It started as an idea during a pandemic and today it is a must-see event for thousands every week. Pache and Plumistwo puppet dogs as chaotic as they are endearing, became the heart of TaBuenoChe!, a streaming channel that is growing non-stop and has already captured the attention of figures such as Duki and Nicki Nicole.
Behind this universe there is a multifaceted artist: that of Patrick Crom. Tango guitarist and puppeteer “of a lifetime”, who found in the digital world an unexpected way to expand his creative universe. His life changed just six months ago, when he decided to turn a postponed idea into a concrete project.
“I had the idea since the pandemic. I thought about building a studio outside my house, but time dragged on between work and projects until I built it inside my house. And there TaBuenoChe was born!“, remember.
What started as a personal bet today has strong numbers: more than 46 thousand subscribers in YouTube, 407 thousand followers on instagram and 215 thousand in TikTok. Their clips go viral not only in Argentina, but throughout Latin America, showing the puppets reacting to real dogs, talking about their “owners” or sharing the screen with guest artists.
The art of improvisation and the “neighborhood spirit”
“Make a puppet and play; it’s wonderful” Patricio Noé Crom. Photo: Marcelo Carroll But the universe of TaBuenoChe! It was not built overnight. Many of its characters They already existed before the canal.
“The name came from a phrase that said the monsterone of the characters. I liked it and it stayed. And most of them were already created, I was making them over the years. Then I added others so that the puppeteer friends could come,” explains Crom. This is also how Plumis was born, played by Leandro “Chusko” Stazi, the first guest of the cycle. “That’s where the Pacheco-Plumis duo hit.”
“Pacheco is called that because he was in that area visiting some luthier friends. just when I was creating it. And Plumis thought about it with Leandro: we wanted it to be local, from Laferrere, with a somewhat chaotic history. It had to have an influencer name, but a very Argentine one. First it was Ricardo Richard and then there was Plumis,” he says.
That duo is, to a large extent, the driving force of the phenomenon. Influenced by the spirit of The Muppetsthe characters combine improvisation, absurdity and an unpredictable dynamic that brings together thousands of live followers every Wednesday night.
Behind the humor and spontaneity, however, there is meticulous work. The idea that Crom had had five years ago began to take shape when he decided professionalize the project. For eight months before launching the channel, he dedicated himself to studying social media, video editing, YouTube operation, and live streaming.
“This was done with hours of work, not a budget. Just someone sewing in their garage at night. Anyone can do it if they love what they do,” says Patricio Crom. Photo Marcelo Carroll “I studied everything very obsessively: what time to post, how, what and where. I spent hours watching videos on how to manage a channel and an Instagram account. Afterwards I put together the entire visual part. The most difficult thing was the technology, which was something I didn’t understand,” he admits.
“This was done with hours of work, not a budget. Just someone sewing in their garage at night. Anyone can do it if they love what they do,” he adds.
The effort was rewarded. Currently, the channel is not only growing in Argentina, but is adding followers in Asia, Europe and different countries in America. Viralization also came from well-known figures: Nicki Nicole has been following the account for months and Duki shared one of his videos.
“I had a reel where Monstri was in the center of the Earth teaching counting. They started tagging Duki until he saw it and reposted it. There you say: ‘how incredible’. Also the world champion with the Argentine National Team Nicolas Tagliafico He uploaded a video with his family watching the stream. “I couldn’t believe it,” he remembers.
Duki replied to Monstri from TaBuenoChe!From tango to the screen: an obsessive training
Although today his project is linked to the digital world, Crom’s story comes from another scenario. Patricio is an elite musician, he is part of a tango duo with Juan Villarruelwith whom he tours internationally, and also plays shakuhachi, a Japanese instrument uncommon in the country. That versatility even led him to participate in Arlt FuturologyFito Páez’s album, in the song The copper rose.
“I travel a lot as a musician and with that I support my work as an independent puppeteer. The guitar gave me freedom to do what I want with the puppets, without depending on anyone,” he explains.
A refuge from “the horrible things in the world”
A refuge from “the awfulness of the world.” says Patricio Crom about his streaming channel. Photo: Marcelo Carroll In a context where the artificial intelligence and animation dominate Much of the content, Patricio defends the value of craftsmanship.
“What you see with the puppets really happened. They were there. You can touch them. Animation doesn’t have that closeness,” he says. And he remembers a feeling that marked him since he was a child: “When I saw The Muppets thought: ‘Kermit the Frog was there’. That’s the plus.”
His connection with puppets began more than two decades ago, when he decided to dedicate himself to it after finishing the conservatory. He was self-taught: He learned to build them with blogs and interpret them by watching videos and movies, studying every movement.
That deep connection still surprises him.
Patricio Crom’s link with puppets began more than two decades ago. Photo Marcelo Carroll“I know I control them, but when I see them on the screen I don’t see myself, I see them. It makes me proud. Their personalities surprise me.“, he says. And it makes a key difference: “With puppets you can be anything. There are no limits.”
Although the channel was initially intended for a family audience, the audience ended up being much broader. Children, adults, pet fans and users who seek to disconnect from excess information coexist.
Every Wednesday at 8 p.m., thousands of people connect to watch a new episode, where characters like El Cabra, Los Cryptoquesitos, La Roca, Malévolo or Cristian Salchicha, one of the most recent and popular due to his rivalry with Pache.
“Everything is improvised. Sometimes we invent characters on the spot and then people want them to appear. Then I have to go to the workshop to sew them. Cristian was born like this“, account.
“You can’t say bad words. We don’t talk about puppets, because they are real: they are dogs. And the last rule: ‘The horribleness of the human world does not enter here’. It is a space to rest a little from everything else,” says Patricio Crom. Photo: Marcelo Carroll The channel also has its own rules
There are three rules posted on the studio door: “You can’t say bad words. You don’t talk about puppets because they are real: they are dogs. And the last rule: ‘the horror of the human world does not enter here‘. It is a space to rest a little from everything else,” he explains.
Looking to the future, Crom is already imagining new challenges. Dream of inviting figures like Pichu Straneo or León Gieco and to continue mixing the universe of streaming with live music. He also plans to take the theater format and, in the long term, develop movies with puppets, something that – he assures – has not yet had a large scale in the country.
“So far people I admire a lot have come: Omar ‘Baracus’, Malena Pichot. Alfredo Casero He even wrote to me. “I felt like I was approved by the teachers,” he says.
“I dream of making movies. There has never been a big Muppet-style production in the country and I would like to achieve it,” he says. While preparing a winter holiday playcloses with an invitation to play: “Puppets bring happiness and say things that we don’t dare. Make a puppet and play; it’s wonderful.”
