The Letter People
Encyclopedia
The Letter People is the name of a children's literacy
program and the television series based on that program. The term also refers to the various characters depicted in the program and television show.
The program's basic concept was simple: Each letter of the English
alphabet
was represented by a unique character with traits derived from its letter. The consonant
s were male, and the vowel
s were female (the "Letter Girls"). Reiss-Weimann, Friedman and Callen also wrote two series of books
about the characters, Fables from the Letter People and Read-to-Me. Each Letter Person also had an accompanying song (available on 8-track cartridge
and vinyl record
), and inflatable vinyl
effigies in two sizes (12-14 inches or 30-inch "life-size") known as a "Huggables". Other merchandise included filmstrip
s and flash card
s. Educators who adopted the program were trained in its implementation, and The Letter People was soon picked up by hundreds of school
s across the United States
.
Come and meet the Letter People
Come and visit the family
Words are made of Letter People
A, B, C, D, follow me!
in St. Louis, Missouri
, and the show first went into production in 1972. The show was extremely popular with children, and it quickly spread to other television stations across the country, via syndication
, mainly to PBS and educational stations.
The Letter People consists of 60 episodes. In each 15-minute installment, the Letter People (relatively primitive puppet
s) undertake various adventures in Letter People Land, a dark, featureless place populated by strange people and creatures. Episodes usually focus on introducing new Letter People or new sounds formed by combining two Letter People together (such as /CH/ or /OU/). Other episodes take the Letter People to more exotic (though still featureless) locales such as outer space
(eventually, the show would include more standard scenery, like cityscapes, meadows, Miss O's opera house, etc), while a few highlight the characters' conflicts over various sounds (such as Mr. C fighting Mr. K and Mr. S for his sound). Another common feature of the show is "The Catching Game", a game show
hosted by Monty Swell (a character based on Monty Hall
) where the Letter People must form words by positioning themselves correctly side-by-side.
The show has aired almost continuously since 1972.
bought the rights to The Letter People from the previous owner, Norwalk, Connecticut
-based New Dimensions in Education, Inc. The company gave the program a major facelift, updating and revising it. They first of all changed the look of the characters and the associated materials. For example, lowercase letters were added to the back of each Letter Person (previously they had been placed on each character somewhat randomly). In 1996 the Abrams Company also made sweeping changes to over half of the Letter People themselves, most obviously equalizing the proportion of male to female characters (vowels are now distinguished by their ability to light up via "LetterLights," which appear as yellow suns on their right shoulders). The men also changed from "Mister" to "Mr.", the women also changed from "Miss" to "Ms.", and all references to "junk food
" were deleted (Mr. D's "delicious donuts" were exchanged for "dazzling dance", for example). In addition, any Letter People that Abrams deemed as expressing negative images were changed to be more positive (Mr. H's horrible hair became happy instead, while Mr. X is no longer all wrong (mixed-up), he's "different"). The Letter People storybooks were rewritten with an eye toward teaching conflict resolution
and problem solving
skills.
The current program is divided into three levels with increasing emphasis on phonics
: Let's Begin with the Letter People for preschool, Land of the Letter People for kindergarten
, and Lives of the Letter People for first grade
. The program is currently taught to about 30 million children.
Though the program is generally well received by educators, some have criticized its strong focus on phonics at the expense of other literacy-building techniques. Others object to the new program more from a sense of nostalgia
; those raised on the original version often complain that the new Letter People are too concerned with being politically correct
to be fun.
In the revised program in 1990, the place where the Letter People live is the "Land of the Letter People."
In the newly revised program in 1996, the place were the Letter People live, "Land of the Letter People," remained the same but utilized the newer version of the characters.
Literacy
Literacy has traditionally been described as the ability to read for knowledge, write coherently and think critically about printed material.Literacy represents the lifelong, intellectual process of gaining meaning from print...
program and the television series based on that program. The term also refers to the various characters depicted in the program and television show.
