History of Puppetry
in Canada

Edmondo Chiodini

Painter and sculptor Edmondo Chiodini created numerous puppets for children's television programming on Radio-Canada. Some of his creations became beloved characters to generations of Quebec children, including the famous Bobinette who, from the late 1950s until 1985, would play opposite his big brother Bobino (performed by actor Guy Sanche). After creating the characters for the series Pépinot et Capucine – the very first television program aired on Radio-Canada in 1952 – Chiodini was hired by Radio-Canada on a permanent basis. He went on to direct a workshop where puppets, sets, costumes and accessories were designed and built for numerous children's series, such as Frisson des Collines, Grenier aux images, Pépé le Cowboy, Professeur Calculus and Chez Hélène.