remember a show where there was a real girl and a man that would live in a blimp and save the town when the town would send a letter up to him and the rest of the town were all puppets even the girls grandpa o and there was an evil man plz help i misss my childhood show :]

    • Denise

      lazy town with stephanie (pink hair girl) and asportagus (idk know how its spelled-blue “superhero” guy)

      • Emmy ellen

        Its sportacus, like Spartacus

    • gabby

      lazy town

  • Rasmus

    Hellooo all im looking for dont know if its a tv series or a movie but i watched in on VHS when i was a child..

    It’s about a rabbit family and a beave family if i remember right they where neighbors i supose and the beave dad and the rabbit dad had some kind of beef with each other kinda strange but i enjoyet it 🙂 it was puppets or humans in some costumes..

    Please reply if you know what im thinking of 🙂 Cheers

    • LA

       OMG…im prob looking for the same do you rmbr the rabbit dad singing son to sleep, some kind of sandman song? everytime i search it i get metallica :/     i had no luck finding what it is

  • stephanie

    i am wondering if anyone can help me find out what a show is called that i used to watch it had puppets i think there was a mummy,warewolf,dracula,medusala,frankenstein and some sort of frog like creature that lived in a old castle i think it might be along the lines of little horrors or little monsters can anyone help me out.

    • Nina

      Eureka’s Castle

    • Guest

      oh my gosh im sure i am thinking of this same show.. if so i have been trying to find out what it was called for ever! it was these child-like monster puppets that lived in a castle and went to school and stuff in the castle and i remember frankenstein, a mummy, medusa and like this blue skinned girl.ive been thinking little monsters or little somethings but i cannot find it anywhere!

    • tbag

      house of frightenstein?

    • deeme

      The show is Li’l horrors. It’s an Aussie show that was on channel 7. Here’s a link that show what they looked like….

      http://www.australiantelevision.net/lilhorrors.html

  • Nina

    Sorry that comment wasn’t meant for u I don’t know about those monsters.

  • Swanj0708

    Im looking for a show i used to watch all the time as a kid..but all i can remember about it is the very beginning and i cant remember what its called…in the beginning there is a man hiking through the woods then it goes to the show..please help its really been bugging me!

    • That’s Fred Penner’s Place! I loved that show.

  • Ginalizcastillo

    There was a show with puppets and they were like dragon puppets. And the beginning started off with a pink and orange puppet (girl) sliding down on the stair railing downstairs. And then downstairs her brother was there and they’d like explore and what not.

    • Antonia

      Wimzie’s House?

  • Mthompson3d

    I don’t remember if these were popular, but what about “The Puzzle Place” and “The Big Comfy Couch”?

  • Amy-armstrong1

    What about Fraggle Rock! 

    • Kristen

      Fraggle Rock was in the 80’s. Although, there was an animated version that was out in the 90’s that paled in comparison.

  • Rita

    Dinosaurs!!! OMG!! I used to LOVE that show. My favorite one was about W.A.R. – “We Are Right” when there were “reports of spitting and stick throwing on the front lines…” I was cracking up!

  • 32Luglio

    Hi everyone! Does anybody remember a show with two puppets (They were like Muppets) that presented a cartoon fairytale? I’m italian but in Italy this show was not popular, I had just a vhs in the 90s with the fairytale “Alì Babà and the 40 thieves”…

  • Sarah Houston

    I remember a few from this list. Good old times ^.^ I don’t remember the name of a show I used to watch with puppets. I remember a train on the set and I think (not so sure) that there was people-puppet interaction… Not much details but maybe someone remembers.

    • James Hurst

      Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood?

  • Robert

    Hey, I’ve been trying to find some old cartoons, 80’s 90’s, one of them is a very dim memory, they’re all kind of puppets, they were like cavemen with clubs, it was a very weird show. The other one I remember more clearly, it was in some kind of a swamp, there was a swamp creature like the cookie monster but a swamp disgusting kind of cookie monster, there was also a crocodile all dirty. God damn I can’t remember what’s the name for the life of me.

    • Heather Marconi

      Fraggle rock

    • Chicken Minute

    • Scooooott

      Gogs

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  • Jason

    Hey I’ve been looking for this show, I think it takes place in a office building with people and puppets I remember one being really big, I think it only lasted a season if that and it was around the duckman times.

    • Eric Scott

      i think were are thinking of the same show. Its was a news reporter living/working with puppets and it was on USA around the tie as duckman and Weird science and up all night 9the movie block with gilbert godfrey

  • Michael Morris

    terrahawks

  • Sherrie Tompkins

    I’m trying to recall name of program for kids maybe in late 90’s that was about a family who were made out of handsock puppets. There was Grandpa, mom n dad and kids

  • Ashers

    What about the show that took place in a store I think. There were manicans, puppets, and the main character was a man, can’t remember his name but I think he’s the same guy that played Forney in “Where the heart is”.

