Chloe Adams
Do You Remember Candle Cove? is a short horror story by author and illustrator Kris Straub, first released in 2009 on his horror fiction site, Ichor Falls. The story is presented as an exchange between members of the NetNostalgia Forum, who are trying to recollect a strange children's TV show from their childhood. The show in question, Candle Cove, features characters such as Pirate Percy, a cowardly buccaneer who captains a living pirate ship called the Laughingstock, and a young girl named Janice, who is the protagonist. As the commenters continue to recall the details of the program, they begin to uncover more sinister elements, suggesting that Candle Cove was more than just a typical children's show. The story's open-ended nature and verisimilitude have been credited for its rabid popularity, allowing fans to create their own interpretations and expand upon the mythos surrounding the fictional show.
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What You'll Learn
Kris Straub's horror fiction site, Ichor Falls
The story unfolds through exchanges on a 'NetNostalgia Forum', where members try to recollect a peculiar children's show from their childhood. They recall marionette characters like Pirate Percy, a cowardly pirate captain who sailed the 'Laughingstock', a living pirate ship. Janice, a young girl, joins the crew on their adventures. However, the commenters also begin to remember more sinister figures, including Horace Horrible, a one-eyed character with a handlebar moustache, and a skeleton in a tattered cape and top hat.
Straub revealed in a 2011 interview that the idea for 'Candle Cove' stemmed from a 2000 article in The Onion about a 36-year-old still experiencing nightmares about a children's show. He wanted to explore the concept of how certain childhood entertainment, despite being well-intentioned, can unintentionally disturb children due to poor execution or unintended consequences.
The story's appeal has been attributed to its verisimilitude and open-endedness, allowing fans to create their own interpretations of the eerie program and its mysteries. The rabid popularity of 'Candle Cove' led to a plethora of fan-generated content, including videos, music, and even fake show footage, transforming the short story into a fan-powered urban legend.
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The story's characters: Pirate Percy, Janice, Horace Horrible, Milo
The story of Candle Cove revolves around a mysterious and sinister children's television show, with fans of the story creating their own interpretations of the eerie program and its characters.
Pirate Percy
Pirate Percy is a marionette, a cowardly buccaneer who captains the Laughingstock, a living pirate ship with a wide mouth across its bow.
Janice
Janice is a young girl and the protagonist of the show. She joins Percy on his adventures.
Horace Horrible
Horace Horrible is a sinister figure with one eye, a handlebar mustache, and tall teeth. He has a vendetta against the Laughingstock and its crew and aims to get his revenge. He is one of the main antagonists of the show, along with the Skin-Taker, a skeleton in a tattered cape and top hat.
Milo
Milo is introduced in the second season of the show as a new main character. He becomes a villain through his obsession with defeating Percy.
The show, "Candle Cove," was based on a short story by Kris Straub, posted on his horror fiction site in 2009. It sparked a rabid following due to its verisimilitude and open-endedness, allowing fans to create their own interpretations and expand upon the mysteries of the eerie show-within-a-story.
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Candle Cove's development and production
The story "Candle Cove" was first released in 2009 on author Kris Straub's horror fiction website, Ichor Falls. The story centres around members of the "NetNostalgia Forum", who are trying to recollect a strange children's TV show from their childhood. The fictional show within the story, Candle Cove, featured characters such as Pirate Percy, the captain of a living pirate ship called the Laughingstock, and a young girl named Janice, who was the protagonist.
Straub wrote the story as a way of getting a frightening idea out of his head, inspired by an article in The Onion titled "Area 36-Year-Old Still Has Occasional Lidsville Nightmare". In an interview, Straub said:
> "So many things that scare us as kids start from this innocuous desire to entertain children, but it’s produced carelessly, or some special effect comes out way more ponderous or ugly than the creators intended, and it lingers as we, as children, try to make it fit with our limited understanding of the world."
The story's popularity has been attributed to its verisimilitude and open-endedness, allowing fans to create their own interpretations of the show-within-the-story and its mysteries. Fans have produced videos, music, and even fake footage of Candle Cove, with some claiming to be footage of the fictional show itself.
The fictional Candle Cove was an American experimental puppet TV show aimed at children. The show was locally produced by HeyKids Studio in Ironton, Ohio, and was advertised as an attempt to handle avant-garde educational content through new visual, artistic, and technical techniques. The show took five years to develop and first premiered in 1971 on Channel 58. The first season followed the adventures of the Laughingstock crew as they sailed through the land of Candle Cove, encountering friends and foes, including the Earl of Wax, Horace Horrible and his Rubber Fishes crew, and the Skin-Taker.
