Licensing the Dragon
June 4-5, 1994. Dudley the Dragon appeared at the PBS National Convention in Florida, his debut in America. By then, 150 PBS stations had committed for 25 episodes. The list continued to grow, and why not? For them, the show was free. Executive producer Peter Williamson explained: “Dudley is underwritten by Vail Associates [a ski […]
The Second Dudley
Alex Galatis wore the costume for Dudley the Dragon‘s first two seasons. After that, Kirk Dunn performed the character while Galatis continued providing his voice. The blend was seamless. In May 1999, Dunn recalled winning the role: “I showed up for this audition. They put me into a body puppet. My right arm went up […]
Green Skin, Sneakers and a Tail
Karen Waterman and Daniel Wood of Waterwood Theatre Projects, Toronto are credited with creating Dudley the Dragon for The Conserving Kingdom. But the man who brought the lovable character to life was Alex Galatis. In 1983 budding young actor had graduated from the theater program at York University. The following year, he embodied the 8-foot-dragon […]
Dudley on Stage
Want to know what Dudley the Dragon looked like in The Conserving Kingdom? Photos of his early appearances can be found at the Canadian Museum of Civilization’s Art of Puppetry exhibit: Waterwood Theatre Projects. Scroll through the images in the middle and click on the image to enlarge it. A shot of Dudley entertaining the […]
Advertising the Dragon
Ontario’s Ministry of Energy sponsored The Conserving Kingdom stage show. Here’s an advertisement for one of the performances. Probably the only similarity between this illustration and the “live” Dudley was the sneakers. Source: The Toronto Star, September 9, 1986.
The Wise Old Bird
When Mr. Crabby Tree was human, he told his friend Dudley, “Ohhh, do you think I could fool Grandpa Robin? Wooo, that would be goooood,” he said gleefully. Grandpa Robin was the eccentric know-it-all of the forest. Spunky and spry, he dispensed his wisdom with good humor and patience, which he especially needed with dimwitted […]
Mr. Crabby Man
Although The Adventures of Dudley the Dragon addressed social concerns in its plots, the show was at its best when the story was vital, or life-changing, to a character. “The Wishing Well” was such a story. In this fifth-season episode, Mr. Crabby Tree has found a second wishing well. But it had one iron-clad rule: […]
The Mobile Tree
Since Mr. Crabby Tree was a plant, rooted to the ground, he couldn’t go anywhere. He couldn’t go to the action. The action had to come to him. In Season Three, “Mr. Crabby Tree’s Really Great Adventure” changed all that. By wishing on a shooting star, he was magically released from the ground, and he […]
One Two Three on Crabby Tree
One night by a campfire, Dudley the Dragon wrapped up a game with little Julia, who recently joined the cast. Nearby is Terry, another newcomer, who’s gazing at the stars through a telescope. And next to him is Mr. Crabby Tree, who wants to play a game. But, being anchored by his roots, he can’t […]
