in:

Show

Candle Cove (TV Show)

VIEW SOURCE
COMMENTS (122) SHARE

Candle Cove was an American experimental puppet TV-show, aimed at children. It was originally going
to be called "Pirate Place".

Locally produced in Ironton, Ohio, the show advertised itself as modestly trying to handle avantgarde
educational contents through new techniques, both visual, artistic, and technical.

It apparently was loosely based on a short story called "The Nickerbocker's Tale" from 1767.

Contents
[show]
Early Previews
The first Candle Cove announcement was made on May 14th, 1968, at a local TV-News show, in a
Chronicle about education in the city. An interview was held at the Visual Arts department of the
University of Ohio with two students named Caroline Barker and Mary Prescott, who revealed
themselves as working on a TV-show project involving puppetry called Candle Cove; according to
Barker and Prescott, they were the ones comissioned on building the puppets; during the documental,
some shots of puppet designs, drafts and even unfinished puppets were taken.
On January 12th, 1971, the Culture and Arts Note from the Local Network made the first announcement
of the Candle Cove Premiere in a 12-minute interview with the executive producer of the show, Tom
Thrives, and the director of the show's first episode, Lynn Huntington. In their speech, Candle Cove was
a project that took 5 years to develop, and was expected to put "Kids and Educational Ohio TV" to the
national top. The rest of the show after the pilot was directed by Emerson Grimes.
Pilot Episode (1971)
The launch was much anticipated by both kids and adults, and many educational critics expected to write
a review of the first episode. It premiered on Channel 58 at Primetime (7 PM) on January 19th, with a
live performance where the main characters and the concept of the show were presented. That 20-minute
special (16-minutes in actual time, with a cut at the 14:20 minute mark to include advertising) was called
"Welcome to Our Happy Ship" and was accompanied by a live audience.

The first reviews for the pilot episode were mixed. Most of the critics recognized a "potential heart-
warming" attitude in the characters, but they complained about the "cheap" and "realistic" look of the
puppets, with Alexis tanner from The Ironton Reporter calling them "disturbingly human" and "morbid".
Other commentators dismissed the "bad" look of the puppets by saying that the show was "playing by its
own rules" and considered that "plausible" since the purpose was "bending fantasy and reality in an
integral way".

Talinka Staropoli, Ph. D. from the Ohio University Southern Campus, referred to the show as "a genuine
original proposal" and predicted a good future for the show.

Season One (1971-1972)

Following some good reviews of the pilot, it was quickly greenlit a complete "first season" for the show
consisting of 9 episodes, that were going to be produced weekly. However, the show was pushed to a
schedule more adequate for kids, right after the Local News, at 4:30 p.m. No other episodes were
broadcasted live. Instead, they were presented with two commercial cuts, previously recorded.
Season Two (1972)
The second season of Candle Cove was aired the year after the first, and consisted of an additional three
episodes to the standard nine, bringing the total count to twelve episode in season two, and twenty one
total episodes throughout the series. There were no major changes to the shows framework and it
continued with the same themes. Oddly enough, by this time the last few episodes were not widely
broadcast due to undisclosed reasons. This went generally unnoticed and unquestioned, leading to the
belief that there had been only 9 episodes. The season also included the alleged "screaming episode".
Innovation
VIEW SOURCE

COMMENTS (1) SHARE

Contents
[show]

Premise
One of the most remarkable achievements of Candle Cove was the experimentation in air wave
broadcasting and receiving brain waves. In May 2007, the American National Aeronautics and Space
Administration (NASA) confirmed that they used the television show's time slot to test a special
broadcasting signal.

The show's producers never made a conclusive statement about whether or not they agreed with the
experiment, but there are sources that indicate they were coerced by the NASA agency to collaborate.

Experimental Broadcasting
The broadcasting system involved a technology known as "SEBTAW" (Sound Echography Braincasting
Transmissing Air Wave Signal). It worked with the long-peak radio/air wave conversion to brainwave
homologues, in order to stimulate brain cells directly with the air waves without needing a
visual/auditory output.
This system was created on the television's aforementioned "static" that was, by other means, a peak
projection whose radio signals permitted the watchers to acquire the visual information. The "static"
was, in reality, a weak signal that televisions closer to the broadcasting studio could pick up. Meanwhile,
other televisions further away relied on children's tolerance for low video and audio quality to watch
their TV show. An adult may remember this as static, since at the time they saw it as close to pure static.

According to classified sources, the determined signal length allowed the system to only work in
children between two and six years old. Their brains have not passed the final myelination stages, unlike
teenagers or adults, and thus were susceptible to the braincasting process. This is the main reason NASA
chose to mask the testing program with a children's television show.