    • Hailey Anmarie Straus

      I remember seeing that show! I loved it sooooo much, and I’ve been looking every where for it. If I remember right, the show took place in a candy shop. Sadly, I can’t recall the name of it, either.

    • mandymay99

      I think the show are looking for is called Todays Special. It was on Nickelodeon.

  • Hailey Anmarie Straus

    I’m trying to find an old show – maybe from the 90’s. I can remember watching this sometime in the way early 2000s. All I remember about it is that it was science/space theme muppet/puppet show with a professor who was some kind of bird. There was a song that I remember them singing in one of the episodes, “rectangles, circles, triangles, and squares are the names of the shapes that you’ll see out there!” That’s all I remember of the show, other than the horrific nightmares my lil’ bro’s had every time I played that song. Can anyone help me remember the name of the show?

    • Alex Summers

      You might be talking about Professor Iris! His students were a skeleton, a piano, and a flower. It was a weird show. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K6cG1ayxnAM

      • VinnyD

        Thank you! I have been look for this show all week.

      • isabelle

        OH MY GOD thank you for this!!!!!!! I’ve been looking for this show for forever but I couldn’t even describe it. Even my MOM couldn’t remember it, I was struggling. Thank you so much. So much nostalgia here

  • warblan

    We have been trying to remember a show from the late 90’s or early 2000. It was on whatever kids channel would also show short songs and videos by Joe Scruggs. It had two bunnies, a duck and other various animals living in an elaborate town setting. The one episode my daughter remembers the duck wears his pajamas all the time and the boy bunny keeps saying “the duck stinks!” and then the duck, who seemed pretty sassy, would say, “the bunny stinks!” Thank you!

  • Lauren Belham

    Does anyone remember that old show during the early 2000 that was set in like a factory type place and there were no people and no talking in it and it would kind of like switch from different characters with their own segments it was very sciencey and kind of futuristic and a little creepy haha

  • Madison Bates

    I’m trying to figure out what this old puppet show is called ,from a long time ago. But all I can remember in the show was the puppets were native, and they would go on hikes, and then at the end they would bang on drums.. Anyone have any ideas of what it could be?

    • yioas

      I remember that show too!!!!! I’ve been trying to figure out the name for so long

  • Emmy Ellen

    Hey I need some help. I’m trying to remember the name of this kid show from 2000, and possibly late 90’s. It was on a kid network, but now I realize the characters were kind of creepy. The main character had blue green skin, blue green hair styled like helga’s from hey Arnold, she had black eyes, pink hair bows, and a pink jumper. She lived with her grandma, loved the garden and the characters didn’t normaly speak coherentl English from what I recall. Am I the only one that remembers this?

    • Emmy Ellen

      Never mind I finally found it, it was na na land, and not as creepy as my memory showed. The episode I remembered didn’t have coherent English,

  • J Lovvovo

    I can remember a show and it was about a puppet that owned a store and other puppets bought stuff from there like there was an argument between two puppets about whether blue or green was you.
    The best please help.
    Thank you.

  • officiallybored

    I need help with finding a show. I used to watch it all the time…

    It had farm puppets and like aired either on pbs kids, tiny pop, tlc, or discovery kids, right after or before Peep and the Big Wide World

  • Aria Walter

    Ok I’m trying to find a show about a guy in a forest with puppet friends, one episode was about the puppets favourite pillow that they called billow

  • Laura Pat

    Does anyone remember a tv kids show with two life size girl puppets that were friends?

  • ataleoftwogeese

    I’m trying to find a show I watched in the late 80s, early 90s. It was muppets of kids and they had black beady eyes. There was one character who was ‘bad’ (I think) and she had three red pigtails and there was a princess with white hair too. It was set in a forest type kingdom.

  • Zmm

    So anyone remember this show..
    It was at like a Ski resort or something like that. it was half humans and half puppets.
    Its pretty vague I know.. but I can’t remember much else. other than one episode had a big spider puppet that ascared me.

  • Kerri

    There was a show either late 90s or early 00s, a live action puppet thing. Its was called Professor -something- but I don’t remember what it was. It was an educational thing. Any ideas? The professor was a turkey or something, he wore a green suit, white shirt and red or purple tie.

    • James Hurst

      Professor Iris

  • Cath Suter

    This is all I remember from this show I used to watch s a kid but for the life of me I cant remember it
    This bellow was a part of a song
    Its only pretend and we’re only playing
    We dont really mean the things that were saying

    It was with bug puppets or something and there was one about beauty and the beast and one about goldilocks and the three bears
    I cant remember anymore

  • Carlos Eduardo Silva Baptista

    Im lookink for a tv show with people and puppets with in one episode, they baked a drug cake and transformed, humans in puppets and puppets in humans

  • Geno1987

    Their is this old puppet show I watched as a kid I cant remember. It was on a program called the magic box. Was about a music teacher and a class full of puppets. One was a talking pink piano that played itself.

