Bill "B.J." Jackson and the Blob in Gigglesnort Hotel.
Gigglesnort Hotel was a critically acclaimed local kid's show that came on T.V. Sunday mornings in Chicago in the late 1970s. It's host was Bill "B.J." Jackson, who drew cartoons and interacted with the hotel's other costume and puppet characters, which included Dirty Dragon, The Blob, Wally & Weird, W.C. Cornfield, The Thumptwangers, and Captain Gigglesnort. The puppeteers who worked on the series included Nancy Wettler, Judy Nishimura, and Ian Harris who was replaced in the second season by Michael Lans. Bill Jackson (I believe) voiced all of the characters himself.
Seventy-eight episodes of the series were shot over three years beginning in 1975 and the show won a couple of local Emmy Awards for best children's T.V. series. The show was actually a spin-off of an earlier program called B.J. and Dirty Dragon, one of a series of Chicago-produced shows made in the `70s featuring Bill Jackson and his stable of puppet characters. A follow-up series to Gigglesnort called Firehouse Follies with many of the same characters ran in Chicago during the 1979-80 season.
I haven't been able to find any clips of Gigglesnort available online, but episodes are available on DVD from Bill himself here.
If anyone out there who grew up around Chicago remembers Gigglesnort and has more info or links to share, please send them in!
