The Grogs


The Grogs were a Canadian puppet company troupe active from 1992 to 2009. They produced a variety of television shows and short films for Nickelodeon, its sister channels YTV and Nickelodeon Canada, and CBC Television.

Career

The Grogs were founded by Jamie Shannon and Jason Hopley in 1992 in Toronto, Ontario. As a puppet troupe, they were somewhat unusual as they designed and moulded their puppets and sets as part of the creative process for writing, directing, and performing in their TV shows. They were present in the process from pre-production to post-production with the help of their partner Jack Lenz. The troupe's name comes from their work on interstitials for YTV featuring a group of monster puppets called the Grogs.
In 1999, the Grogs began a partnership with Nickelodeon, producing a series of shorts called Nanalan' for the network and its sister channel Noggin. In 2004, Nickelodeon released the shorts to DVD. Nanalan was developed into a full-length series that finished airing in 2004. In the same year, the Grogs appeared and worked on the Nick Jr. series Whoopi's Littleburg. In 2005, they produced a teen-oriented sitcom for Nickelodeon titled Mr. Meaty, which likewise began as a collection of shorts. These were originally seen on TurboNick and during commercial breaks on Nickelodeon's channels. It was picked up for two seasons of 22-minute episodes that aired through 2009 on Nickelodeon and Nicktoons.
Their other work has included Swami Jeff's Temple of Wisdom, The Grogs, Warren, Filth, Gidian, Iffer, Sorbet, Jasper and Cupcake, Al's Tales of the Tank, It's Alive!, and most recently Hotbox.
The Grogs were formally dissolved in 2009 after a successful 17-year partnership.
Jason Hopley now works as the story editor for Corn & Peg