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Pancake Manor

Pancake Manor

Pancake Manor is the brainchild of Billy Reid, a musician and puppeteer from Victoria,B.C., who is re-imagining children's programming for the digital age with a website and Youtube channel that features fun and educational music videos that both kids and parents can enjoy together.

Check out Pancake Manor's YouTube page!

What is your personal motto?

Never underestimate the power of a good nap.

If you could be a cartoon character who would you be?

Jughead Jones

What were you doing this time last year?

Making Pancake Manor videos!

Have you ever faked being sick?

My mother has been a nurse, so faking sickness was very hard to do as a child. That being said, when I was sick I occasionally pretended to be just a bit sicker to avoid going to school.

Do you prefer to be cold or hot?

It's fun to bundle up in blankets, so definitely cold.

What is your favorite novelty song?

"Hooray for Captain Spaulding" from the movie Animal Crackers.

Everything's better with...

Heaps of balloons.

Cats or dogs?

It sort of depends on the situation. For example, if I needed a team of animals to pull my sled through the icy tundra, I'd pick huskies.

How did you make friends with puppets?

Like most kids in he 80's, I grew up with the Muppets. Jim Henson's creations fascinated me as a child. Anything Muppet related, I gladly watched over and over again. When I was quite young I watched Fraggle Rock and Sesame Street. As I grew a little older, I became a huge fan of the Muppet Show, but I was really fascinated with Jim's later work on The Storyteller and The Jim Henson Hour. I've been hooked ever since.

What has surprised you most about your audience since you launched the site?

I'm pleasantly surprised by how many families from around the globe watch our videos. Every day we hear from parents telling us how their child enjoys singing and dancing with Zach and Reggie. We love that they send in videos to show us how engaged their children are. It's amazing!

Peter Oberth
Interview by Peter Oberth
Follow him @ Twitter