Jake's Happy Nostalgia Show!

This week on Jake's Happy Nostalgia Show, we're joined by animation historian, author, and blogger Jerry Beck! A leading voice in animation history, Jerry has written more than 15 books on the subject and has dedicated his career to preserving and celebrating the art form through his writing, research, and archival work. Jerry reflects on his early love of comic books and classic cartoons...

This week on Jake's Happy Nostalgia Show, we're joined by puppet artist and performer Robin Walsh! Robin takes us through her fascinating career in puppetry, sharing stories from some of the most beloved children's television series and unique film productions of the past few decades. Robin discusses her work as a puppeteer on Bear in the Big Blue House, The Book of Pooh, Whoopi's...

Also this week on Jake's Happy Nostalgia Show, we're joined by award-winning children's singer-songwriter, musician, author, and entertainer Doctor Noize! Known for his imaginative storytelling and energetic family music, Doctor Noize takes us behind the scenes of creating his acclaimed albums, books, live shows, and educational projects. We explore the origins of The Ballad of Phineas...

First up this week on Jake's Happy Nostalgia Show, we're joined by writer, director, and producer Matt Dearborn! Matt shares stories from his impressive career in children's and family television, including creating the hit Disney Channel series Even Stevens and the Disney XD comedy Zeke and Luther. He was also executive producer on Phil of the Future and Fast Layne. Beyond Disney, Mat...

Also this week on Jake's Happy Nostalgia Show, we're joined by executive producer Sheri Singer! Sheri's career in television began behind the scenes as an associate producer on The Phil Donahue Show before moving into producing on Days of Our Lives. She later founded Just Singer Entertainment and became one of the key creative forces behind many beloved Disney Channel Original Movies (...

First up this week on Jake's Happy Nostalgia Show, we're joined by actress and author Kathy Garver! Kathy's remarkable career began at a young age, including an appearance in The Ten Commandments. She is best known for her role as Cissy Davis on the classic television series Family Affair, a role that made her a household name, and later lent her voice to Firestar in the animated serie...

This week on Jake's Happy Nostalgia Show, we're joined by actress and singer-songwriter Sofie Zamchick! Many viewers and listeners will know Sofie as the voice of Linny, the adventurous guinea pig and leader of the beloved Nick Jr. series Wonder Pets!. Beyond her memorable work on the show, Sofie has built a career spanning television, film, and theatre, showcasing her talents both on scre...

This week on Jake's Happy Nostalgia Show, we're joined by actor Doug Jones and filmmaker Derek Maki! Doug Jones has built one of the most remarkable careers in Hollywood, bringing unforgettable characters to life through extensive makeup and visual effects. His iconic roles include Billy Butcherson in Hocus Pocus, Abe Sapien in Hellboy, the Faun and the Pale Man in Pan's Labyrinth, The...

This week on Jake's Happy Nostalgia Show, we're joined by Larry Brantley, Betty Buckley, and Joey Stewart! This conversation touches on the upcoming documentary What's the Story, Wishbone?, which Larry, Betty, and Joey produced. Centered around the beloved Wishbone, the documentary reflects on the legacy of the classic literature-inspired PBS series and the lasting impact it has had on...

On this week's episode of Jake's Happy Nostalgia Show, we're joined by actress, singer, and dancer Lana Whittington! Lana is best known to Barney fans as Jill from Season 6 of Barney & Friends and several Barney home videos. Lana shares the story of how she landed the role, including her audition process and what it was like stepping into the world of Barney. She reflects on the st...

Also this week on Jake's Happy Nostalgia Show, we're joined by puppeteer, director, and producer Frankie Cordero! Known for bringing Rudy to life on Sesame Street, Purple Panda on Donkey Hodie, and Mamu and Papu on Oobi, Frankie shares his journey into puppetry, including getting his start with Sesame Street through the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. He talks about working alongside L...

First up this week on Jake's Happy Nostalgia Show, we're joined by creators Halle Stanford and Dorien Davies! Halle has helped bring beloved Henson projects to life including Sid the Science Kid, Pajanimals, Dinosaur Train, and Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock, while Dorien's impressive career includes work with The Muppets and Henson productions such as Puppet Up!, Julie's Greenroom...

