Funding for COLORES was provided in part by: Frederick Hammersley Fund, New Mexico PBS Great Southwestern Arts & Education Endowment Fund, and the Nellita E. Walker Fund for KNME-TV at the Albuquerque Community Foundation... ...New Mexico Arts, a division of the Department of Cultural Affairs, and by the National Endowment for the Arts... and Viewers Like You.

THIS TIME, ON COLORES!

DEVON LUDLOW'S PUNK PUPPET FILMS ARE TAKING ON ZOMBIES, BRINGING DOWN EVIL CORPORATIONS, AND BREAKING ALL THE RULES!

FEAST YOUR EYES ON THE EXTRAVAGANT COSTUMES WORN BY YOUR FAVORITE HOLLYWOOD STARS AT THE "DISTINCTLY PARAMOUNT" EXHIBIT IN OHIO.

FOR OVER 75 YEARS, HIGHLIGHTS MAGAZINE HAS BEEN AN ENDLESS TREASURE TROVE OF EXCITEMENT AND EXPLORATION FOR KIDS - WITH NO SIGNS OF STOPPING.

IT'S ALL AHEAD ON COLORES!

NO STRINGS ATTACHED >>Devon Ludlow: Puppetry has a sense of anarchy about it.

<laugh>, it has the ability to destroy the fabric of any kind of rules you're in.

>>When the revolution comes, I'll be ready.

>>Devon: What do I hope to achieve with my work?

>>Devon: Revenge.

>>Devon: To change the world entirely.

Um, topple every world government and replace them with, um, with real puppets.

>>Devon: Welcome to my room with a few of my favorite friends, family, and foes.

And together we're going to ruin your life.

>>Devon: I heard a person describe them as sort of being like a Trojan horse, especially in this country.

People have very, very little experience with them and their expectations, if they have any, are related mostly to the Muppets or Sesame Street.

They don't have the normal defenses they would have, uh, if you're dealing with a play or a film.

And so you can really like transmit your message directly to people.

>>Devon: Listen, you can't become a billionaire without cracking a few eggs or killing a few people.

>>Devon: Um, he's always fun for horrible things.

>>Devon: You can also express a level of, you know, anger and intensity with them, that you can't otherwise.

>>Devon: Just remember when they build their perfect little world, we're gonna burn it right to the ground >>Devon: With our creatures.

You know, I wanted to really make fun of these imposed social structures that have been laid on us.

I feel for a long time.

>>Stan: Hey, Deadheads.

Get off of my lawn.

>>Devon: You know, the first film with Stan and company was about this constant idea that we are always facing an apocalypse.

It's the end of the world at all times.

And there's, there's no way out of this, we're all just gonna die.

And, and when it comes down to it, we're all gonna turn on each other.

And I was like, this is terrible idea.

This is not true.

This is nihilistic.

Um, and we need to make fun of it >>Stan:Every day.

The same damn thing.

Bash zombies.

Come home, do some dishes.

Repeat.

I never thought the apocalypse would lose its novelty so soon.

>>Devon: You know, it feeds into all these American things of like, I can do it on my own.

And the sole survivor and Rambo and, um, that's where you get Stan from.

He's all, he's all these sort of characters put together.

An isolated kind of nuts, uh, alcoholic self-pity.

He's got all these <laugh>, all these issues.

>>Devon: The idea for this series was to constantly be going from one apocalypse to the next.

>>Stan: Let's go.

>>Devon: The second one was a world taken over by cosmetics companies.

>>Devon: And this one person in order to aggrandize her ego and her sense of self, um, starts pushing drugs into the makeup and turns the world into this horrible one percenter paradise where they're in endless party mode while all the animals and everything else is being mauled and mutilated and degraded.

>>Penny: All of us here have been used, abused and refused.

See this.

They wanted to see if the mascara was, uh, dangerous.

Turns out it was.

>>Devon: I think the driving energy behind all of it is sort of a pure creative reactivity to the times we live in.

Art has to be there for you to make sense of the world.

And for me and for a lot of people I work with, that involves a lot of comedy and a lot of high energy, um, and a lot of DIY creativity.

>>Devon: I do believe that we are doing things with puppets that nobody else has done.

And we're doing it in ways.

Nobody else has done it before.

I can't say it's good <laugh>, but I can say we're doing something that I've never seen before.

>>Stan: You guys drive me...batty.

>>Devon: People don't know how to feel about them.

Like, uh, marionettest working on the street is like a little bit weird to people and they don't know quite how to react to it.

They don't understand the kind of potency and power of it.

>>Devon: Michael McCormick, who's a amazing puppet builder and puppeteer, he always said like, "puppetry descends on you like a dark cloud.

It's not something you choose."

