Do you remember Lejo DJ?
Part of a series of brilliant hand manipulation inserts created for Sesamstraat (the Dutch version of Sesame Street), “Lejo DJ” was the first puppet video to surpass one million views on YouTube. It was created by Leo “Lejo” Peterson , a Dutch puppeteer who conjures up whole worlds using just his bare hands and pairs of cartoon-like wooden eyes.
Lejo wrote me recently to let me know that he recently completed a brand new series of videos, which he’s in the process of selling to television networks around the world:
Although most people know Lejo best for his Sesamestraat inserts, he has toured the world with a fantastic live show called Hands Up! as well. I had the chance to see it in New York City two years ago when I filmed a segment with him for PuppetVision: The Movie and his show is every bit as brilliant as his videos.
Lejo is returning to the United States with Hands Up! this month for a run of shows at the Pittsburgh International Children’s Festival May 14th-18th. If you live in the Pittsburgh area or you can get there, you really should see it for yourself. For those in Northern Europe, he has upcoming performances scheduled in Belgium, the Netherlands and Denmark as well.
What more Lejo? You can watch more instalments of the new Lejo series in his YouTube Channel.
