# The Curious Creations of Christine McConnell
*The Curious Creations of Christine McConnell* is an American baking and crafting series that premiered on Netflix on October 12, 2018, in which baker and artist Christine McConnell makes [Halloween](https://www.edgepedia.org/halloween)- and horror-themed desserts, costumes, and decor while sharing a haunted house with a cast of puppets created by Henson Alternative, the adult-comedy arm of the Jim Henson Company.[1](https://www.netflix.com/ie/title/80201868) • [2](https://www.eater.com/2018/10/12/17942558/christine-mcconnell-netflix-show) McConnell herself described the show as "a weird mish-mash of 'The Addams Family' and a Martha Stewart how-to show."[3](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/the_curious_creations_of_christine_mcconnell/s01) Only one season of six episodes was produced.[1](https://www.netflix.com/ie/title/80201868)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Premiere | October 12, 2018, on Netflix; all six episodes released at once[1](https://www.netflix.com/ie/title/80201868) |
| Format | Baking and craft tutorials embedded in a scripted puppet storyline, roughly 24 to 28 minutes per episode[1](https://www.netflix.com/ie/title/80201868) |
| Production | Wilshire Studios (NBCUniversal) with Henson Alternative; directed and co-created by Kirk R. Thatcher[2](https://www.eater.com/2018/10/12/17942558/christine-mcconnell-netflix-show) • [4](https://www.allhallowsgeek.com/10-things-we-learned-about-the-curious-creations-of-christine-mcconnell-at-midsummer-scream/) |
| Main creatures | Rose the raccoon (Colleen Smith), Rankle the mummified cat (Michael Oosterom), and the werewolf Edgar (Drew Massey, with Mick Ignis in the suit)[3](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/the_curious_creations_of_christine_mcconnell/s01) |
| Rating | TV-PG; Common Sense Media recommends it for ages 12 and up[5](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/tv-reviews/the-curious-creations-of-christine-mcconnell) |
| Reception | 100% Tomatometer from 12 critics and 89% Popcornmeter from 100+ audience ratings on Rotten Tomatoes[3](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/the_curious_creations_of_christine_mcconnell/s01) |
| Aftermath | No second season; McConnell moved to Patreon and the YouTube series *From the Mind of Christine McConnell*[6](https://www.patreon.com/ChristineHMcConnell/about) |
## Spoilers
### Premise and format
Each episode places McConnell, playing a fictionalized version of herself, in a haunted mansion she shares with three puppet creatures: Rose, a raccoon stitched together from roadkill; Rankle, an undead Egyptian cat; and Edgar, a werewolf who stumbled into the house one night.[7](https://www.phillyvoice.com/curious-creations-christine-mcconnell-netflix-halloween-cooking-baking-show/) • [8](https://butwhytho.net/2018/10/review-the-curious-creations-of-christine-mcconnell/) The creatures, operated by Henson-trained puppeteers, banter, scheme, and make violent threats that are never carried out, while McConnell walks viewers step by step through elaborate projects such as peanut butter pretzel bones, a shortbread spirit-board cookie, and a ginger-dead house.[5](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/tv-reviews/the-curious-creations-of-christine-mcconnell) • [3](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/the_curious_creations_of_christine_mcconnell/s01)
Unlike most cooking shows, the season carries a continuous plot. McConnell told Eater that "there's a whole story arc from the beginning to the end. The show starts with the arrival of someone, and it ends on Halloween."[2](https://www.eater.com/2018/10/12/17942558/christine-mcconnell-netflix-show) Recurring human characters include a suitor named Norman (Adam Mayfield) and a visiting cousin, and the burlesque performer Dita von Teese appears as a ghost named Vivienne.[3](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/the_curious_creations_of_christine_mcconnell/s01) • [7](https://www.phillyvoice.com/curious-creations-christine-mcconnell-netflix-halloween-cooking-baking-show/)
The six episodes, all released on October 12, 2018, are: "Snacks for Strays," "Gifts for Nosy Neighbors," "The Dinner Date," "A Spirited Tea Party," "A Cake for Rose," and "Halloween Tricks & Treats."[3](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/the_curious_creations_of_christine_mcconnell/s01)
