It may not be baseball season, but it sure is Heart Season! And here at The Puppet Treehouse, we have heart - miles and miles and miles of heart!  Enjoy this, from the musical "Damn Yankees!" - "You Gotta Have Heart"!

As most of you know, February is Heart Month. That doesn't just mean pink candied hearts, boxes of chocolates, and a lot of lace and elmer's glue. It's also a time to bring awareness to heart health and heart disease.

Heart disease can mean something as severe as a heart attack, but it also refers to plaque buildup in the arteries, arrhythmia (irregular heartbeat), and heart valve problems.

High blood pressure and high cholesterol can aggravate your risk of heart disease. If an immediate family member has had some form of heart disease, you are at higher risk for developing heart trouble as well.

Stay tuned throughout this month for more information on heart disease, heart-healthy prevention tips, and song!

Hey there friends.  First, thank you for being a part of the Puppet Treehouse team - we really can't do all that we do without the strong support structure you provide.  And while this message may not apply to all of you, I do want to send this out into the world.
Last night, my sister, my baby niece, and I were involved in a car accident.  While we were driving through a major

What do YOU think about this anti-obesity campaign from Georgia:   
"Stop Sugarcoating It, Georgia."  The ads feature videos, posters, and billboards of children with taglines like: "It's hard to be a little girl if you're not."

Linda Matzigkeit, vice president of Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, says:
"It has to be harsh. If it's not, nobody's going to listen" and discusses the frustration and sadness of seeing so many children coming to the hospital with what have typically been considered "adult diseases."

A Change.org Petition calls the campaign "extremely damaging," saying that  "public shaming is archaeic, dangerous, and inexcusable."

What do YOU think?  Here at the Treehouse we work hard to inspire people through POSITIVE, JOYFUL programming. Does this campaign promote negative stereotypes and warped body image, or, in a community where obesity is claiming lives and livelihoods, is this 'just what the doctor ordered?'

Heya friends!  Rocky here, and I wanted to share a really great perspective on something that, as you know, is very close to me.  Sara Sklaroff from the Washington Post wrote a great article about Diabetes and I wanted to share it with you.

Diabetes isn't easy - for people OR puppets. 
Sometimes it's easy to forget, but Sara shares smart scrutiny* (try saying THAT 3 times fast!) and really lays down the challenges people (and puppets!) with diabetes face.
Read it and let me know what you think!  Any ideas for ways we can help?

Here it is: "Diabetes Affects Millions, Society Should Not Stigmatize Its Victims"

And of course, if you missed my "Announcement" or want to learn more, check out our videos!

*okay, okay, I *may* have used a thesaurus for that one...shh!

_ To all our friends and puppets around the world, so many heartfelt thanks -- in the quest to make our planet a healthier, happier place, every single person really does make a difference!
      Cheers to a bright and healthy 2012!

_...and now, a holiday poem for you, from WebSpider!
Whatever you celebrate, we hope you have fun!
                                          .    .    .
Twas the week before Christmas, when all ‘cross the floor
All the puppets were stirring as JP wished them more:
“May your stockings be stuffed with all sort of treats,
Like kisses, and hugs, and holiday sweets!”

They should have been nestled in snug puppet beds,
But visions of sugarplums danced in their heads!
And Judy was sewing, still hard at her work –
With Christmas this close, she didn’t dare shirk!

Hey everyone, Judy Puppets here!  Wanted to share this awesome video, which does a great job of uniting research and data to answer just that question.  Fun and riveting presentation - enjoy :o)

_Hi!! Oh wow, Judy Puppets and I just had the best time ever in Chicago! Judy says she's been there before, but it was my first time ever, and there was so much to see!

Have you ever been to the Shedd Aquarium? It's so big and pretty! And it's right on top of the water, practically! See, it's
part of the Museum Campus in Chicago, which is this great big park right next to the lake that has all these museums in it. My favorite part of the aquarium was the jelly fish...but you'll find out more about that later (:

Hi everyone! It's Rocky here. I want to thank you all again for the support you've shown me since I got diagnosed with diabetes. Honestly, one of my biggest struggles is that needles and me are not BFFs - not only do they give me the
willy wonkas, but they get caught in my feathers and fluff!

So I was very curious when my doctor told me that I have an alternative to insulin injections to treat my diabetes -