However, this is not to say that the show was not at all visible to those close to the signal; it was just
stronger with younger children. There have been reports of children, who were at least twelve at the time
(effectively possessing an adult brain), that lived close to the television studio who watched Candle
Cove. There was even one instance of someone's mother watching the show with their child (the mother
was 18, while the child was 3). The woman could not understand why her son was so engrossed in it,
when she found it to be just another silly children's show (except for the Skin-Taker). She was surprised
at her son's ability to clearly discern images from the weak signal. However, the signal needed to be at
least faintly received by the television in order to be imprinted. A weak signal looks like static, with faint
swirls representing pictures.

The SEBTAW system also experimented with "memory reverberance" technology. It allowed the test
subjects (the children) to retain the information about the show acquired via SEBTAW to last only six
hours or less. This explains why most of the information about the show is lost. Even so, in recent years
it has been possible to recover some synopsis and fragments of plot from old TV Guide issues,
production notes, interviews, child writings and drawings, and from those who were close enough to the
signal that they could physically watch the show sans static. However, aisde from the well-recieved pilot
and first episode, most of the show's content is unknown.

SEBTAW-Exclusive
According to the official network book, only six Candle Cove episodes of the final season (the last one
planned before the show's cancellation) were broadcasted exclusively by the SEBTAW system. These
were episodes 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, and 12

In Q4 of 1972, on the show's 1972-1973 rerun, previously unaired episodes, along with all the other
episodes, were broadcasted in the SEBTAW signal. This explains why most watchers remember episode
11 as the series finale.

In some areas, it was not only those episodes, but the full series that was transmitted via SEBTAW. As
well, there sometimes was regular advertising and announcement of the show in the regular episode, and
even the title cards of some SEBTAW-exclusive episodes, like the Death of Milo, played before the
SEBTAW braincasting. This is why Candle Cove is remembered by children and parents as an "urban
legend", since most could see nothing more than thirty minutes of static, unless they were close enough
to fully receive the television station's weak signal, and the content of the show was quickly wiped from
the kids' memories.
According to the show's producers, they were actually forced (it's unknown by the contract or the NASA
people) to direct the infamous "Screaming Episode", for the sole purpose of making the final test of the
signal. For this reason, the episode was totally improvised and the script was deliberately consisting of
the show's characters screaming directly at the camera for roughly seventeen minutes.
Episodes 5 and 6 from Season 2 are generally thought to have similar content. Concurrently, it must be
noticed that all of the SEBTAW-Exclusive Episodes were known to deal with considerably darker or
risque content in comparison to the regular series episodes. In fact, the decision to produce episodes with
such questionable content was taken in only after it was reportedly known that children watching the
brainsignal had developed a level of addiction to the series, and had become influenceable to follow the
characters' behaviors. A number of casualties was also reported by local newspapers, coinciding with the
SEBTAW rerun period. The infamous "screaming episode" was broadcasted on December 4, 1972.
Aftermath
SEBTAW technology has been systematically denied by NASA and the US government, but was
reportedly used in the 80's to transfer information and confidential, top secret messages by air without
the risk of having them decrypted. It is not known currently if the system was being discarded by the
coming of the 90's and the digital adoption by part of the US government, or if it is still in use.

Some scientific publications also treated the topic by describing the danger of the brainwave
transmission, making the specific indication about how it was "...demonstrated to create addiction and
aggressive behavior on little children in the 1972 NASA experiment."

Trivia
Some believe the system had trouble transmitting some colors, such as the color of Milo's hair,
which appeared differently to different people. It also supposedly caused trouble with
a Reindeer's nose.

Production
EDIT

COMMENTS SHARE
 Production of Candle Cove development took
place roughly between 1966 and 1971, almost five years, according to the creators in an 1971 interview
with Tom Thrives.
The broadcasting studio was known as HeyKids.
Background
Initially beginning as an experimental artistic endevour, the project changed over the years to become a
children's television show, which they [the creators] hoped could present educational themes, which
young children would understand, with a mixture of humour and entertainment.

Tom Thrives, the lead designer of Candle Cove, created the concept in mid-1966 while studying arts and
media at the University of Ohio. The original idea was to explore the artistic possibilities puppetry had.
However, by the end of the year, the focus was on a children's television program. At this time, most of
the characters and setting were only a framework, and over the course of the next few years went
through the stages of development until 1969, when they had been finalized.

During 1967, progress on the project was slowed down as Thrives was involved in media related
work. Jeremy Laberge, a friend of Thrives, offered his services in the same year and quickly got the
position of assistant producer.
Lynn Huntington would join the group in late 1970, and was put in charge of directing the pilot episode.
Design
Two students of Ohio University, Caroline Barker and Mary Prescott, were commissioned by Thrives in
1968 to build the puppets. The production budget was very low and it gave the team very little to work
with (most of the funding came from Thrives himself). As a result, the puppets and set looked very
cheap and gritty. In some instances, they had to use already made puppets or stuffed toys. They also
sometimes borrowed set pieces from other shows the studio had produced. This did not deter the
development in any way, and made room for innovation, which would pay off in the end.

The set for Candle Cove was designed and built by Thrives and Laberge over the course of two years
(1968 and 1969). 1966 and 1967 were primarily the conceptual years.

