Here Come The Tots
Beano Becher
and Tubby
the Teva
are on their way
to Detroit.
ELIZABETH APPLEBAUM
ASSOCIATE EDITOR
IS
hlomo Benzaquen and Reuven
Stone saw a void in the Jewish
world.
They knew it could be filled by
the likes of Hardy Har Sinai.
The two New Yorkers, both
graphic artists, couldn't help but
notice the ubiquitous Barneys
and Baby Bops, the Lambchops
and the Oscar the Grouches. But
where, they wondered, were
these charming creations' coun-
terparts in the Jewish world?
Soon after, the Torah Tots "Some people think that because
were born.
there's nothing out there, they
The Torah Tots, a group of an- can produce anything. We want-
imated figures characterizing dif- ed to produce something great."
ferent aspects of Judaism and
The two began by doing some
Torah, will make their way to De- sketches, which were later
troit next week for Yeshivat scanned into and perfected on the
Darchei Torah's fifth annual computer. Among their creations:
summer concert. The program Hardy Har Sinai, the Torah Tots'
will begin 2 p.m. June 5 at the confidante; Beano Becher, the
Southfield-Lathrop High School. group's spokesman; Shamor and
"There's a big problem in the Zachor, the candlestick twins;
Jewish market," Mr. Stone says. and Tubby the Teva, the mis-
chievous mascot.
Entertainer Shloimy Bluth
provided voices for all the char-
acters, while Mr. Stone wrote the
music and words. The tape was
sent to Jewish bookstores
throughout the country and is
now being translated into French,
Russian and Hebrew.
Soon after the premiere of the
tape, called "The Nes (Miracle) of
You and Me," came the creation
The concert
will be the
Torah Tots'
first outside
New York State.
Shlomo Benzaquen and Reuven Stone.
of larger-than-life characters
(who will perform at the Darchei
Torah concert). Again, Mr. Stone
and Mr. Benzaquen took charge
of the project themselves.
They designed all the costumes,
though they stopped short of ac-
tually performing. "We hired pro-
fessional actors for that," Mr. -
Stone says.
Just getting those costumes
all the way to Michigan is the
pair's latest challenge. The
Darchei Torah concert will be the
Torah Tots' first outside New
York state. The costumes are be-
ing shipped two weeks before the
event.
Mr. Stone, the father of three,
has taped earlier live concerts for
his children. The youngest is 6
months and has yet to become a m
a'
Torah Tots addict. But his daugh- —
ter, 2, and his son, 3, can't get N:
enough of Hardy, Tubby and `‘1
Beano.
"All day long it's Torah Tots —
from the minute they get up to
the minute they go to bed," he 15
says. "It rivals Barney.' " ❑