About Us!
The Welcome Home Restoration Project is a team of anonymous individuals dedicated to compiling, restoring, and archiving what few remnants of Welcome Home have been uncovered. It is through these collective efforts that we will awaken the memory of this lost piece of media. We strive to establish a friendly and open community of friends, family, and fans, just like the colorful and quaint neighbors in our beloved Home!
Love is clear in the messages of Wally Darling and is as much of a hallmark to him as his charismatic smile, his cheery disposition, and his eagerness to understand the world around him. We too hope to spread this feeling of everlasting joy, caring, understanding, and acceptance to all in the hopes that you will join us in our thorough exploration. Together, we will make this house a home!
Visitors may wonder how we came to uncover such a show, where we obtained these works, and the efforts taken to restore them to the best of our ability. To that we are happy to open our front door to you, neighbor!
General Questions:
Who are you?
For personal reasons, our small collective at the Welcome Home Restoration Project team have agreed upon staying anonymous for our own safety and security. More than that, however, we wanted to make the recovery of Welcome Home our number one priority as well as the sole purpose of this website. We want to keep ourselves and our work away from prying eyes.
How did you begin your research into Welcome Home?
To be honest, we were drawn in unexpectedly. All of the information found on this website was extracted from documents that had been uncovered in brightly colored envelopes. Over time, we have received a greater abundance of physical goods and a much wider array of items over these past few years! However, and most notably with our most recent donations, there have been countless boxes covered in water damage, wrapped with rope and twine, and dripping with an unknown substance, among other things. Despite the severity of disrepair, please be rest assured that we are doing all that we can to preserve what is able to be saved and have it shared publicly as efficiently as possible.
Who is the source of all these goods?
It is unknown who provided all of the pieces we have archived so far. There has never been a name or a return address on any of the letters or boxes received. There is a chance it could be a collector, but considering the state of these donations it is highly unlikely. Even so, if the contributor does come forward or comes to this website to see our progress, we want them to know how grateful we are for this opportunity. We want them to know, too, that we will do our very best to reconnect them with what must have been their favorite puppet show and will continue to do so through our archival efforts.
What do the illustrations, writings, and advertisements look like when you receive them?
As stated previously, all of the materials obtained so far were tucked away inside various packages, usually crammed inside together and covered in an unknown substance. Despite this, volunteers have both restored and recreated most of what was found on the documents. Below is an example of our work as we extract information from the original document and translate it into a digital state.
The original piece in its destroyed state as we have received it.
Fully restored by our team with slight alterations to the original.
With that said, we must state that our volunteers occasionally take artistic liberties to fill in the gaps left by areas we were unsuccessful in cleaning up. Please anticipate the occasional error and understand that we are correcting things as we gather more information.
Concept of Frank’s spinning head mechanic as described in illustrated material.
Why did you make this website?
I hoped that this website would grab the attention of someone who has seen this show before and could tell us more about it. If this wasn’t possible, then we wanted to be the first to showcase this lost piece of media to help spur on the search for its existence. Many of our guest book signatures have talked about seeing this show before, so this is a good sign. Our efforts won’t be in vain!
This isn’t the same website as before. Why did you move it?
We don’t want to alarm you, but we believe there is someone trying to stop us or make light of our efforts. We apologize to those who saw our website before the move. We have been barraged by curious messages in our guest book and within the code of the site itself. The items found have been mocking, unpleasant, and disruptive overall. I am unsure why anyone would do this, but we are dedicated to continuing to archive and upload our findings. We have since recreated our website in what we feel to be a cleaner and more maintained space with heightened security.
What kind of merchandise did Welcome Home have?
What was once speculation has now become irrefutable proof of how much and what sort of merchandise was created for Welcome Home! There have been vinyl records, children's toys, various food deals, home decor, storybooks, radio broadcasts, and even merchandise that could be ordered through comic books and magazines! Who knows what else is out there! Could you imagine?
Do you know how many episodes of Welcome Home there are?
Unfortunately no. We have yet to receive footage from the show itself, nor a full catalog of any of the episodes. We have estimated that the last air date for the show was in 1974, but only because it is the most recent date listed on a script sent to us.
Do you know anyone who worked at the Playfellow Workshop or are you a former employee?
No and I am not affiliated with the company. But we know of an individual named Ronald Dorelaine who was seemingly the creator of the show. We could not find this person in any capacity, so perhaps it is an incorrect assumption.
Are we able to join your team?
We won’t be accepting new members.
Who is your favorite resident?
Everyone on our team has their favorite, but if you ask me, mine is Wally Darling! He is just the most, as he would say!