Kristin DiQuollo, supervising producer of Donkey Hodie for Fred Rogers Productions, discusses bringing the magic of Fred Rogers to life again in the puppet preschool series about big dreams.
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Donkey Hodie – Weekdays at 10 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.
By Sue Wagner
May 19, 2021
The imaginative puppet series follows the adventures of Donkey Hodie, the granddaughter of the original Donkey Hodie character (now known as “Grampy Hodie”), a puppet from MISTER ROGERS’ NEIGHBORHOOD, who appeared in 59 episodes of the beloved classic children’s show from 1968-1993. 2021-05-19
Puppeteering during a pandemic takes practice â and patience.
Just ask the folks behind âDonkey Hodie,â a new PBS series based on a Fred Rogers character.
âThe challenge is the audio,â says David Rudman, one of the showâs producers and the man behind Bob Dog. âSome masks work for me and I donât sound too muffled.â Others might not click for other puppeteers. âWe have been doing a lot of looping on the show because some of the audio is unusable.â
Rudman tried a heavier mask â often called a âsingerâs maskâ â and he almost lost consciousness. âBob Dog is very energetic,â he explains. âHe pants a lot and thereâs a lot of running around. I had to run out of the studio, take the mask off and get some air into my system. That mask didnât work for me.â
This image released by PBS Kids shows puppet characters Purple Panda, left, and Donkey Hodie from the new series âDonkey Hodie,â inspired from characters in the original Fred Rogers TV show. The whimsical series for children ages 3-5 premiered Monday and centers on the adventures of Donkey Hodie, an enthusiastic yellow donkey with a bright magenta mane.
PBS Kids via AP