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Fan-made content and urban legends
"Do You Remember Candle Cove?" is a horror fiction story by author and illustrator Kris Straub, first released in 2009 on his website Ichor Falls. The story is presented as an exchange between members of the "NetNostalgia Forum", who are trying to remember a strange children's TV show from their youth called Candle Cove. The show featured marionette characters like Pirate Percy and a young girl named Janice, as well as more sinister figures like Horace Horrible and a skeleton in a top hat.
The story's open-ended nature and verisimilitude have been credited for its rabid popularity, allowing fans to create their own interpretations and expand upon its mysteries. Fan-made content based on "Do You Remember Candle Cove?" includes videos, music, and even fake footage of the fictional show within the story. Some videos feature people reading original "creepypasta" about their experiences watching Candle Cove as children, while others mash up the story with popular internet series.
The concept of "Do You Remember Candle Cove?" has evolved into a fan-powered urban legend, with fans appropriating and expanding upon the original short story in their own creations. This evolution is seen by Straub as a flattering development, as it contributes to the growth and spread of the mythos surrounding Candle Cove. While Straub acknowledges his ownership of the copyright, he does not approve of people making money off his work without authorization.
The story's appeal lies in its exploration of existential anxiety in the face of an indifferent universe, a common theme in Lovecraftian horror. The idea of a half-remembered, horrifying children's show also taps into the fear of innocuous attempts at entertaining children that are produced carelessly, resulting in unintended scary special effects that can linger in children's memories.
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The show's educational content and mixed reviews
Candle Cove was an American experimental puppet TV show aimed at children. It was locally produced by HeyKids Studio in Ironton, Ohio, and was loosely based on a short story called "The Nickerbocker's Tale" from 1767. The show was advertised as an attempt to handle avant-garde educational content through new techniques, both visual and artistic. The first announcement of the show was made in 1970 on the local Channel 58, in a program about education in the city. The show's executive producer, Tom Thrives, and the director of the first episode, Lynn Huntington, gave a 12-minute interview to Channel 58's Culture and Arts Note in early 1971, in which they revealed that Candle Cove was a project that took five years to develop and was expected to put "Kids and Educational Ohio TV" on the national map. The show premiered on Channel 58 at primetime (7:00 PM) with a live performance introducing the main characters and the concept of the show. The first reviews for the pilot episode were mixed.
The first season of Candle Cove followed the adventures of the Laughingstock crew as they sailed through the land of Candle Cove. The crew encountered friends and foes, including three main antagonists: the Earl of Wax, Horace Horrible and his Rubber Fishes crew, and the Skin-Taker. The second season aired a year later and introduced a new main character, Milo, who became a villain through his obsession with beating Percy.
While the show was intended for children, some have noted that it had a horrifying and unsettling undertone. The author of the short story that inspired the show, Kris Straub, has commented on the frightening truth behind the concept: "So many things that scare us as kids start from this innocuous desire to entertain children... but it’s produced carelessly, or some special effect comes out way more ponderous or ugly than the creators intended, and it lingers as we, as children, try to make it fit with our limited understanding of the world."
The show's educational content was intended to be handled through avant-garde techniques, but it is unclear from the sources how successful this was or how it was received by young viewers. The mixed reviews of the pilot episode may have been due in part to the unsettling nature of the show's content and characters, which some viewers may have found disturbing or inappropriate for a children's program.
The show's impact and popularity are evidenced by the fact that fans have produced videos and music about the show, and even claimed to have footage of the fictional show itself. The show has also inspired fan-created urban legends and creepypasta, with fans sharing their own visions of the horrifying program and their own answers to its mysteries.
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Frequently asked questions
Candle Cove is an American experimental puppet TV show aimed at children. It was locally produced by HeyKids Studio in Ironton, Ohio, and premiered in 1971.
Candle Cove was loosely based on a short story called "The Nickerbocker's Tale" from 1767.
The first season of Candle Cove followed the adventures of the Laughingstock crew as they sailed through the land of Candle Cove. The crew was introduced to many friends and foes throughout the season, with three main antagonists: The Earl of Wax, Horace Horrible and his Rubber Fishes crew, and the Skin-Taker.
