The Book Place: The Bookworm

Do you find this iconic TV worm endearing or a touch uncanny? Beloved ‘90s kids show The Book Place is remembered for both its playful literacy education and the wacky design of its puppet host, the Bookworm. Giant curled lashes, a purple satin tie and Michael Scheld’s gravelly voice gave the Bookworm a theatrical flair that sits oddly against his worminess – a cabaret energy that sets The Book Place apart from simple children’s programming.   

In this intro to a story about elephants, the Bookworm banters with a bunch of toy animals (‘Can I call you Zeb?’). The camera lingers on their fixed plastic faces, a visual contrast to his constant, fleshy wriggle. A wriggle that makes him feel uncomfortably alive. The moment captures a familiar childhood instinct – animating the inanimate – while showcasing the show’s knack for sliding between sweetness, silliness and the surreal. 

The slightly rickety production, the wink of oddball humour and the willingness to get a bit weird cement The Book Place as peak ’90s children’s TV.