(We apologize for the delay in posting this as we had a bit of trouble getting this up yesterday.) Also this week on Jake's Happy Nostalgia Show, we're joined by actor Barry Pearl! Barry is best known to many as Doody in Grease and Professor Tinkerputt in the Barney franchise, including the primetime special Bedtime with Barney: Imagination Island and the Barney's Big Surprise tour. Ba...

On this week's episode of Jake's Happy Nostalgia Show, we're joined by rock and alternative rock singer-songwriter Greg Amici! Greg's musical career took a complete halt for 16 years due to a vocal injury, and eventually returned not with a continuation of his past work, but a reinvention. His latest album, Tragicomic, plays like a time capsule rebuilt from memory, drawing on class...

On this week's episode of Jake's Happy Nostalgia Show, we're joined by executive producer and creator Angela Santomero! Angela is best known for her extensive career in children's entertainment, by co-creating the beloved Nick Jr. series Blue's Clues, its spin-off Blue's Room, and the reboot Blue's Clues & You!, as well as PBS Kids favorites Super Why! and Daniel Ti...

On this week's episode of Jake's Happy Nostalgia Show, we're joined by Canadian writer, creator, and showrunner John Derevlany. John joins us to share his journey through the worlds of adult and children's television. Starting out writing for National Lampoon, John eventually transitioned into television, initially writing for adult audiences before finding his niche in children&#3...

On this week's episode of Jake's Happy Nostalgia Show, we're joined by production designer Bob Lavallee. Bob spent 14 and a half years shaping the visual world of Barney & Friends, working from Season 4 through to the very end. He also contributed to numerous Barney home videos, including Camp WannaRunnaRound, Sing & Dance With Barney, Barney's Night Before Christmas, Let&#...

On this week's episode of Jake's Happy Nostalgia Show, we're joined by singer-songwriter and educator Keeth Apgar! Keeth joins us to talk about his journey as the founder and frontman of the family music band The Harmonica Pocket. Their latest single, Imperfection is a Gift, shares a message of embracing life's accidents and finding the beauty and power within those moments of impe...

On this week's episode of Jake's Happy Nostalgia Show, we're joined by writers and producers Paul Germain and Joe Ansolabehere! Paul co-created Rugrats alongside Arlene Klasky and Gábor Csupó and oversaw the show's first three seasons, while Joe joined as a writer during those early years, helping bring the adventures of Tommy, Chuckie, Angelica, and the gang to life. After Rugrats...

On this week's episode of Jake's Happy Nostalgia Show, we're joined by writer and producer Alex Rockwell! Alex began her work with The Jim Henson Company in the late '1980s, first as a producer on The Jim Henson Hour, continuing as a producer and executive producer on series such as Dinosaurs, Muppets Tonight, and Bear in the Big Blue House, as well as the feature films Muppets fro...

On this week's episode of Jake's Happy Nostalgia Show, we're joined by writer and producer Jim Lewis! People will know Jim's work best from his many years with The Muppets and The Jim Henson Company. He got his start with The Muppets as the editor of Muppet Magazine, with his first production being the video Hey, You're as Funny as Fozzie Bear. From there, Jim wrote and produce...

On this week's episode of Jake's Happy Nostalgia Show, we're joined by creator and executive producer Jennifer Oxley! Best known for her extensive career in children's television, today's conversation with Jennifer touches specifically on creating and executive producing the Wonder Pets! reboot series Wonder Pets: In the City. She discusses the upcoming second season, how it in...

On this week's episode of Jake's Happy Nostalgia Show, we're joined by TV hosts Doug Momary and Emily Peden! In the '1970s, Doug and Emily were beloved for playing the hosts Doug and Emmy Jo on New Zoo Revue, with Doug also serving as co-creator. The conversation dives into the creation of the show, including Doug's collaboration with fellow co-creator Barbara Atlas, and their...

On this week's episode of Jake's Happy Nostalgia Show, we're joined by children's author, writer, and television producer Marilyn Sadler! Marilyn has had the pleasure of writing and producing for children in multiple different fashions. She is a children's book author, best known for book series such as P.J. Funnybunny, Honey Bunny, and Alistair Grittle, which was featured on t...

On this week's episode of Jake's Happy Nostalgia Show, we're joined by creators and executive producers Genie Deez and Thy Than! This week's conversation covers the brand new PBS Kids series Genie and Thy created, Phoebe & Jay, which follows two children who live with their father and grandmother at Tobsy Towers in the fictional city of Nadaville, California. Genie and Thy shar...