Once there was a marvellous woman named Mrs Piggle-Wiggle, who understood children so well that she was able to get naughty children back on the straight path of growing up. She could get a messy boy to clean up his room. She could persuade a girl who hated baths to wash. She knew ways to cure a boy who lied. She could cure a ‘fraidy cat and a tattletale and get a child to go to bed.
In short, she was terrific.
People who grew up in 1940s and ’50s America might remember the character from a series of books by Betty MacDonald (illustrated by Maurice Sendak). But not many children in the 1990s would.
Neither did Jean Stapleton, who did grow up in the ’40s, nor the younger Shelley Duvall, who had a large collection of children’s books and made award-winning productions for kids.
But they were entranced by MacDonald’s heroine and set about bringing her to life on Showtime, in episodes inspired by the books.
Lovable eccentric Mrs Piggle-Wiggle (All in the Familystar Jean Stapleton) lives in an upside-down candy-coloured house with Howard the Hat Tree (Francis Bell), a vain 500-year-old talking tree who thinks he doesn’t look a day over 400, and her parrot (which is actually a cockatoo), Blackjack (also voiced by Francis Bell)
Shelley Duvall acted as Executive Producer and made some creative changes to the stories to suit a contemporary viewing audience. She also appeared in one episode as Mrs Piggle-Wiggle’s adult daughter, Potsi.
Many of the cast were New Zealand actors because the series was filmed Down Under.
Celebrity guests included Christopher Lloyd, Ed Begley Jr, Joan Cusack, Phyllis Diller and James Whitmore (as Mrs Piggle-Wiggle’s pirate husband, who was deceased in the books).
Mrs Piggle-Wiggle
Jean Stapleton Howard the Hat Tree/Blackjack (voice)
Francis Bell Norbert Wainwright
Paul Minifie Pete the Delivery Man
Dan Gilroy Pergola Winsproggle
Cerita Monet Bickelmann Fetlock Winsproggle
Drancy Bryant Daddy Bean
Ed Begley Jr Mama Bean
Joan Cusack Charlie Bean
Robyn Faye Bookland Melissa Bean
Jewelie Hull Egbert Moohead
Nathaniel Meyst Grandpa Moohead
Christopher Lloyd Mr Piggle-Wiggle
James Whitmore Potsi Piggle-Wiggle
Shelley Duvall Wanda Piggle-Wiggle
Alison Wall Mara
Phyllis Diller
In short, she was terrific.