## Origin
McConnell built her audience online before television. From 2013 she posted her horror-styled baking and crafts to Reddit and [Imgur](https://www.edgepedia.org/imgur), and in 2015 she went viral after decorating her parents' Los Angeles-area Victorian home for Halloween with massive spooky eyes and fangs on its exterior.[9](https://www.inverse.com/article/50237-christine-mcconnell-curious-creations-on-netflix-halloween-comes-from-reddit-fame) • [2](https://www.eater.com/2018/10/12/17942558/christine-mcconnell-netflix-show) The attention brought offers from what she estimated as about 300 production companies, nearly all pitching a conventional reality show, which did not interest her.[2](https://www.eater.com/2018/10/12/17942558/christine-mcconnell-netflix-show)
**The Henson connection.** A producer at NBCUniversal's Wilshire Studios connected McConnell with the Jim Henson Company, and after a meeting with [Brian Henson](https://www.edgepedia.org/brian-henson), who became an executive producer on the series, the two companies agreed to collaborate.[2](https://www.eater.com/2018/10/12/17942558/christine-mcconnell-netflix-show) • [10](https://lamag.com/tv/a-case-for-binge-watching-the-curious-creations-of-christine-mcconnell-immediately/) McConnell said it took about a year to work out the show's bible, defining "the rules of this world."[11](https://dailydead.com/interview-star-christine-mcconnell-on-her-curious-creations-and-halloween-traditions/) She pushed for Netflix as the distributor, courting the platform with a *Stranger Things* photo series, and Netflix agreed after the first pitch meeting.[9](https://www.inverse.com/article/50237-christine-mcconnell-curious-creations-on-netflix-halloween-comes-from-reddit-fame)
McConnell had a hands-on role in the production design, sending photos of her own house and original sketches to the set designers, who built the TV home from them; she designed the spider web-themed kitchen cabinets herself in Photoshop.[2](https://www.eater.com/2018/10/12/17942558/christine-mcconnell-netflix-show) She also shaped the characters: she originally wrote Rose as a mummy raccoon and credited the puppeteer Colleen Smith with much of what the character became.[10](https://lamag.com/tv/a-case-for-binge-watching-the-curious-creations-of-christine-mcconnell-immediately/)
## Tone and content
The show mixes wholesome craft instruction with dark comedy. Common Sense Media rated it TV-PG and suggested 12 and up, noting that violence is frequently discussed and implied but rarely shown, that sexual content is limited to innuendo, and that there is no profanity; the writing deliberately substitutes sophisticated words where vulgar ones would be expected.[5](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/tv-reviews/the-curious-creations-of-christine-mcconnell) McConnell said she wanted Netflix partly so she could tackle risqué topics, though not everything she proposed survived; she wanted Rose to put a Girl Scout into a wood chipper, and the network declined.[10](https://lamag.com/tv/a-case-for-binge-watching-the-curious-creations-of-christine-mcconnell-immediately/)
The projects themselves are advanced. Reviewers noted that the tutorials skip some large steps, such as baking the cakes themselves, and focus on decorative work, so a professional could fill in the blanks more easily than an amateur.[12](https://devolutionmagazine.co.uk/2018/10/27/review-6-days-6-movies-6-reviews-3-curious-creations-christine-mcconnell/) McConnell acknowledged the joke that her creations "take so long to do," framing the pleasure as watching possibility rather than easy replication.[9](https://www.inverse.com/article/50237-christine-mcconnell-curious-creations-on-netflix-halloween-comes-from-reddit-fame)
## Reception
Critical response was strongly positive. The season holds a 100% Tomatometer from 12 reviews and an 89% Popcornmeter score from more than 100 audience ratings on Rotten Tomatoes.[3](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/the_curious_creations_of_christine_mcconnell/s01) The New Yorker's Helen Rosner called it "beautiful, morbid, bizarre, and raunchy," and the Sydney Morning Herald's Brad Newsome described it as "a delightfully bonkers cooking-and-crafts series."[3](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/the_curious_creations_of_christine_mcconnell/s01) Reviewers frequently compared McConnell's deadpan hosting to [Martha Stewart](https://www.edgepedia.org/martha-stewart); the Washington Post's Marc Silver wrote that she issues instructions "clipped and authoritarian" without cracking a smile.[3](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/the_curious_creations_of_christine_mcconnell/s01) Rose, voiced and puppeteered by Colleen Smith, was widely singled out as the breakout character.[9](https://www.inverse.com/article/50237-christine-mcconnell-curious-creations-on-netflix-halloween-comes-from-reddit-fame)
