Knish

Object number2002.77.8

Date1950s

MediumWood; Yarn; Paint

Credit LineGift of Hank Stohl.

DescriptionHand puppet made out of wood with yellow yarn for hair.Dimensions6.5 x 13 in. (16.5 x 33 cm)
Historical NotesKnish puppet made by Hank Stohl. Stohl worked as a television puppeteer on KDKA & WTAE from about 1952-1963. Knish and his other puppets appeared on Mitzie's Kiddie Castle & introduced the Kay Dee Kartoons. Also inspired the Knish Good Kid Club, a fan club with thousands of local members. They document early children's programming in the region and groundbreaking work of puppeteers such as Stohl. Label TextKnish and his many puppet friends were staples of children’s television in Pittsburgh from 1952 to 1964. Hank Stohl created the mischievous Knish out of a darning egg and rug yarn in order to audition for local children’s show called “Mitzie’s Kiddie Kastle.” Knish soon appeared on the show and was so popular that he and puppet friends such as Connie (a dog) and Rodney (a mentor figure) were given their own show. The show entertained kids in Pittsburgh for years on KDKA-TV and WTAE-TV, until Stohl took his show on the road to New York, where the puppets spent another four years on television before being retired.

Related institution WTAE-TV

Related institution KDKA-TV

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