Weinerville
Nickelodeon Weinerville is an American television program on Nickelodeon that was produced in 1993 and 1994, and aired in re-runs until 1997. The show was based around a giant puppet stage which was designed to look like a city, called Weinerville. The show was hosted by Marc Weiner. Marc Weiner teamed up with Nickelodeon with the premiere of Nickelodeon Weinerville, a half-hour variety show using classic elements of kids programming, including puppeteering and interaction with a live studio audience, to entertain kids and their parents. Since its premiere, Weinerville has drawn the attention of such shows as Entertainment Tonight, Good Morning America and CBS This Morning for being television's first and only half-man/half-puppet variety show where kids are transformed into puppet citizens. The show has also received numerous award nominations, including two CableACE Award nominations, and has received acclaim from: The New York Times, The New York Times Magazine, the Daily News, the New York Post, Newsday, TV Guide and the Los Angeles Times. The show premiered on July 11, 1993. During the first season, all episodes ran in a two-hour marathon every Sunday. However, Weinerville quickly gained popularity: in the middle of the first season Nickelodeon began running the show on weekday afternoons. For the second season, which premiered on May 2, 1994, the episodes aired daily. The show aired on Nickelodeon until June 30, 1997, although the Chanukah special re-ran on December 21, 1997.