The Littlest Hobo was a stray dog. No one owned him. In every episode, there were people (different people in every episode) who had some sort of problem. The Littlest Hobo would wander into their lives, solve the problem, and then wander off to his next adventure.
I used to get so sad at the end of each show when he would wander off at the end of each episode and I couldn't understand why he would never stay with the people he helped. Not to mention the theme song to this show gets stuck in my head sometimes for weeks at a time lol. It's like a brain worm
Many years ago I had to go to a child’s funeral, the parents were well liked and the husband a member of the business community in a big Canadian city. The child was 5 or 6 when they died after a long and terrible illness. The funeral was held on a weekday morning, with hundreds of businessmen in attendance. The couple were remarkable people and decided that the service should be the one their child would have wanted.Hymns were replaced with children’s songs. Watching a church packed with a few hundred high-powered executives with their impeccably dressed wives singing "Skinamarink" and doing all the gestures and movements to the song, is one of the strangest and most beautiful things I’ve ever seen.
They were remarkable parents. We were dreading the funeral. But the parents made it a really lovely event. Crushingly sad, but at the same time, a real fitting tribute.
He was my neighbor! He was a great man. His wife was a wonderful woman too. When she died he fell into depression. My grandmother helped him up they remained great friends until his death.
You will kick yourself when you realize that DanGer bay is danger, as in something that may cause harm. I had to chuckle 😄🤗 Sharon, Lois and Bram's Elephant show was a staple for our kids. Their songs were mostly old fun songs.
I knew Ernie Coombs family personally when growing up. I'm still great friends with his cousin Ben. He was very important to alot of kids in Canada for many years. 🙂
Mr. Dressup (Ernie Coombs) rescued me when I got separated from my mom and aunt while skiing when I was about seven. I think we were at Blue Mountain, or one of the other ski hills in the Collingwood area. He skied me down the hill, took me into the lodge and waited with me until my aunt came to collect me. He bought me a hot chocolate and talked to me about what was inside Casey and Finnigan's tree house. He could not have been kinder or more patient. It is still such a fond memory from my childhood. This would have happened about forty years ago.
Fun Fact: Fred Rogers first started with the CBC and before moving back to the states as he was picked up by PBS, he pitched a show called "Butternut Square" to show off Ernie Coombs' real talent. In Butternut Square Ernie played Mr. Dressup for the First time and Butternut Square eventually gave way to Mr. Dressup. (The Treehouse is suppose to be in the Butternut Tree of Butternut Square). Also, after retirement from TV Ernie still played Mr Dressup for many years until his death, and when he eventually became a Canadian Citizen he said that Mr. Dressup was finally a Canadian.
The fact that you didn't listen to the theme songs for these kills me a bit inside. The Raccoons and The Littlest Hobo themes are forever engrained in a special part of my brain...There's a voice, that keeps on calling me...Down the road, is where I'll always be....
And every stop I make, I'll make a new friend. Can't stay for long, just turn around and I'm gone again. Maybe tomorrow I'll want to settle down.. until tomorrow I'll just keep moving on. Doo doo doo do . Doo doo doo do.
There was also Fraggle Rock. I remember watching and loving it as a kid but when I watched reruns the only thing I can remember thinking was "How high were the screenwriters?" LOL Still I have fond memories of it.
The Littlest Hobo is a Canadian classic and that dog was just as popular here as Lassie was in America, The theme song was actually quite popular as well.
Mr Dressup was my neighbor. Ernie Coombs. He and his wife were wonderful people he went into depression when she died. My grandmother helped lift him back up. They remained friends until his death
Street Cents was a great program that developed kids critical thinking skills and consumer choices. They tested products and things kids could purchase and explained why they were good quality or a bad use of your money. They revealed the effects of advertising and corporate greed. It also taught kids about money, saving, and how to run a business.
Good show. One of the hosts of Street Cents was Jonathan Torrens who has had a run of success in Canada like few others: Street Cents, Jonovision, Trailer Park Boys, Mr D to name a few. Met him in the early 90s when I was in TV news, seemed like a nice guy.
I loved Street Cents and Popular Mechanics for Kids. They were both so interesting and informative, and important information sometimes, but made digestible for kids. Kids these days need a show like Street Cents.
There was a show called "You Can't Do That On Television" which was produced in Canada but was very popular in the US as well. And "The Hilarious House Of Frightenstein" was also popular.
A while ago, I went to a bookstore, and the Littlest Hobo theme song started playing; suddenly, everyone there started quietly singing it. It was hilarious and really wholesome. A kid's show that was missed: Today's Special and in Québec Passe-Partout (I think that would've been the most well-known).
