Interview: PAW PATROL LIVE! Costume Designer Tina Haatainen-Jones Discusses Design Inspiration and More

PAW Patrol Live! The Great Pirate Adventure run at Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden Saturday, April 9 and Sunday, April 10.

X barks the spot in PAW Patrol Live! "The Great Pirate Adventure"! It's Pirate Day in Adventure Bay, and Mayor Goodway is getting ready for a big celebration! But first, Ryder and his team of pirate pups must rescue Cap'n Turbot from a mysterious cavern. When they do, they also discover a secret pirate treasure map! The PAW Patrol set out over land and sea to find the treasure for Mayor Goodway's celebration before Mayor Humdinger finds it first! The pups will need all paws on deck for this pirate adventure, including some help from the newest pup, Tracker!

The PAW Patrol pup costumes are based on the characters from the animated series, and are inspired by Bunraku, which is a style of puppetry that originated in Japan. We chatted with costume designer Tina Haatainen-Jones who told us all about the design inspiration for the costumes, and what makes this unique show so special!

Check out what she had to say, plus some exclusive costume sketches, below!

Can you explain Bunraku, and specifically what inspirations were taken from that style to be incorporated in these designs?

The Bunraku style of puppetry is traditionally done with 3 puppeteers controlling the puppet from behind. The puppeteers are visible to the audience though they are sometimes hooded to hide their faces. More modern interpretations use one to three or more puppeteers and many times the puppeteers are incorporated into the puppet visually.

Can you describe how the costumes work, what they're like inside, how the performers get into them, perform in them, etc.?

For Paw Patrol, the puppeteers are seen and heard by the audience and their voices and facial expressions add to the life of each character.

The performers legs create the front legs of the pups. The puppets are held by a harness worn by the puppeteer leaving the performers' hands free to manipulate inside the pups' heads. They control the mouth, eyes, and the ears as well as the general movement of the heads.

What are some of the most unique costumes in the show? Are they all the same basic structure or are some different?

I'm especially pleased with the levels of emotion the puppets can convey. The audience can not only see the different personalities in the pups but can also feel them. A lot of credit for the differences should go to the performers and how they create each personality through their voices and the movements. A bulldog does move differently than a cocker spaniel!

What are your personal favorite costumes in the show, and why?

A favorite moment in the show is when the pups create their own pirate hats. The design is intentionally 2-dimensional and colorful. The kids in the audience can see that they can make this kind of costume at home. I actually began by creating a hat for my own dog to see how it would look.

What is it about the show, and specifically the visuals, that you think has made it such a hit?

Paw Patrol has been a delightful experience. I love watching children get involved in the story and seeing them excited and loving the live theatre experience.

Photo Credit: Tina Haatainen-Jones