Original program
Elayne Reiss-Weimann and Rita Friedman created The Letter People in 1972. Prior to this, Letter People educational products were copyrighted in 1968 and published by New Dimensions in Education, Inc. (located in Plainview, New York). They sold their idea to educational publisher AlphaTime (later AlphaOne), and illustrator Elizabeth Callen was hired to design the look of the series and its characters.The program's basic concept was simple: Each letter of the English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
alphabet
Alphabet
An alphabet is a standard set of letters—basic written symbols or graphemes—each of which represents a phoneme in a spoken language, either as it exists now or as it was in the past. There are other systems, such as logographies, in which each character represents a word, morpheme, or semantic...
was represented by a unique character with traits derived from its letter. The consonant
Consonant
In articulatory phonetics, a consonant is a speech sound that is articulated with complete or partial closure of the vocal tract. Examples are , pronounced with the lips; , pronounced with the front of the tongue; , pronounced with the back of the tongue; , pronounced in the throat; and ,...
s were male, and the vowel
Vowel
In phonetics, a vowel is a sound in spoken language, such as English ah! or oh! , pronounced with an open vocal tract so that there is no build-up of air pressure at any point above the glottis. This contrasts with consonants, such as English sh! , where there is a constriction or closure at some...
s were female (the "Letter Girls"). Reiss-Weimann, Friedman and Callen also wrote two series of books
Children's literature
Children's literature is for readers and listeners up to about age twelve; it is often defined in four different ways: books written by children, books written for children, books chosen by children, or books chosen for children. It is often illustrated. The term is used in senses which sometimes...
about the characters, Fables from the Letter People and Read-to-Me. Each Letter Person also had an accompanying song (available on 8-track cartridge
8-track cartridge
Stereo 8, commonly known as the eight-track cartridge, eight-track tape, or simply eight-track, is a magnetic tape sound recording technology. It was popular in the United States from the mid-1960s through the late 1970s, but was relatively unknown in many European countries...
and vinyl record
Gramophone record
A gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove...
), and inflatable vinyl
Vinyl
A vinyl compound is any organic compound that contains a vinyl group ,which are derivatives of ethene, CH2=CH2, with one hydrogen atom replaced with some other group...
effigies in two sizes (12-14 inches or 30-inch "life-size") known as a "Huggables". Other merchandise included filmstrip
Filmstrip
The filmstrip was a common form of still image instructional multimedia, once commonly used by educators in primary and secondary schools , now overtaken by newer and increasingly lower-cost full-motion videocassettes and DVDs...
s and flash card
Flash card
Flash card can refer to:* Flashcards used for education and training* A form of Flash memory...
s. Educators who adopted the program were trained in its implementation, and The Letter People was soon picked up by hundreds of school
School
A school is an institution designed for the teaching of students under the direction of teachers. Most countries have systems of formal education, which is commonly compulsory. In these systems, students progress through a series of schools...
s across the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Intro
A little dog is minding his own business when various figures (one carrying a bunch of helium balloons) enter the gates of a place called Letter People Land as the song plays:Come and meet the Letter People
Come and visit the family
Words are made of Letter People
A, B, C, D, follow me!
Television series
While thousands of children were learning about the Letter People in school, thousands of others were being exposed to them through the television series based on the program. The show was produced by PBS member station KETCKETC
KETC is the Public Broadcasting Service member Public television station in St. Louis, Missouri. Owned by St. Louis Regional Public Media, the call letters KETC represent the St. Louis Educational Television Comission, the former name of the organization responsible for bringing public television...
in St. Louis, Missouri
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...
, and the show first went into production in 1972. The show was extremely popular with children, and it quickly spread to other television stations across the country, via syndication
Television syndication
In broadcasting, syndication is the sale of the right to broadcast radio shows and television shows by multiple radio stations and television stations, without going through a broadcast network, though the process of syndication may conjure up structures like those of a network itself, by its very...
, mainly to PBS and educational stations.
The Letter People consists of 60 episodes. In each 15-minute installment, the Letter People (relatively primitive 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....
s) undertake various adventures in Letter People Land, a dark, featureless place populated by strange people and creatures. Episodes usually focus on introducing new Letter People or new sounds formed by combining two Letter People together (such as /CH/ or /OU/). Other episodes take the Letter People to more exotic (though still featureless) locales such as outer space
Outer space
Outer space is the void that exists between celestial bodies, including the Earth. It is not completely empty, but consists of a hard vacuum containing a low density of particles: predominantly a plasma of hydrogen and helium, as well as electromagnetic radiation, magnetic fields, and neutrinos....