Non, in Quebec Bobino was watched by all kids when I was growing up, Passe-Partout was not. Bobino would come on at 4pm after you came home from school, then at 4:30 depending on what day of the week, either Fanfreluche, Nic et Pic, le Pirate Maboule, Sol et Gobelet & others would come on.
@@phildwstuff I think those were all after my time because I've never heard of them. Also, Passe-Partout was played in the morning (at least it was the few times I watched it).
Mr. Dress up was who inspired me as an artist. He taught us how to do simple cartoons and create stories. Using one’s imagination in many ways. Miss this man. The friendly giant I loved to. Loved “rusty”. Raccoons was a very serious topics cartoon. More adult themes of working world and friendship. The elephant show was fun as a young child. Good fun songs and catchy tunes. Teaching about kindness and friendship and working together.
@@gnomealone350 Actually Chez Hélène shared a half hour time slot with “the friendly giant” which was also only 15 minutes. I think it seemed longer because there were no commercials.
Mr dress up aka Ernest Coombs was one of my favourite shows as a kid growing up in Nova Scotia Canada. Then as the age of 21 I moved to Pickering, Ontario where Ernest Coombs lives. I was a live in nanny for a family there. One day I had the 3 year old for a walk in her stroller and I looked to my right where a man was out gardening who said hi then I realized it was Mr dress up! I was so excited that I was seeing this person I loved watching on tv growing up. He talked to us and said he knew the family and had invited us in so I could see the most famous puppets he ever had Casey and Finnegan but I declined even though I really wanted to but I told him I’d have to check with her parents if I was allowed to take her there. He said well if they do I’m always around. I told the parents that night and they said they were good friends they lived in the same subdivision and that I could take her there anytime. So I got to go back and see Casey and Finnegan they were in a glass case above his fireplace mantle but I wasn’t allowed to touch them but I touched the cases they were in plus he had the tickle trunk from the show as well and I got to touch that and see the different toys inside. It was so awesome. Tyler you should watch a whole episode of it you’ll see the attraction even as a adult. I’m 46 and it still makes me feel happy when I think of that show and Ernest Coombs
And in french canada, "Passe-Partout" is LEGENDARY!! They filmed like 4 seasons but they had re-runs for about 30 years before they decided to do a modernized version
🎵🎵🎵🎵One of these things is not like the others. One of these things doesn't belong. Which of these things is not like the others? Tell me now before I finish this song. 🎵🎵🎵🎵
I grew up in the US, but just across the border from Canada. I watched Mr. Dressup, Friendly Giant, and Chez Helene (though I didn't remember any of the French). The Friendly Giant Theme is permanently etched in my brain, and I find myself humming it every now and then out of nowhere...
Fred Penner is beloved by my generation. I saw him play at a bar in my 20’s and the whole room was singing along to all his songs including The Cat Came Back and Sandwiches are Beautiful.
Hammy Hamster was a brilliantly filmed series with some very funny characters including GP the guinea pig, Matty the rat and of course Hammy. You should watch an episode. The stories are still interesting and amusing to an adult audience.
I may be a bit off, but wasn't Hammy originally broadcast as ' Riverfront Tales ', in black and white. It may have been a limited series, that was then re-shot in colour, and broadcast as Hammy Hamster. I loved the live action filming, and the original names 🙄.... Hammy Hamster, Ratty the rat, GP the guinea pig, I forget Mousys, name... unless it was Mousy. Because of that show, my brothers and I got to have hamsters. 😁
I am so disappointed that The Hilarious House Of Frightenstein never made the cut... I remember watching as much of it every weekday in the morning and having to miss the last 10 minutes to get ready for the walk to school... Maybe everyone forget that it was a Canadian show ....
The best part of my school day was when our teacher rolled the tv into the classroom at the end of the period so we could watch Read All About It. Loved the eeriness of it and the music at the beginning. Loved Today's Special and the Edison Twins as well. Adored Hammy Hamster, Mr. Dress Up, The Friendly Giant, and Polka Dot Door. Tyler - Street Cents was a consumer education program geared towards teenagers. It tested out products that teenagers used everyday - clothes, shoes, bathroom products - to see which ones were the best quality - and which ones worked the best. Any that weren't worth the money were "tossed in the pit." Thanks for the stroll down memory lane.
The interesting thing about Mr Dressup is that he (Ernie Coombs) and Fred Rogers were cut from the same cloth. In fact, most Americans wouldn't know that Fred Rogers got his start in Canada working together for the CBC. Eventually they went their separate ways, but each of their impacts were considerable in the ways that both shows were produced, sharing many of the same core values. Also have to give a shout out to Sharon, Lois & Bram, aka The Elephant Show aka Skinnamarink TV, and Polka Dot Door, our answer to Romper Room. I've met Fred Penner several years ago at our local music festival. He had a much longer beard, but such a warm caring man, very grandfatherly in nature.