Which is very true here because it's a misunderstood and outsider art form, even though it still has all this power and potential, which is one of my favorite things about it.

This is where I can sort of exist and play in this area, which is unpolluted by popularity and create sort of new innovative ideas that can, uh, stun people, which is very hard to do.

All of us are oversaturated.

So finding something that can still have that kind of potency is, um, like a real treasure.

>>Devon: I've been noticing over the last couple of years.

People are really, really responding well to them, whether it's Penny or whether it's Stan.

Uh, people really enjoy them in a way that I didn't expect, I guess.

So that's been hugely encouraging and more and more people are kind of taking up this technique and trying it out, which is really fun to see as well.

>>Devon: I saw the greatest minds of my generation torn apart, thrown on the streets!

He's a, a poet.

Blood on the streets, pigeons eating the minds of our souls, glass reflecting the darkness within.

Yeah!

<laugh> >>Devon: This is what I do all day.

<laugh>.

DESIGNING HOLLYWOOD This collection is something I've never put together before.

There's 75 costumes in this piece, and it is basically a showcase for costumes that were purchased and used on camera and costumes that were created in a work room.

And a lot of times -- museums, they don't exhibit costumes that are purchased, but I think they're just as important as to -- the designers sense of style and what they wanted to choose to represent the actor or represent the character in the film or television show.

Because we do have television pieces here.

This gallery has all of our black motifs.

So, when you first step in here we have Joan Collins, from "Dynasty."

This was one of the festival costumes that she wore as Queen Elizabeth.

It is a bit taller than Joan Collins, but you still get the drama.

What I love about this is the costumes are the closest thing the movie going public is going to come to their favorite star, for one thing.

It's also americana.

It's femora.

I mean, the motion picture industry really is a great American art, and the costumes are part of that art, and the costumes are tangible.

Public really -- just has this great connection.

Costumes draw people in.

I -- can't explain it 100% but that's why the Paramount Collection we're very proud of keeping everything very pristine in the archive, and we have a very good reputation with museums all over the world.

This gallery is where we have our solids.

This dress was designed by Naeem Khan, and was worn by Beyonce in the film, "Dreamgirls."

The costume designer for "Dreamgirls" was Sharen Davis, and Sharen did a remarkable job on the costumes.

But this dress was worn in the very final scenes of the film.

This exhibit took me approximately a year and a half to really assemble because I added, I subtracted, I added again, I subtracted more.

And I was heavily influenced by the Bill Cunningham coffee table book which documents from the 1960s through the 2000s, and Bill Cunningham, if you're not familiar with him, rode his bicycle around either New York or Paris taking candid photographs.

And in doing so, of people just in their wardrobe.

I mean -- I looked through going page by page going, "wow, There's an exhibit here."

And I think given all of the items that I have in the collection, and what's available with feature production from our open stock, it's like, "I think I can put something together that, that would make sense."

This coat is one of my favorite pieces in the collection.

This was designed by Edith Head for Joanne Woodward in the film, "a new kind of love."

This is a fox fur trim, and a boucle wool.

Now, it also has an attached hood which is very large, and That was because it had to accommodate Joanne Woodward's tall bouffant hairdo in the film.

Which actually, she's in disguise.

I have 18 Edith Head related pieces in this particular exhibition.

The woman who had the longest career of any woman in Hollywood.

Nominated 35 times for the Oscar, and she won 8 of those.

The reason they're here is to sort of bridge the gap from the past to the present.

And, you can see the influence in some of Edith's pieces with some of these newer designs.

So here we are in the "Black and White Room."

And of course, the centerpiece of this gallery is the Alexander McQueen piece that was worn by Kristen Wiig in the film, "Zoolander 2."

It's so bold and so memorable, and so many different patterns all put together.

There is actually wire in all of these, so you could tweak them and adjust them to whatever shape you wanted them to be.

This gallery features a lot of whites, and slightly off-white pieces.

The centerpiece -- is one of my favorite costumes.

It was designed by Jeffrey Kurland for the film, "Mission Impossible: Fallout."

And it was worn by Vanessa Kirby who plays the "White Widow."

This is so evocative and so reminiscent of the 1930s, even though the film is a contemporary film.

But you look at the bodice-cut gown, and then the pearl- encrusted robe -- which, you know, looking at it from behind, it just sparkles.

It's terrific.

And that is very reminiscent of designs that were done in the 1920s.

During the studio system, which old Hollywood was all part of the studio system, every studio had a costume wardrobe department with a team of tailors, drapers, seamstresses, beaders, shoemakers --- in some cases, like paramount, there was a jeweler on staff.

So the work rooms were always contained within the studio on the lot.

After 1967-1970, that started to disintegrate.

What changed was the way films were being directed, produced -- reality started to set in.

We really didn't need costume designers.