(eventually, the show would include more standard scenery, like cityscapes, meadows, Miss O's opera house, etc), while a few highlight the characters' conflicts over various sounds (such as Mr. C fighting Mr. K and Mr. S for his sound). Another common feature of the show is "The Catching Game", a game show
Game show
A game show is a type of radio or television program in which members of the public, television personalities or celebrities, sometimes as part of a team, play a game which involves answering questions or solving puzzles usually for money and/or prizes...
hosted by Monty Swell (a character based on Monty Hall
Monty Hall
Monte Halperin, OC, OM , better known by the stage name Monty Hall, is a Canadian-born MC, producer, actor, singer and sportscaster, best known as host of the television game show Let's Make a Deal.-Early life:...
) where the Letter People must form words by positioning themselves correctly side-by-side.
The show has aired almost continuously since 1972.
Episode guide
- Meet Mister M
- Meet Mister T
- Meet Mister F
- Meet Mister H
- Meet Mister N
- Meet Mister B
- Meet Miss A
- What's the Catch?
- The Tryout
- The Catching Game
- Meet Mister Z
- Meet Mister P
- Meet Mister S
- Meet Miss E
- Meet Miss I
- Meet Miss O
- Meet Miss U
- Meet Mister V
- Meet Mister L
- The Story of Mister V; The Story of Mister S
- The Squoosh
- Meet Mister D
- Meet Mister G
- Meet Mister C
- Meet Mister K
- The Story of Mister C and Mister K; Soft C
- Meet Mister W
- Long Vowel Sounds
- Cooperation (Silent E)
- Adjacent Vowels (Two Vowels Standing Side-by-Side)
- Review I
- Review II
- Review III
- Review IV
- Meet Mister Y
- Y as a Consonant and a Vowel
- Meet Mister J
- Soft G
- Meet Mister R
- Star Trip, part I (AR)
- Star Trip, part II (OR)
- Star Trip, part III (ER, IR, UR)
- Review V
- Meet Mister X
- Meet Mister Q
- The Word Machine
- Chewy Cherry Choo Choo (CH)
- The Thing (TH)
- WH and SH
- Review VI
- The -ING Sound, part I
- The -ING Sound, part II
- Words in Parts, part I
- Words in Parts, part II
- OU and OW
- OI and OY
- Double O (OO)
- AU and AW
- Sentences, part I
- Sentences, part II
Revised
In 1990, Abrams & Co. Publishers Inc. of Austin, TexasAustin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
bought the rights to The Letter People from the previous owner, Norwalk, Connecticut
Norwalk, Connecticut
Norwalk is a city in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the population of the city is 85,603, making Norwalk sixth in population in Connecticut, and third in Fairfield County...
-based New Dimensions in Education, Inc. The company gave the program a major facelift, updating and revising it. They first of all changed the look of the characters and the associated materials. For example, lowercase letters were added to the back of each Letter Person (previously they had been placed on each character somewhat randomly). In 1996 the Abrams Company also made sweeping changes to over half of the Letter People themselves, most obviously equalizing the proportion of male to female characters (vowels are now distinguished by their ability to light up via "LetterLights," which appear as yellow suns on their right shoulders). The men also changed from "Mister" to "Mr.", the women also changed from "Miss" to "Ms.", and all references to "junk food
Junk food
Junk food is an informal term applied to some foods that are perceived to have little or no nutritional value ; to products with nutritional value, but which also have ingredients considered unhealthy when regularly eaten; or to those considered unhealthy to consume at all...
" were deleted (Mr. D's "delicious donuts" were exchanged for "dazzling dance", for example). In addition, any Letter People that Abrams deemed as expressing negative images were changed to be more positive (Mr. H's horrible hair became happy instead, while Mr. X is no longer all wrong (mixed-up), he's "different"). The Letter People storybooks were rewritten with an eye toward teaching conflict resolution
Conflict resolution
Conflict resolution is conceptualized as the methods and processes involved in facilitating the peaceful ending of some social conflict. Often, committed group members attempt to resolve group conflicts by actively communicating information about their conflicting motives or ideologies to the rest...
and problem solving
Problem solving
Problem solving is a mental process and is part of the larger problem process that includes problem finding and problem shaping. Consideredthe most complex of all intellectual functions, problem solving has been defined as higher-order cognitive process that requires the modulation and control of...
skills.