Actually fun fact: my cousin-in-law is an actor in Toronto and was one of those chosen to play the Polkaroo character in The Polka Dot Door back in the early 90s. It's become a cherished part of our family lore. :)
I remember driving home from work in September 2001, listening to CBC Radio News and they announced Ernie Coombs’ (Mr. dress up) death. I burst into tears like he was a relative of mine. He died exactly one week after 9/11 and I think it touched a lot of Canadians who grew up watching him. His famous Tickle Trunk housed wonderful costumes - something new in every show - and then he would act out a story. All kids (and parents too) loved to watch him draw on his easel. He was a talented man and his show felt like a fun daily visit.
you have to watch the Friendly Giant right from the beginning. with the drawbridge to the castle, the music, and the welcome. it's the most heart warming intro ever.
Most people might not know this, but Canadian Sesame St. was different than the US version. Mostly in the B roll stuff, like learning French words instead of Spanish, I remember a lot of sign language on the Canadian version as well.
Thank you for sharing that ! 😁 It's true, when I was young, I thought actually that Sesame Street was a Canadian Show, because of the french inside. So, I just discovered that they really did à Canadian version in the 70's.
Feels like lots of 80s shows on there. My memories are Mr. Dressup, Katie and Orbie, The Racoons, Reboot, Are You Afraid of the Dark, Little Bear, Arthur, The Magic School Bus, Freaky Stories, Cybersix, Tintin, Madeline, Lamb Chop, The Little Lulu Show, Beetlejuice, Gargoyles, Tales from the Cryptkeeper, Xmen the Animated Series, and Stickin Around. Thats my Canadian childhood. Ofc I watched a lot of US cartoons too. But that's the Canadian ones.
I loved the polka dot door and Hammy Hamster! I also forgot to mention the Uncle Bobby Show, Tiny Talent Time and the Hillarious House of Frightenstein with Vincent Price as a guest star.
I dunno, I think this guy is a moron. He keeps blathering on asking about what the shows are about and scrolls past Wikipedia which is at the top of every search he does.
I can't believe nobody mentionned Fraggle Rock, Edison Twins, Caillou, Arthur, Ovide and the gang and Rocket Robin Hood. I am also disappointed no Quebecers went on and mentionned the legendary Passe-Partout, Fanfreluche, Bobino, Cornemuse, Radio Enfer, Cent tours de Centour, Le Club des 100 watts, Wattatatow and Vazimolo.
Also want to add in all the numerous animated shows for kids that came out of the Nelvana animation studio, like Inspector Gadget, Sam and Max, the early Star Wars cartoons (Ewoks and Droids) and Care Bears (just as a small taste). Some of the stuff was aired in the States, but a lot was only aired in Canada. and Nelvana is/was? a Canadian company based in Toronto. eta: Oh, and Readalong, used to love that as a kid as well, and a few others in this comment thread have also added The Hilarious House of Frightenstein which was also a personal favourite.
Others missed are Under the Umbrella Tree and on the older kids list Kids of Degrassi, Degrassi Jr. High... Edit... He eventually mentions Degrassi. I miss all the awesome Canadian programming.
I loved ReBoot as a kid, but I went back and watched it as an adult and it held up even better. Classic Canadian humour with jokes that I wouldn't have gotten as a kid. Great show. A bit dated, but you gotta give it some leeway there. Massive props to whomever posted that one on reddit.
Ohhh, thanks for this trip down memory lane! haha... 'back in the day', special effects weren't great but we had imaginations... the Friendly Giant WAS a giant! ;) YES, Sharon, Lois and Bram and Fred Penner were amazing! I loved their singing/albums mostly but the shows were ok too. Yup, loved Mr. Dress-up, Polkadot Door, Littlest Hobo, Street Cents! Also, You Can't Do That On Television (for older kids), Buckshot (but that might have only played in Calgary?) and Monty's Travelling Reptile Show! And we watched some American shows too... Sesame Street (of course), Mr. Rogers, The Reading Rainbow, Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?, Captain Kangaroo.
