Have you ever watched craft shows, or any of the numerous baking how-to programs, and simply laughed at how easy the hosts make projects seem? People like Martha Stewart always have a pre-baked cake ready to decorate when they put the same one in the oven. They always speak to the camera, knowing that somebody is watching in their own home. And all of these projects are usually better suited for expert crafters and bakers. 

The Curious Creations of Christine McConnell takes the established craft show layout, and reworks it for beginning enthusiasts, while still using the same complicated ideas of other shows. Sure, she’s baking a giant mansion of a cake, but Christine has also showed us how to make a template for building, how to make candy eyeballs, and change the tone of each eye, not to mention the sizing and tool necessities. And yes, she still talks to the screen—her roommates just laugh at this idiosyncrasy and think she’s crazy.

The thing about Curious Creations is that this isn’t an ordinary craft show. Normally, there is no plot to crafting programs. Why should there be? Well when the series is set in a 1950s gothic mansion with an Egyptian cat mummy, a werewolf, ghost, and reanimated corpse of a nymphomaniac skunk, along with other brilliant assortment Ghoulies, one cannot simply create peppermint horns for hot cocoa. The cast provides a reason for non-creative viewers to get involved, especially fans of Henson creations, which make up 90% of the cast of characters. If you could care less about making fairy wings or a giant multi-layer/flavor cake, there’s the story of Rose, whose birthday presents these are being made. If you are already an adept sewer, these instructions may not be useful, but the story of Christine’s psychotic cousin will keep you watching.

At only six episodes on Netflix, there is plenty to still be wanted from the series, but for a short Halloween binge of 2 ½ hours (something I did without planning on its release day), it’s the perfect watch, with hopes that more will come next year, or sooner.