Mister Puppy's Playhouse

Last Christmas season, my daughter became fixated on a series of animated plush dolls that were being hawked at various department stores in our area. They were basically various doggies with a little mechanism stuffed inside that would blurt out a Christmas tune while making the figure appear to gyrate and mouth the words.

She had maybe a half-dozen of these critters! And she continued to play with them long after the tree had been taken to the curb for pickup.

At one point, this past Summer, the glue that held the jiggly music machine inside one of the figures finally gave out. The music box, and a fair amount of stuffing fell out the bottom, leaving a limp, lifeless Christmas Dog carcass in its wake.

Daddy's solution? He stuck his hand inside and created a puppet!

"Hello-o-o-o!" he announced, using a Stewie-meets-Dr. Smith voice. "Welcome to 'Mister Puppy's Playhouse.' I'm your host, Mister Puppy!"

Mariel thought this was just the greatest thing ever!



The whole "Mister Puppy" concept immediately became my daughter's obsession! I couldn't walk into a room without her chanting, "Want Mister Puppy Puppet. Daddy put on Mister Puppy Puppet. Want Mister Puppy Puppet."

Then, a month or so later, a second Christmas Pup lost his guts. He became "Mister Other Puppy!"

M.O.P. ended up with a nasally George-Sanders kind of voice and would hector his brother, Mister Puppy, endlessly about his lifestyle and other dark family secrets. Here's a typical exchange:

Mister Puppy (MP): You know, boys and girls, the holidays will soon be upon us and it's not too early to start planning for them.

Mister Other Puppy (MOP): Oh, yes, Brother! You know all about that, don't you? You like planning little holiday surprises.

MP: Whatever do you mean, Brother?

MOP: Oh, I seem to recall a certain Thanksgiving Dinner, where you just had to make 'an announcement' in front of the whole family.

MP: Oh, why do you have to bring that up now, and in front of the boys and girls?

MOP: I seem to recall Aunt Shirley actually turned blue and passed out in the oyster dressing. Mother's favorite gravy boat got cracked in the ensuing chaos, as well!

MP: Please, please, Brother! That's such a painful memory!

MOP: And what was his name? All I remember is that by New Years Eve, he was history. Hardly worth ruining a family dinner over, I'd say.

MP: Oh, you are so cruel, Brother. (sobbing) So very cruel...

We even made up a theme song that goes like this:

MP: It's Mister Puppy's Playhouse...

Mariel: It's the place you want to be!

MP: It's Mister Puppy's Playhouse...

Mariel: It's the place for you and me!

MP: Mister Puppy, Mister Puppy, Mister Puppy, Mister Puppy, Mister Puppy, Mister Puppy's Pla-a-a-a-a-y Ho-o-o-o-use!

Oh, how I hate those puppets!