Brooke Martin
Candle Cove is an online horror story written by Kris Straub and published on his website in 2009. The story is told through a fictional forum where a group of users reminisce about a disturbing children's television show they remember watching in the early 1970s. The show within the story, also called Candle Cove, is about a young girl named Janice who imagines herself to be friends with marionette pirates. As the forum users continue to discuss the show, they recall more and more disturbing details, blurring the lines between fact and fiction.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| First Published | 2009 |
| Author | Kris Straub |
| Website | ichorfalls.com |
| Date of Self-Publishing | 2015 |
| TV Show Setting | Early 1970s |
| TV Show Channel | Channel 58 |
| TV Show Location | Huntington–Ashland metropolitan area |
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What You'll Learn
- Candle Cove was published in 2009 by Kris Straub on his website ichorfalls.com
- The story is about a fictional children's TV show from the 1970s
- The show was created by Tom Thrives and Caroline Barker
- It was produced by HeyKids Studio in Ironton, Ohio
- In 2015, the SyFy Channel announced a Candle Cove TV adaptation
Candle Cove was published in 2009 by Kris Straub on his website ichorfalls.com
"Candle Cove", an online horror story, was published in 2009 by Kris Straub on his website ichorfalls.com. The website hosted Straub's horror stories about the fictional town of Ichor Falls. Kris Straub is a web cartoonist, author, and illustrator.
"Candle Cove" is written in the format of a thread on the fictional "NetNostalgia Forums", where a group of users discuss an unusual low-budget children's television show, "Candle Cove", that they remember watching as children in the early 1970s. The story is centred on a discussion of the titular fictional children's television series on an internet forum.
In a 2011 interview, Straub said that he got the idea for "Candle Cove" from a satirical Onion article titled "Area 36-Year-Old Still Has Occasional Lidsville Nightmare". The story quickly became popular, inspiring numerous YouTube videos and fan fiction. Straub has also stated that he was inspired to write the story after reading an article in The Onion about a 36-year-old who still had nightmares about a children's television show.
"Candle Cove" is a good example of using the internet forum format as a storytelling method. It differs from other creepypastas in that it has a known source and author, while most creepypastas are anonymous and evolve out of the contributions of numerous posters over time.
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The story is about a fictional children's TV show from the 1970s
Candle Cove is a fictional children's television show from the 1970s. It was conceived by Tom Thrives, a student at the University of Ohio, in mid-1970. Thrives was drawn to the idea of using puppetry in television, inspired by shows like Thunderbirds. He met fellow student, Caroline Barker, and together they developed the concept for an experimental puppet show. They were soon joined by Emerson Grimes, who shared their vision. The trio decided to base the show on the 1767 short story "The Nickerbocker's Tale", and initially titled the project ""Pirate Place".
The show was pitched to the local studio HeyKids, which specialised in public access programmes for children. The pilot was written by another HeyKids employee, Gary McKimmon, and directed by Lynn Huntington. The puppets and set were designed and built by Barker and her friend Mary Prescott, using a small budget. The pilot was a success, and the show was greenlit by HeyKids in 1971, with Emerson Grimes replacing Lynn Huntington as director. The first season of Candle Cove aired on Channel 58 in the Huntington-Ashland metropolitan area.
The show follows a young girl named Janice, who imagines herself to be friends with marionette pirates. One of these pirates is Pirate Percy, a cowardly buccaneer who captains the Laughingstock, a living pirate ship. Other characters include the one-eyed Horace Horrible, and the Skin-Taker, a skeleton in a tattered cape and top hat, whose clothing is made from children's skin.
The show's second season introduced a new main character, Milo, and featured more warped and disturbed themes, which led to a decline in viewership. The final episode to air was the infamous "Screaming Episode", which is believed to have been caused by director Emerson Grimes' increasing mental instability.
Despite its short run, Candle Cove left a lasting impression on its viewers, with many recalling the show's disturbing details and sinister tone. In 2009, Kris Straub wrote and published a horror story based on the fictional show, titled "Candle Cove", which further cemented the fictional show's legacy in popular culture.
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The show was created by Tom Thrives and Caroline Barker
The show "Candle Cove" was created by Tom Thrives and Caroline Barker. The concept was created by Tom Thrives in mid-1970 while he was studying for his bachelor's degree at the University of Ohio. He wanted to explore the artistic possibilities of puppetry in television, inspired by the recent popularity of shows like "Thunderbirds". One day, he was drawn to the University's library, claiming that a voice in his head told him he would find the idea he needed there.
