Abstract
Okaasan to Issho (With Mother) (NHK, 1959-), a TV program for pre-school children, celebrates its 65th anniversary of broadcasting this year. Many external creators, such as broadcast playwrights, songwriters, composers, puppet makers, visual artists, and animation creators, have contributed to the series. Tadasu Iizawa was one of the program’s key supporters in its early days.
The late Mr. Iizawa wrote for puppet and mascot costume shows in Okaasan to Issho over 23 years, for eight series. The content of the program was not fully explored until recently due to the insufficient storage of footage and scripts, but scripts donated by his family have enabled the examination of the past series.
Working not only as a playwright, but also as a journalist and a puppet animation director, Mr. Iizawa engaged in colorful and unique activities in the post-war culture of Japan. This three-part report highlights how he positioned TV puppet/mascot costume shows for pre-school children in his career and what message he wanted to convey through them, based on the broadcast scripts and other related materials.
This month, the author touches on how he came to be involved in puppetry for young children and examines the two first puppet/mascot costume shows of Okaasan to Issho: Boo Foo Woo (1960-1967) and Datto-kun (1967-1969).