You needed a men's costumer and a women's costumer, and maybe, yeah -- in some cases a costume designer was brought on to oversee that or come up with the overall look.

And also you have the emergence of designer names.

So, starting in the '70s, you have the emergence of Ralph Lauren.

Then, in the '80s you have Giorgio Armani, Norma Kamali.

You start having names that are recognizable names.

And it's so sad in a way because some of the costume designers were diminished because it became more about the fashion designer's name than the costume designer.

But that has changed now.

That has -- I think that has really changed.

There's some very recognizable names now, as costume designers such as Ruth Carter and Colleen Atwood, Michael Kaplan.

These are big names, so you know, you get excited about the costume designer, more so, than the fashion designer.

It's kind of gone back.

But yeah, those are Louis Vuitton, and then that's Gucci.

I can see the red.

But you really -- Yeah, but it's -- see it's always to see that the curved heel in that, which is really Unique.

Yeah.

It's the first time I've ever mounted anything like this.

My previous exhibits, which have been here at the Decorative Arts Center of Ohio have centered around either Edith Head or concepts.

This is a lot of unique pieces.

Can you -- do you want to make sure this is straight?

If you look over here, to get this smooth.

Does that look good?

Yeah.

That -- that's flat.

All right.

Good.

I love working here.

It's a very contained gallery.

It's not enormous.

You have to be creative - is how you place things and - and show them off.

Welcome to the lower level of the Decorative Arts Center of Ohio.

And down here, we have a very small, but important exhibit of elements of the film, "Rocketman."

Now, "Rocketman", the costume designer was Julian Day.

And of course, if you don't know, it's about Elton John.

So, we'll start with this pair of ankle boots.

And these were worn by Taron, who played Elton John.

Now, there is a whole story, and a whole thought process behind these boots.

He wore these boots during the number "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road", which, of course, is about "The Wizard of Oz", so his Blue suit represented Dorothy.

His silver shirt represented "the Tin Man."

He was wearing a faux fur coat which represented "the Lion."

And, he was wearing a straw fedora, which represented "the Scare Crow."

These shoes are Swarovski crystals, all of them.

And these are beautiful.

Of course, they represent the ruby red slippers.

I want people to take away from this, an appreciation for the work and thought that goes into a costuming a film.

Not just the work from the work room, but even on the pieces that goes into purchasing that piece, and how that expresses the character and defines the character that they are being worn by.

Whether it's a big party scene, and it's a party dress, or whether it's a blouse.

And I think people will get that going through here and seeing the wide variety of pieces we have in the exhibit.

GENERATIONS OF FUN (baby laughing) That infectious laugh belongs to Josie Bailey.

- [Andy] She's a rambunctious four year old who loves playing with her younger brother in her backyard, just outside of Columbus.

It's sometimes a challenge though, to get Josie to slow down and take a break.

But one thing that manages to capture her attention is a magazine.

- It's so pretty.

- [Andy] It's called High Five and it's the younger sister publication to the long running Highlights magazine.

- Josie will look at the same magazine every day and find new stuff.

She gets really excited just recognizing different animals in the magazine, - And foxes and bunnies.

- Josie really loves taking a marker or pen and she likes to draw her own illustrations.

- He has two eyeballs in there.

- [Andy] Something about the Baileys love is that they also read Highlights growing up.

- I think the coolest thing about Highlights magazine is it still looks the same, it still feels the same.

So whereas a lot of other things have kind of changed over time, I feel like they're enjoying the same magazine that we enjoyed as kids.

- We pray they'll turn out as great as us.

- [Andy] That same look and feel Mallory describes isn't an accident.

- There are certain things that appear in every issue of Highlights.

We call those our legacy features and they're non negotiable, they're in each issue.

So for example, we always have a hidden picture in every issue of Highlights.

In fact, there's been a hidden picture in every issue of Highlights since June 1946, the very first one.

- [Andy] You heard it right.

June 1946, nearly 75 years ago, Highlights debuted its first magazine and its longest running feature: Hidden pictures, the visual puzzle that pushes kids to focus and find small pictures inside a larger scene.

And that's not the only feature to stay consistent for generations.

Still, in every issue is The Timbertoes.

A simple illustrated story centered around a wood carved family, which debuted in Highlights in 1951.

And of course, the wholesome Goofus and Gallant, a comic featuring two contrasting characters, Goofus, modeling bad behavior and Gallant, modeling good.

They first appeared in the pages of Highlights in 1948, and are still a legacy feature today.

- Goofus and Gallant in 1951, Goofus and Gallant 2019, there is an evolution in animation and everything but there's still a very common theme between the two of them.

- Part of its appeal to young children is its lack of ambiguity.

I mean, it's a little black and white.

It's practice for the big harder moral decisions that are gonna come later.