In the library, he met fine arts student Caroline Barker, and they discussed their shared interest in puppetry. They were soon approached by librarian Emerson Grimes, who showed them a book titled "The Nickerbocker's Tale". This book, written in 1767 and therefore in the public domain, sparked an idea in Tom to create a puppet show based on pirates. By the end of the year, Tom and Caroline had developed their ideas into new characters and settings, under the working title "Pirate Place".
Caroline enlisted her friend Mary Prescott to help design and build the puppets. Due to their small budget, the puppets and sets looked cheap and gritty, and they often had to use pre-made puppets or stuffed toys from local craft stores and flea markets. Despite the challenges, they were able to innovate and create a unique and engaging show.
Tom and Caroline pitched their idea to Jeremy Laberge, a television producer and friend of Tom's. With Jeremy's funding, they produced a pilot episode, which was written by Gary McKimmon and directed by Lynn Huntington. The pilot was successful, and "Candle Cove" was greenlit by HeyKids for their first season in 1971, airing on Channel 58.
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It was produced by HeyKids Studio in Ironton, Ohio
Candle Cove was an experimental puppet TV show aimed at children. It was produced by HeyKids Studio in Ironton, Ohio, and was locally aired on Channel 58 in the early 1970s. The show was conceived in mid-1970 by Tom Thrives, a student at the University of Ohio, who was intrigued by the artistic possibilities of puppetry in television. He collaborated with fellow student Caroline Barker, and they decided to modernise the 1767 short story "The Nickerbocker's Tale" into new characters and settings under the working title "Pirate Place".
The pair pitched their pilot to HeyKids Studio, a newly founded local studio specialising in children's programming. The pilot was directed by Lynn Huntington, who also directed another HeyKids puppet show, "Sunshine City". The puppets and set were designed and built by Caroline Barker and Mary Prescott on a very small budget, which resulted in a cheap and gritty aesthetic. The pilot was performed by local actors and puppeteers. After the success of the pilot in 1971, HeyKids greenlit the first season of Candle Cove, replacing Lynn Huntington with Emerson Grimes as director.
The show's first season premiered in early 1971 on Channel 58, with a primetime live performance introducing the main characters and the show's concept. The show's educational themes and unique artistic vision were anticipated by both children and adults, and it was expected to be a national success. However, the first reviews of the pilot episode were mixed, and the show's macabre subject matter led to decreasing viewership and ratings. The show's director, Emerson Grimes, is believed to have suffered from mental instability, which influenced the increasingly disturbed themes of the show's second season. The \"Screaming Episode", believed to be the show's finale, was the last episode to air before the show was cancelled.
In 2009, Kris Straub released a horror story on his website, ichorfalls.com, about a fictional children's television show called Candle Cove. The story was told through exchanges on a fictional online forum, where users discussed their memories of the show from their childhood in the early 1970s. Straub's story inspired numerous fan fictions and YouTube videos, and it was adapted into a TV series by the SyFy Channel in 2015.
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In 2015, the SyFy Channel announced a Candle Cove TV adaptation
Straub stated that he was inspired to write the story after reading an article in The Onion titled "Area 36-Year-Old Still Has Occasional Lidsville Nightmare". The story is told in the format of a thread on the fictional "NetNostalgia Forums", where a group of users discuss an unusual low-budget children's television show, Candle Cove, that they all remember watching as children in the early 1970s.
The show is about a young girl named Janice, who imagines herself to be friends with marionette pirates. As the users continue to reminisce, they begin to recall more disturbing details about the show, such as a character known as the "Skin-Taker" (a skeleton pirate who wears clothing made out of children's skin).
Candle Cove was also produced as an experimental puppet TV show for children in the early 1970s. The show was locally produced by HeyKids Studio in Ironton, Ohio, and was advertised as attempting to handle avant-garde educational content through new visual, artistic, and technical techniques. The show premiered on Channel 58 at primetime (7:00 pm) and was directed by Emerson Grimes.
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Frequently asked questions
The Candle Cove story was first released in 2009 on author Kris Straub's horror fiction website, ichorfalls.com.
The Candle Cove TV show was announced in 1970 and premiered in 1971.
The show aired in the early 1970s, with one source stating it aired in 1971 and another in 1972.
The show stopped airing after the macabre "Screaming Episode", which is considered the show's finale due to its macabre subject matter.
