“Zoboomafoo” first aired from 1999-2001 on PBS, and then in reruns for several years afterwards. I, born in 1999, was exactly the right age for it to be my first “favorite show.” It inspired my love for animals, which led me to nature documentaries, which ultimately led to my passion for film. Maybe if Sam Raimi’s “Spider-Man” hadn’t stolen my grade school heart, I’d be a biologist right now, not a journalist, and crediting “Zoboomafoo” for that path.
The show was hosted by zoologist brothers Martin and Chris Kratt. They had previously hosted the PBS program “Kratts’ Creatures,” and “Zoboomafoo” was a spiritual sequel. The show was set at “Animal Junction,” where new animals would arrive every episode so the Kratt brothers could teach viewers about the animal.
So, what does all this have to do with puppets? The Kratts’ sidekick, the titular Zoboomafoo, was a talking lemur (a Coquerel’s sifaka, specifically). “Zoboo” was played by both a real lemur (named Jovian) and a puppet controlled by Gord Robertson.
As Penman explained, “They wanted [the lemur puppet] to have a slightly more realistic face. The company was used to making sort of the Muppet style puppets … So I helped them with that, and in doing so I was introduced to their world of these puppets.” Penman didn’t sign onto “Gen V” knowing the show needed his puppet expertise, but it proved invaluable. “It was like that show was in my future,” he said, “and everything that I had worked on just led to this point.”
As for the rest of the “Zoboomafoo” crew, the Kratt brothers have made two shows since: National Geographic’s “Be The Creature” (this one was aimed at educating adults) and animated show “Wild Kratts.” Jovian the lemur passed away in 2014, but the spirit of “Zoboomafoo” lives on — including in, of all things, “Gen V.”