Criticism centered on McConnell's stiff on-camera presence in the early episodes and on the thin plots; McConnell herself agreed that acting was alien to her and that the first episodes were rough.[5](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/tv-reviews/the-curious-creations-of-christine-mcconnell) • [11](https://dailydead.com/interview-star-christine-mcconnell-on-her-curious-creations-and-halloween-traditions/)
## Aftermath
No second season was made, and audience reviews on Rotten Tomatoes repeatedly lament that the show has only one season.[3](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/the_curious_creations_of_christine_mcconnell/s01) McConnell wrote on Patreon that "books sell out and TV shows can get the axe," which is why she launched a new YouTube series, *From the Mind of Christine McConnell*, supported by Patreon subscriptions offering exclusive episodes, recipes, and monthly livestreams.[6](https://www.patreon.com/ChristineHMcConnell/about) Her Patreon projects have included a 500-pound gingerbread replica of the [Winchester Mystery House](https://www.edgepedia.org/winchester-mystery-house) and, in 2024, a Christmas crafting session with the cast and crew of the Netflix show.[13](https://www.patreon.com/ChristineHMcConnell/sitemap)
## References
1. [The Curious Creations of Christine McConnell, Netflix official site](https://www.netflix.com/ie/title/80201868)
2. [Five Things to Know About Netflix Star Christine McConnell and Her 'Curious Creations', Eater](https://www.eater.com/2018/10/12/17942558/christine-mcconnell-netflix-show)
3. [The Curious Creations of Christine McConnell: Season 1, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/the_curious_creations_of_christine_mcconnell/s01)
4. [10 Things We Learned About 'The Curious Creations of Christine McConnell' at Midsummer Scream, All Hallows Geek](https://www.allhallowsgeek.com/10-things-we-learned-about-the-curious-creations-of-christine-mcconnell-at-midsummer-scream/)
5. [Parents' Guide to The Curious Creations of Christine McConnell, Common Sense Media](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/tv-reviews/the-curious-creations-of-christine-mcconnell)
6. [Christine McConnell, Patreon About page](https://www.patreon.com/ChristineHMcConnell/about)
7. [Netflix has a bizarre, creepy new cooking show that's the perfect Halloween treat, PhillyVoice](https://www.phillyvoice.com/curious-creations-christine-mcconnell-netflix-halloween-cooking-baking-show/)
8. [Review: The Curious Creations of Christine McConnell, But Why Tho?](https://butwhytho.net/2018/10/review-the-curious-creations-of-christine-mcconnell/)
9. ['Christine McConnell' Netflix: How a Viral Reddit Creator Landed a Series, Inverse](https://www.inverse.com/article/50237-christine-mcconnell-curious-creations-on-netflix-halloween-comes-from-reddit-fame)
10. [A Case for Binge-Watching The Curious Creations of Christine McConnell Immediately, LAmag](https://lamag.com/tv/a-case-for-binge-watching-the-curious-creations-of-christine-mcconnell-immediately/)
11. [Interview: Star Christine McConnell on Her CURIOUS CREATIONS and Halloween Traditions, Daily Dead](https://dailydead.com/interview-star-christine-mcconnell-on-her-curious-creations-and-halloween-traditions/)
12. [Review: 6 Days, 6 Movies, 6 Reviews: The Curious Creations of Christine McConnell, Devolution Magazine](https://devolutionmagazine.co.uk/2018/10/27/review-6-days-6-movies-6-reviews-3-curious-creations-christine-mcconnell/)
13. [Christine McConnell, Patreon sitemap](https://www.patreon.com/ChristineHMcConnell/sitemap)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Series and fictional screen worlds › Scripted television and comedy series › Sitcom and comedy series › American sitcoms and comedy series › 2010s cable and streaming comedies*
*Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license