Side Notes
The character of Janice was not implemented into the show until 1969, and was initially called "Jaydee",
which was only in the original pilot. Pirate Percy was known as "Prowler Percy" from the beginning, and
this naming was also used in the original pilot episode, but changed in subsequent episodes.
Janice's sister Melrose was a late addition to the show, primarily because its focus was not on live actors,
and two were already seen as pushing the limit by Thrives. As stated by him, "I want it to incorporate
realism but also leave a lot up to the child's imagination".

Also, many times stage hands were asked to voice characters in the show. Many of the actors were
students, not well known, or already employed and working on the show. One actor was a janitor for the
studio.

Broadcasting
EDIT

COMMENTS SHARE

Candle Cove was broadcast in several different areas during its airing. Very little information can be
gathered about how many exactly, as the show was locally produced and quite obscure.

The two most noted areas of broadcasting were, Ironton, Ohio (where it was produced), and Ashland,
Kentucky. Support for the show from other studios and sources was small. It is also rumoured that there
were reruns near New Windsor, Illinois.

Side Note:
Thrives and Laberge made the decision of continuing to air Candle Cove only in those areas, regardless
of low popularity, debt, and the financial risk of losing funding and going bankrupt.

Music Used In the Show

EDIT
COMMENTS (1) SHARE

A calliope.
Most of the soundtrack consisted of calliope music, which was often repeated and re-used.
Confirmed Original Music
1. Candle Cove Theme
2. Come, Come, Rip
3. Going on an Adventure
4. Muddy Boots Song (Laughingstock's Theme)
5. One Year Closer
6. Pirate's Life on the Sea
7. Wimp
8. Hoist the Colors
Sea Shanties
Classic Sea Shanties were sometimes incorporated into episodes. Among the songs included were:

1. A Pirates Life For Me

2. Drunken Sailor (a short version was used)
3. Haul Away for Rosie
4. Santy Anno
5. Spanish Ladies
6. 15 Men on a Dead Man's Chest
 04:16
Sea Shanties Santy Anno

03:00
Sea Shanties Haul Away For Rosie

02:49
Sea shanties - spanish ladies

Add a photo to this gallery

Possible Opening Themes

01:22
Candle cove - original theme song (1972)

00:28
Candle Cove Intro (1970 Children's Show)

Going on an Adventure is Pirate Percy and Janice's song in the Musical Episode.
Lyrics
We're going on an adventure,
An adventure, an adventure!
We're going on an adventure,
Just you and me!
We're going to sail the sea,
Happy as can be.
And no one, no one, no one,
No one can stop me!

Here we are a sailin',

Hold onto the railin'.
Percy and Janice!
Off to Amantis!

Hi ho!
Here we go!
Over the waves and across the graves!
Watch out! We better behave!

Oh ho!
Off to the sails we go!

Come, Come, Rip is the Skin-Taker's song in Getting Under My Skin.

Lyrics
Well, come now, come now, one and all,
It's time to gather round.
Come now, come now, don't you cry,
Don't scream or make a sound!

I'll rip now, rip now, tear your skin,

And chew upon your bones.
I'll sew my cape with you within,
So you won't be alone!

Notes
The exact tune of the song is lost, but it was very cheerful and upbeat, in contrast to the
dark theme of the lyrics.

List of Episodes
VIEW SOURCE
COMMENTS (37) SHARE
 The episodes of Candle Cove are as follows, in order of airing. Due to
the short time needed to produce the episodes, both seasons were broadcasted between 1971 and 1972.
There was a two month hiatus between the airing of the two seasons. Each episode was roughly 20-25
minutes long.

Season One
Pilot Episode - "Welcome to Our Happy Ship"
Episode 1 - "Percy Plays Piano"
Episode 2 - "Getting Under My Skin"
Episode 3 - "The Battle of Little Bedford"
Episode 4 - "The Birthday Party"
Episode 5 - "Skin-Taker's Day Off"
Episode 6 - "Ship Crash"
Episode 7 - "The New Ship"
Episode 8 - "The King of Banana Land"
Episode 9 - "The Treasure is Lost"
Episode 10 - "A Ship on the Horizon"
Episode 11 - "Janice's Shoes"
Episode 12 - "A Hole in the Ship"
Episode 13 - "A New Route"
Episode 14 - "The Map and the Key"
Episode 15- "High Waters"
Season Two
Episode 1 - "One Year"
Episode 2 - "Milo"
Episode 3 - "The Clip Show"
Episode 4 - "Milo's Race"
Episode 5 - (did not air)
Episode 6 - (did not air)
Episode 7 - "The Death of Milo"
Episode 8 - "Christmas in Candle Cove"
Episode 9 - "Percy's Past"
Episode 10 - "Lost at Sea"
 Episode 11 - "Musical Episode"
Episode 12 - "Screaming Episode"
Episode 13 - (did not air)
Episode 14 - (did not air)
Episode 15 - (did not air)