Gator Tales
Encyclopedia
Gator Tales was a local children's television show produced in St. Louis, Missouri
by local CBS affiliate KMOV
. The show aired on Saturdays and Sundays in key states throughout the Midwest from 1988 to 1999, including Missouri, Arkansas, and Illinois.
The 30-minute show, which stressed the development of good character values and self-esteem, featured a mischievous puppet
alligator named "Grouchie Gator" and his puppet friends (created & performed by puppeteer
Doug Kincaid
and "The Kincaid Karacter Puppets"), a visiting storyteller friend, and an occasional walk-on guest star. The storylines revolved around "Grouchie's Place" (Grouchie Gator's swamp store)and usually involved Grouchie getting into some sort of trouble through a never-ending variety of crazy schemes, only to be gently shown the error of his ways by his storyteller friends, via their recitation of an appealing folk tale (with a subtle moral lesson at the end), related to the situation at hand.
"Gator Tales" was produced by Al Frank (later Rebecca McDowell), and was directed by Skip Goodrum. Doug Kincaid, in addition to co-creating (with brother Bill Kincaid
) and performing Grouchie Gator and the other "Kincaid Karacter" puppet
characters, also designed and created the set and props for the show, as well as writing the scripts for all the episodes. It was hosted by Bobby Norfolk
.
"Gator Tales" won numerous regional Emmy Awards during its 11 year run on KMOV, and was one of the last of the "classic" local children's television shows to be produced, prior to the eventual dominance of syndicated broadcast programming, cable TV and the growth of such national children's television giants as Nickelodeon
.
Doug Kincaid starred on "D. B.'s Delight", another children's show, prior to his work on "Gator Tales".
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
by local CBS affiliate KMOV
KMOV
KMOV, virtual channel 4, is the CBS-affiliated television station in St. Louis, Missouri. KMOV is owned by the Dallas-based Belo Corporation, with its studio and office facilities in St...
. The show aired on Saturdays and Sundays in key states throughout the Midwest from 1988 to 1999, including Missouri, Arkansas, and Illinois.
The 30-minute show, which stressed the development of good character values and self-esteem, featured a mischievous puppet
Puppet
A puppet is an inanimate object or representational figure animated or manipulated by an entertainer, who is called a puppeteer. It is used in puppetry, a play or a presentation that is a very ancient form of theatre....
alligator named "Grouchie Gator" and his puppet friends (created & performed by puppeteer
Puppeteer
A puppeteer is a person who manipulates an inanimate object, such as a puppet, in real time to create the illusion of life. The puppeteer may be visible to or hidden from the audience. A puppeteer can operate a puppet indirectly by the use of strings, rods, wires, electronics or directly by his or...
Doug Kincaid
Doug Kincaid
Douglas Doerr "Doug" Kincaid is an American artist, writer, and performer, best-known for his work in the fields of puppetry and promotional costuming .- Early Influences, Education, and Career :...
and "The Kincaid Karacter Puppets"), a visiting storyteller friend, and an occasional walk-on guest star. The storylines revolved around "Grouchie's Place" (Grouchie Gator's swamp store)and usually involved Grouchie getting into some sort of trouble through a never-ending variety of crazy schemes, only to be gently shown the error of his ways by his storyteller friends, via their recitation of an appealing folk tale (with a subtle moral lesson at the end), related to the situation at hand.
"Gator Tales" was produced by Al Frank (later Rebecca McDowell), and was directed by Skip Goodrum. Doug Kincaid, in addition to co-creating (with brother Bill Kincaid
Bill Kincaid
William S. "Bill" Kincaid is an American computer engineer and entrepreneur notable for creating the MP3 player SoundJam MP with Jeff Robbin that was eventually bought by Apple and renamed iTunes....
) and performing Grouchie Gator and the other "Kincaid Karacter" puppet
Puppet
A puppet is an inanimate object or representational figure animated or manipulated by an entertainer, who is called a puppeteer. It is used in puppetry, a play or a presentation that is a very ancient form of theatre....
characters, also designed and created the set and props for the show, as well as writing the scripts for all the episodes. It was hosted by Bobby Norfolk
Bobby Norfolk
Bobby Norfolk is an American storyteller and arts educator. He has received three Emmy Awards as host for the television series Gator Tales and is also the host of the Emmy Award nominated cable series Children's Theater at Bobby's House...
.
"Gator Tales" won numerous regional Emmy Awards during its 11 year run on KMOV, and was one of the last of the "classic" local children's television shows to be produced, prior to the eventual dominance of syndicated broadcast programming, cable TV and the growth of such national children's television giants as Nickelodeon
Nickelodeon (TV channel)
Nickelodeon, often simply called Nick and originally named Pinwheel, is an American children's channel owned by MTV Networks, a subsidiary of Viacom International. The channel is primarily aimed at children ages 7–17, with the exception of their weekday morning program block aimed at preschoolers...
.
Doug Kincaid starred on "D. B.'s Delight", another children's show, prior to his work on "Gator Tales".