I'm sure there are more persons who remember Ice Cream Jones than persons who remember Discovery Jones. ^^
Either way, I'll write a bit on what I recall about the latter.
The lead character of this live-action Christian series was a man named Discovery Jones. In each episode, Jones would find some random place in the world to explore, interact with, and inform his viewership about.
Jones's 'fanclub' was a squirrel puppet named Rusty. Rusty usually stayed behind at the clubhouse while Jones went on the adventures. Rusty would often ask questions Jones wouldn't think to answer, or would sometimes need advice or to learn a (biblical) lesson. As said, 'Discovery Jones' was a Christian-themed show. It aired on INSP Network's kids block (alongside classics such as 'Bedbug Bible Gang' and 'The Reppies' (and was of similar quality ...not 'bad', per se, but there were better things on at the time, IMHO). ^^
Now, there really was a Discovery Jones club, known as (get this) 'The DJ Club'. An important note is 'DJ' in the context of 'The DJ Club' stood fod 'Discover Jesus' (not 'Discovery Jones'). To become a member, all one needed to do was write to Discovery Jones to receive one's membership kit. I want to say these were free, but I really don't remember
...and yes, I have one. :3
Let's have a look inside (pardon my housemate's tail---they wouldn't leave the couch): https://sta.sh/023xmhoalvxl
What really dates this stuff is that disc, which contains some sort of 'family internet filtering' software (a 30-day free trial!).
The bulk of the weight of this package belongs to this notepad: 30 pages of special 'Discovery Jones' logo'd paper. The other paper package contains a welcome letter detailing the package's contents and how to use them. Also, we get a sheet of Christian-themed stickers (to stick in the decoder book), an 'autographed' photo of Jones and Rusty, and a copy of the 'Code of Conduct' to frame/hang on a wall. ^^
Last is the decoder book. There's a good amount of stuff in it, actually, and is replete with word (and other) puzzles that relate to various Bible verses. It's kinda nice. :3
Anyway...
Rusty was a puppet---if cartoon art of Rusty exists, I haven't sen any. Therefore, my line art here can loosely be described as 'Ferret Style' (for those who catalog/archive my art ...yes, I know you exist). ^^;
I drew Rusty here with my Zephyr. I delineated him via this Pentapco #2 pencil. I haven't seen much of this brand, but the pencil is nice enough for (what's obviously) a budget brand. The line is dark, thin and consistent, and the drag is smooth enough. My only complaint with te Pentapco is its barrel. Its hexagonal, but its edges are so smooth that it still rolls with relative ease (which doesn't take too much away from my use of it, but it's not a precision tool).
Wow, you're the only other person I know who watched Discovery Jones! I used to watch it somewhere around twenty years ago, when I used to have cable TV. I love that squirrel, and also sent for the membership kit, which was free.
Around that time, I also watched "the Swamp Critters", which had fursuit characters with animatronic heads, and some puppets. I watched "the Reppies", "the Flying House", "Superbook", "Dooley and Pals", "the Book of Virtues", and old reruns of "Davey and Goliath".
I have one picture of Rusty that I screen captured from INSP, from an episode called "God's Mighty Fortress" (Mar 31, 2000). That was back in the days of analog cable TV, so the quality isn't perfect. I hope the link to my google drive works:
I always liked the music from the Swamp Critters, which everyone around me absolutely hated.
Drawings of any or all of the characters would be nice to see. My favorites were Billy Bob Possum, Joe Raccoon and Bobby Q. I even liked Phinneas Phatrat, even though he was often stirring up trouble.
I always liked the music from the Swamp Critters, which everyone around me absolutely hated. Drawin
