Jeremy Miller of ‘Growing Pains’ Fame Is Creating a New Kids Show With Doopalpoops Sock Puppets

Remember the days of good old-fashioned kids programming, with shows like Sesame Street, Mr. Rogers Neighborhood and Electric Company that not only were entertaining for kids to watch, but also educational? Well, Jeremy Miller of Growing Pains fame is hoping to bring back that classic educational TV to kids today with a new show, and the stars will be … sock puppets. We caught up with the star at the Hollywood Show in Burbank, as he gave us a sneak preview of the The Adventures of the Doopalpoops project.
“So they’re called the Doopalpoops” Miller said. “It’s basically a kids show that we’ve put together based around these different characters we’ve created for the sock puppets. It’s very old school.”
As a fellow Gen-Xer, he gushed, “We’re going very Sesame Street: think of the type of children’s programming we grew up with in the ’80s and the late ’70s, you know, educational stuff, teaching the kids how to treat each other; each character focuses on one of the beatitudes.” He continues: “So not the 10 Commandments, not trying to push anything down anybody’s throats, just how to treat someone again, how to be a good person to your fellow man, to all the things we grew up learning on our shows when we were kids that they don’t do anymore.”
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Now I don’t know about you, but when I think of sock puppets, I immediately pictured Ernie and his sock puppet Mr. Sock. When asked if these sock puppets will be like those old ’70s style socks with the stripes, Miller laughed and said, “No, the characters are all more plush fuzzy socks that were used to build the characters.”
The project started, he said, when he originally came across the creator of the toy, which came with a little book that taught a lesson — think back to the Mr. Men and Little Miss book series that came out in the ’70s. From there, he met the right network execs, who loved the idea and mentioned a show should be written about it. In short order, a writer was hired and episodes were created.

But will the kids of today respond to a show like this? Jeremy says, “These kids today are used to just being bombarded with colors and noise and products, and there’s no real lessons taught, and I think it’ll connect. I really do, but we’ll see. We’re gonna have to see if the kids are ready for it.”
As of now, the show is only being released in Europe. Miller didn’t spill the beans on who bought the first 26 episodes other than saying it is the largest children’s network in Europe and it will be distributed in at least seven different European countries, including Germany, Italy, France and Hungary. The show starts filming in late February, with episodes ready to roll by September. U.S. distribution is also possibly in talks, so stay tuned! Til then, check out the teaser trailer below and for more info about the Doopalpoops or how to adopt your own puppet, you can check out their website.

Kid Stuff
June 2018
Unleash your inner child by reliving your favorite kids TV shows, cartoons, toys and more!
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