Jake's Happy Nostalgia Show!

Welcome to Jake's Happy Nostalgia Show, the podcast where nostalgia comes alive! This week, we're honored to welcome legendary sound effects and foley artist Dick Maitland, whose masterful work has helped shape the soundscape of children's television for over five decades. Since Sesame Street first hit the airwaves in 1969, Dick has been behind countless iconic noises, from Cookie Mons...

Welcome to Jake's Happy Nostalgia Show, the podcast where nostalgia comes alive! This week, we're delighted to welcome Canadian puppeteer, voice actor, and creator Ingrid Hansen. Ingrid joins us to talk about her early roles bringing characters like Gertie G. Gopher on Tiga Talk, Skeeter on Tick & Skeeter, and Melissa the Dog on Seasons 2 and 3 of Miss Persona to life. We also dive int...

Welcome to Jake's Happy Nostalgia Show, the podcast where nostalgia comes alive! This week, we're thrilled to welcome legendary director and associate director Ken Diego, whose remarkable career has helped shape some of the most beloved moments in children's television. Since 1993, Ken has been a creative force behind Sesame Street, directing and associate directing countless episodes,...

Welcome to Jake's Happy Nostalgia Show, the podcast where nostalgia comes alive! This week, we close off 2025 by welcoming acclaimed television director and producer Jonathan Judge, a major creative force in the kids and family entertainment world. Jonathan's career in children's programming began with one of the most iconic preschool series of all time, Blue's Clues. He later dire...

Welcome to Jake's Happy Nostalgia Show, the podcast where nostalgia comes alive! This week, we're joined by the multitalented puppet artist David Bizzaro! David's journey in the world of puppetry has taken him across some of the most beloved corners of children's entertainment, beginning with his work as a puppet wrangler for Sesame Street, including the specials The Magical Wand C...

Welcome to Jake's Happy Nostalgia Show, the podcast where nostalgia comes alive! This week, we're thrilled to welcome the incredibly versatile puppeteer, puppet builder, and humanitarian worker Lisa Buckley! Lisa began her career bringing characters to life for television and film, including serving as an assistant puppeteer on the classic sitcom ALF. In the early 1990s, she joined the leg...

Welcome to Jake's Happy Nostalgia Show, the podcast where nostalgia comes alive! This week, we're honored to welcome legendary television creator, producer, and puppeteer Sid Krofft! As one half of the iconic duo Sid & Marty Krofft, Sid helped shape generations of childhood memories through imaginative, groundbreaking series like H.R. Pufnstuf, Land of the Lost, and Sigmund and the Sea...

Welcome to Jake's Happy Nostalgia Show, the podcast where nostalgia comes alive! This week, we are joined by executive producer and children's television creator Don Moody! Don's career started as a fine artist, before founding the advertising agency Moody Communications. He then entered the world of television production, where he was an associate producer on several shows with ABC. H...

Welcome to Jake's Happy Nostalgia Show, the podcast where nostalgia comes alive! This week, we welcome the multi-talented puppeteer, puppet wrangler, producer, and writer Jamie Donmoyer! Jamie pupeteered for Sesame Street in the Sesame Street 4-D Movie Magic attraction at Universal Studios Japan, contributed to the holiday special Once Upon a Sesame Street Christmas, and performed with the Ses...

Welcome to Jake's Happy Nostalgia Show, the podcast where nostalgia comes alive! This week, we're joined by award-winning children's musician and singer-songwriter Justin Roberts! Before becoming one of the most beloved names in family music, Justin got his start in the indie-folk scene as a founding member of Pimentos for Gus. After the band's split, he found his true calling crea...

Welcome to Jake's Happy Nostalgia Show, the podcast where nostalgia comes alive! This week, we speak with the incredibly talented Jean Marie Keevins — a puppet artist, producer, writer, designer, and one of the most versatile creative forces in the puppetry world! Jean Marie shares her fascinating journey from building puppets for Avenue Q and Disney on Ice to her time as Vice President of Pup...

Welcome to Jake's Happy Nostalgia Show, the podcast where nostalgia comes alive! This week, we're joined by two incredible talents who helped shape the voices of our childhoods, Sonja Ball and Rick Jones! Sonja is best known for bringing to life beloved characters such as Wimzie on Wimzie's House, Jane Read (Arthur's mom) on Arthur, Huckle Cat on The Busy World of Richard Scarry, a...

Welcome to Jake's Happy Nostalgia Show, the podcast where nostalgia comes alive! This week, we're thrilled to welcome writer and producer Scott Kraft! Scott has had an incredible impact on children's television, with a career spanning beloved animated and live-action projects. From his early work with Nelvana on classics like Rolie Polie Olie, George Shrinks, and Miss Spider's Sunn...