    • Sam B

      dude me too… did you ever find it

  • Maxie Memester

    Okay so I’m looking for this puppet show It was educational on a DVD
    The DVD menus bg was black and the segments happened at a treehouse/playhouse?

    There was a real woman and a yellow duck puppet and they learned math through purple crackers and the duck would love to say Quackers. They also did things with vowels and i think like night terrors?

    Can someone help

    • Maxie Memester

      her door had a window where characters could stick their head through inside to the left was a table and further down was a couch the walls were brown?

      • 5 years later a Google search led me to your comment. I’m trying to find the same show, haha. Did you ever find the name of it?

  • Cathy Doll

    Hey, I’m trying to find the name of a puppet cartoon show/movie where It takes place in either the Middle Ages or Renaissance. Either way, it’s story has a prince (who was in love and going to be married to a princess) that had captured by the Lord of Evil, wizard or something, tied to a cross and killed. Two kids (still puppets) saw it but swear that the Prince came back to life and try and thwart the villain. In one episode the villain tries to take a minstrels magical flute and trade it for a bejeweled, golden one. The minstrel refuses and the villain tries to strangle him! The kids show up and say “In the name of the prince…” the villain isn’t impressed, but is scared off when the Prince comes up behind the children and just looks at him. There was a song it song all the time, but all I can remember is the lyrics “Song in the Wind…” but not the song sung by regular artists, it’s a show tune.
    Please help me, I’ve been looking ten years for this blasted show/movie

    • labyrinthian

      So I’m not going crazy!

      I finally just found it on the tropes website after a series of oddly specific searches; it’s called Kingdom Adventure! I used to love this series as a kid.
      The wizard used to scare me but I low key liked him the best ?. I didn’t know he was supposed to represent Satan– oof.

      Here’s the opening sequence and first episode on YT:
      https://youtu.be/lRySsBnLrCk
      https://youtu.be/iRJuD8YdQpY

  • Dixy Vanilla

    Does anyone know a show with only puppets I watched it around 2005 on Serbian but I know that it is made before. There is one yellow big eyed guy puppet with hair that goes up and more characters and one episode aliens come and they mispronounce aliens I think HELP PLS

  • estrella Madrid

    theres this show I used to see when I was very little but it could also just be in my imagination? idk no one knows what I’m talking about like theres these faries I’m not sure it it was one or two or if they were friends or siblings but I’m positive one was pink like fully pink and they lived with a actual human but would go into the forest? and met with friends and help solve problems. Its all so foggy but I’m constantly thinking about it and I tried looking it up but I cant find it anywhere or at least it doesn’t seem like anything is what I’m looking for or thinking of. please help..

  • Adam Graham

    I’m looking for a show I watched as a kid. It was a bout music and mathematics. Had somebody puppets you could buy and use at home too. The main characters were a Golden’s retriever dog and a bird. They played in a band and would often go to the music shop to learn about new instruments. I dimly remember one episode about counting baseball cards if that’s helps.

    • Elijah Alfredo Garcia

      lol i think it’s probably too late to answer your question but i think it’s eureeka’s castle

  • Elijah Alfredo Garcia

    I’m looking for this old vhs tape of talking dog puppet from the 90’s can anyone help me?

  • Michael Guevarra

    My favorite shows! When i was a kid i watched all of these shows. They are so good. Angel mwggw. Cale’l no/ evil!

  • Caves Jason

    does anyone remember a kids puppet show perhaps late 80s early 90s, where one of the puppets was on crutches? there was also a female human with them, sometimes before a commercial or at the end they would pop out of this wall and say knock knock jokes or just jokes? the theme song had lyrics that went like ” down by the rainbow……put on a smile…in the land of……..”

  • AlanaL.

    I remember as a kid there was a show that played in the ’80s or early ’90s on I think either the Disney channel or Nickelodeon. All I can remember is red stage curtains; I think it was a puppet or muppet show (could be wrong) and I think Rick Astley appeared at the end of every show singing “Never gonna give you up” – I could be remembering this all wrong.

    Another detail I remember is I think the show was a guy who was a ventriloquist standing on a stage with stage curtains in the background. I don’t remember what his puppet looked like. (hopefully, I’m not mixing up shows).

    Does anyone know what I’m talking about?

  • Aarohi

    Hey everyone!! I’m trying to remember a show from the early 2000s. All I remember is it had puppets. There was a blonde girl called Kayle, along with other human characters. She’d have her mail delivered to her by a puppet in a wall covered with cupboards!!! The puppet will pop out of a different cupboard everytime!!! I think they did arts and craft, and little exercise routine, but I’m not 100% sure!!!
    Could anyone tell me the name of this show please!! Thank you!