The current program is divided into three levels with increasing emphasis on phonics
Phonics
Phonics refers to a method for teaching speakers of English to read and write that language. Phonics involves teaching how to connect the sounds of spoken English with letters or groups of letters and teaching them to blend the sounds of letters together to produce approximate pronunciations...
: Let's Begin with the Letter People for preschool, Land of the Letter People for kindergarten
Kindergarten
A kindergarten is a preschool educational institution for children. The term was created by Friedrich Fröbel for the play and activity institute that he created in 1837 in Bad Blankenburg as a social experience for children for their transition from home to school...
, and Lives of the Letter People for first grade
First grade
First grade is a year of primary education in schools in the United States and English-speaking provinces of Canada. It is the first school year after kindergarten...
. The program is currently taught to about 30 million children.
Though the program is generally well received by educators, some have criticized its strong focus on phonics at the expense of other literacy-building techniques. Others object to the new program more from a sense of nostalgia
Nostalgia
The term nostalgia describes a yearning for the past, often in idealized form.The word is a learned formation of a Greek compound, consisting of , meaning "returning home", a Homeric word, and , meaning "pain, ache"...
; those raised on the original version often complain that the new Letter People are too concerned with being politically correct
Political correctness
Political correctness is a term which denotes language, ideas, policies, and behavior seen as seeking to minimize social and institutional offense in occupational, gender, racial, cultural, sexual orientation, certain other religions, beliefs or ideologies, disability, and age-related contexts,...
to be fun.
Place where the Letter People live
In the original program in 1974, the place where the Letter People live is "Letter People Land."In the revised program in 1990, the place where the Letter People live is the "Land of the Letter People."
In the newly revised program in 1996, the place were the Letter People live, "Land of the Letter People," remained the same but utilized the newer version of the characters.
List of Letter People
| Original Program (1974) | Characteristic | Revised Program (1996) | Characteristic |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miss A | A'choo | Ms. A | A'choo |
| Mister B | Beautiful Buttons | Mr. B | Beautiful Buttons |
| Mister C | Cotton Candy | Mr. C | Colossal Cap |
| Mister D | Delicious Doughnuts | Mr. D | Dazzling Dance |
| Miss E | Exercise | Ms. E | Exercise Energy |
| Mister F | Funny Feet | Ms. F | Funny Feet |
| Mister G | Gooey Gum | Mr. G | Gooey Gum |
| Mister H | Horrible Hair | Mr. H | Happy Hair |
| Miss I* | Itchy Itch; Incredible Inventor | Mr. I | Impossible Inches |
| Mister J | Jumbled Junk | Ms. J | Jingle Jingle Jacket |
| Mister K | Kind Kicking | Ms. K | Kaboom Kick |
| Mister L | Lemon Lollipops | Ms. L | Longest Laugh |
| Mister M | Munching Mouth | Mr. M | Munching Mouth |
| Mister N | Noisy Nose | Mr. N | Noisy Nose |
| Miss O* | Obstinate; Optimistic Optimist | Mr. O | Opposite |
| Mister P | Pointy Patches | Ms. P | Pointy Patches |
| Mister Q | Quiet | Mr. Q* | Quiet Questions; Questions |
| Mister R | Ripping Rubberbands | Mr. R | Rainbow Ribbons |
| Mister S | Super Socks | Ms. S | Super Socks |
| Mister T | Tall Teeth | Ms. T | Tall Teeth |
| Miss U | Upsy-Daisy Umbrella | Ms. U | Unusual Umbrella |
| Mister V | Violet Velvet Vest | Ms. V | Vegetable Vest |
| Mister W | Wonderful Wink | Ms. W | Wonderful Words |
| Mister X | All Wrong (Mixed-Up) | Mr. X | Different |
| Mister Y | Yawning | Ms. Y | Yodeling Yawn |
| Mister Z | Zipping Zippers | Mr. Z | Zipping Zippers |
- Note: The characteristics of Miss I and Miss O changed after The Letter People television series entered production. Therefore, they are known by the names in parentheses on that program.
- Note: The characteristics of Mr. Q changed from "Quiet Questions" to just "Questions" because they wanted to teach children that keeping questions to yourself will not answer them.