Welcome to Jake's Happy Nostalgia Show, the podcast where nostalgia comes alive! This week, we are joined by Vivian Bayubay McLaughlin, best known to Playhouse Disney fans as Vivian, one of the beloved hosts of the preschool favorite Out of the Box! Vivian shares how she landed the role, her favorite songs and crafts from the show, what it was like to perform in the Playhouse Disney Live! tour...

Welcome to Jake's Happy Nostalgia Show, the podcast where nostalgia comes alive! This week, we welcome television and film producer Dete Meserve. Dete shares her journey from serving as executive producer on the PBS Kids hit Ready Jet Go! to taking the reins as executive producer and showrunner of Weather Hunters, the newest PBS Kids series created by America's beloved weathercaster Al Rok...

Welcome to Jake's Happy Nostalgia Show, the podcast where nostalgia comes alive! This week, we welcome actor, writer, producer, and creator Wesley Eure! Known to millions for his role as Michael Horton on Days of Our Lives and as Will Marshall on the beloved sci-fi adventure Land of the Lost, Wesley's career spans across soap operas, television, film, and children's entertainment. He&#...

Welcome to Jake's Happy Nostalgia Show, the podcast where nostalgia comes alive! This week, we're thrilled to welcome back voice actress and children's musical artist Debi Derryberry for her third appearance! Beloved for bringing countless animated characters to life, Debi now turns her talents toward soothing songs with her brand-new lullaby album, Go to Sleep, releasing September 26t...

Welcome to Jake's Happy Nostalgia Show, the podcast where nostalgia comes alive! This week, we welcome acclaimed music supervisor and composer Jeff Zahn, whose work has soundtracked some of the most beloved children's television of the past three decades. Jeff's credits include iconic series like Are You Afraid of the Dark?, The Busy World of Richard Scarry, Madeline, Arthur, Wimzie&#3...

Welcome to Jake's Happy Nostalgia Show, the podcast where nostalgia comes alive! This week, we're joined by the talented children's director and producer Koyalee Chanda! Koyalee got her start on the groundbreaking Nick Jr. favorite Blue's Clues, where she directed and wrote episodes, directed the show's memorable "video letters", and even provided the original voice o...

Welcome to Jake's Happy Nostalgia Show, the podcast where nostalgia comes alive! This week, we welcome actress, composer, and teaching artist Liz Filios! From 2010 to 2012, Liz brought joy to young viewers as one of the hosts of Sprout's morning block, The Sunny Side Up Show. Continuing her work with kids, she went on to create Storytime in the Zoom Room in 2020, a free interactive learnin...

Welcome to Jake's Happy Nostalgia Show, the podcast where nostalgia comes alive! This week, we honor another puppeteer who is no longer with us, by interviewing Jan Nelson, the wife of legendary puppeteer Jerry Nelson, best known for originating the roles of Count von Count and Herry Monster on Sesame Street, Floyd Pepper, Robin the Frog, and Lew Zealand on The Muppets, Gobo Fraggle on Fraggle...

Welcome to Jake's Happy Nostalgia Show, the podcast where nostalgia comes alive! This week, we welcome back legendary puppeteer and puppet builder Jim Kroupa for a deeper dive into his career in the world of puppetry, after speaking to him previously for the Between the Lions reunion special. Jim got his start with The Jim Henson Company as an additional puppeteer on The Muppets Take Manhattan...

Welcome to Jake's Happy Nostalgia Show, the podcast where nostalgia comes alive! This week, we spoke with Kristin DiQuollo and Chris Loggins, both of which who work for Fred Rogers Productions, where Kristin is a co-executive producer on Donkey Hodie and Chris is a supervising producer on Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood. Our discussion today covers the upcoming crossover special, Daniel Tiger...

Welcome to Jake's Happy Nostalgia Show, the podcast where nostalgia comes alive! This week, we're joined by blogger and journalist Allison McClain Merrill! Allison is a travel writer and pop culture reporter who is best known for being a historian of one of television's most popular networks, Disney Channel! We discuss favorite shows and DCOMs, the golden era of Disney Channel, any fav...

Welcome to Jake's Happy Nostalgia Show, the podcast where nostalgia comes alive! This week, we're joined by actress Nitya Vidyasagar! From 2008 to 2015, Nitya was beloved by generations as Leela, one of the human characters on Sesame Street. She shares memories of her time on the iconic series, including performing in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, appearing alongside the Muppets on Extreme M...