I love that kids still love it today.

- We're always aspiring to be our Gallant, but also if I do something that's a little Goofus, how do I make up for it?

How do I apologize?

How do I make things right?

- [Andy] Highlights CEO Kent Johnson knows a thing or two about Goofus and Gallant, his great grandfather, Dr. Garry Cleveland Meyers created the comic and founded Highlights magazine with his wife Caroline, just after World War Two.

- I like to say I did everything I could in my life to not join the family business and I failed at it.

- [Andy] According to Johnson, the mission of the business he runs today, headquartered in Columbus has essentially stayed the same.

- We have to be dynamic, we have to adapt to what's going on in the world, and yet the foundational values and principles, our commitment to children remains the same as it was at day one.

- [Andy] Something else that hasn't changed according to Johnson, kids.

- I think adults believe that everything's changed for kids, the world's changed so quickly, like being a child now is gonna be so different.

We've got devices, and it's busy and all of these things.

But what we know is kids still have some of the same issues they've had since 1946.

How do I get along with my siblings?

What happens when I have a falling out with my best friend?

Those things are universal, those things aren't changing.

And French colleagues says Highlights knows kids well, not through consultants or focus groups, but by communicating directly with them the old fashioned way.

- How do you find out what kids want to see?

- One of the things we do that I think is the best way to keep our fingers on the pulse of our readers is that we answer every letter and email we get from children, and we've done that for years.

You might be surprised to see the kinds of letters we get from kids.

They write to us about their deeply held hopes and dreams and fears, it's as if we are their really, very best friends.

We learn a lot about kids from what kids tell us.

I think we really are the publisher with the most authentic dialogue with kids.

- [Andy] Rather than take their word for it, we decided to visit our own panel of experts.

We're talking about Highlights magazines.

Has anybody seen Highlights magazine before?

Yeah?

Well, we have a bunch of Highlights magazines for you to read today, and then after a little bit, we're gonna talk to you a little bit more.

Does that sound good to you?

- [Children] Yeah.

Okay, cool.

Miss Burkehalters' third grade class at Evening Street Elementary School not too far from Highlights headquarters had a lot to say about the magazine.

- God, look at it!

- I learned about the sea slug because I didn't know about this.

- I liked how it has like articles and then it also has stuff that you can make and it has little word searches.

- I like Goofus and Gallant because Goofus shows you him misbehaving and Gallant is showing you how to behave.

- They always have a couple silly things in there.

There's also some serious things like, oh, this is funny, - [Andy] But they were pretty unanimous about what they liked best.

- I like the Hidden Pictures, there's the butterfly back there.

Well, I like him because you have to focus on the little things instead of just the big things around.

- For the hidden pictures, it's not easy, like it's not in like a corner like a corner, it's like in people, or on people.

- It's challenging and it's fun.

- [Andy] Hidden pictures, the longest running feature in the magazine, was also the most popular among this crowd.

Miss Burkhalter's class was no stranger to the magazine.

In fact, it's been a familiar sight in classrooms and in doctors' offices by design since the 1950s.

- So the dentist's office, the school program, those were ways to reach kids where they are.

- [Andy] But being where the kids are, in an increasingly digital world means expanding beyond the physical pages of a magazine.

- We get to play games, the majority of our day, so can't complain about that.

In terms of digital, we definitely bring the same experience that the magazine brings to life in a digital format.

We are creating those deeply engaging, fun, enriching experiences.

It just happens to be in a different medium.

- [Andy] Highlights has two websites, a podcast, a handful of apps and is further expanding its digital presence, one feature that's translated seamlessly to digital media?

- See how bad I am at it?

(laughs) - [Andy] That's right, hidden pictures.

We've seen through a lot of companies who find success in evolving and growing but there's also this push pull of not straying too far from your original message, not straying too far.

So how do you deal with that push pull?

- So I often say inside of the company, I say we're not a magazine company, and in fact, we never were.

People look at me and say, "What are you talking about?

"You started as a magazine."

And I think the founders were about the impact they wanted to have on children.

So if we keep in mind that we're not committed to magazines, we're not committed to a particular channel, we're not committed to a certain product type or technology.

What we're committed to is making a positive impact on children.

That frees us up to think what has to stay the same?

Certain values, certain beliefs about children stay the same, everything else can change.

- Oh, I like this.

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"UNTIL NEXT WEEK, THANK YOU FOR WATCHING."

Funding for COLORES was provided in part by: Frederick Hammersley Fund, New Mexico PBS Great Southwestern Arts & Education Endowment Fund, and the Nellita E. Walker Fund for KNME-TV at the Albuquerque Community Foundation... ...New Mexico Arts, a division of the Department of Cultural Affairs, and by the National Endowment for the Arts... and Viewers Like You.