Skinamarinky Dinky Dink from The Elephant Show is ICONIC! I could literally hear it after so many years of not hearing it and know the words and the "dance" Littlest Hobo is so good and sweet. I love the theme song Mr. Dressup is iconic. Even if you weren't around for its run, you know of it The Toy Castle was a personal fave of mine, but wouldn't say it was the best
My favourite was The Elephant Show ... It's like The Wiggles (fir modern day) from the 80's! Sharon and Bram still perform and Sharon and her daughter also perform together these days. Lois passed away. There is a park ilthat was dedicated and named after their group. The theme song "One Elephant went out to play" was released on their first actual record in the 70's and was the inspiration for the show! They also have a recently released song (Sharon and Bram) and accompanied book. The song Skinamarink (And it's actions) became famous from them. *ah - nostalgia!* ❤ Thanks for the walk down memory lane. 😊
You Can't Do That On Television was pretty popular, they invented the concept of dropping buckets of green slime when someone said a specific word. Rick Moranis was living in Toronto doing the final season SCTV in 1983, he watched the show, yeah, adults watched it too, and came up with the idea of a ghost made of green slime for Ghostbusters when he was cast, Slimer, the iconic line "He slimed me" comes from YCDTOT.
Growing up in Canada, I watched Dragon Tales. I don't know if it was shown in America. But it was about a brother and sister who went to Dragon Land to play and go on adventures with their dragon friends. I also grew up watching the Big Comfy Couch. This one didn't make it into your video, but Mr. Maker was on TV for kids. He would make a craft and teach kids how to make it. At the same time, kids learned their shapes and colours. Plus, little kids would make a picture with their bodies on the floor. Another one that I grew up watching was Uh-Oh! It was a kids' reality game show. Finally, there was a show that even my parents didn't mind watching. It was called the Berenstain Bears. It was a children's show based on the books by the same name. Honestly, I wish they'd bring shows like this back. These were a couple of my favourites.
I am in my 50s now but I remember Mr.Dressup when I was 6 years old when we finally got cable and I was just glued to the TV when he was on. In 1996 when he came to our city I took my nephew who was 6 years old to see him and I think he really enjoyed himself. When Mr.Dressup passed away the puppets named Casey and Finnegan were retired to an island close to the island I live on. Now in the summer the puppeteer who still is the original one from the show will do a small show for the children who are visiting the island.
One that was criminally missed was Today's Special. Jodie works over night in the children's department of a department store. With a magic hat and magic words she brings one of the store manaquines (Jeff) to life each night. There's a mouse named Muffy (a puppet) and the night security guard Sam Crenshaw (also a puppet). Hijinx ensue.
Mr. Dressup and The Friendly Giant were my two favorite shows as a young child. To this day I remember a couple of the songs from Mr. Dressup, and the last time I heard them was 55 years ago. Mr. Dressup likes to dress in costumes, which he keeps in his Tickle Trunk. The puppets are Casey (the boy) and Finnegan (the dog). Other puppets they had over the years was Miz Biz and Aunt Bird.
Rainbow Country was my favorite Canadian show growing up along with The Hilarious House of Frightenstein. In my later years , I worked in the small town that Rainbow Country was filmed and had my own adventure looking from a Beaver float plane to find an injured park ranger!
Raised in a very bilingual northern Ontario town in the ‘60s I would watch Mr. Dressup, and the Friendly Giant, but also “Chez Helene”, a fusion of english and french, and if you were lucky you got to watch “Bobino et Bobinette”, but only if you had a french channel. Luckily for us one of our 2 channels just happened to be French.
The actor (Guy Sanche) that was Bobino on the show is from the city I'm living in. Like him I was born in Hull Quebec. A public library building was named after him.
Je me souviens très bien de Misterogers(tout d’un mot )la voix et le calme de MR Rogers qui s’adressait au petits Ma fille de deux ans était fascinée par lui et l’embrassait sur l’écran Puis il est reparti aux US
Tyler-- There was 4,000 episodes of Mr Dressup - Ernie Combs- worked on the Mr Rogers show first before coming to Toronto in the early 60s... You might also check out the animated Rocket Robinhood made here in the 60s. The Littlest Hobo is actually a really great TV series more family drama than just kids show.
Mark, what most Americans and Canadians don't know, is that Fred Rogers got his start in Toronto with CBC in front of the camera where he had his first show called 'Misterogers' for six years (1963-167). Ernie Coombs worked with Fred in the US - both puppeteers behind the scenes - and Fred brought Ernie to Toronto with him. Fred moved back to the US to continue his show there as 'Mister Rogers Neighborhood' - and Ernie started 'Mr. Dressup'. You will find this short clip very informative. ruclips.net/video/rWqEFx69QNk/видео.html
The Littlest Hobo featured a dog that would come into people's lives, solve their problems, and then move on, ready to help other people. I felt so sad when he moved on. I kept hoping he would stay with people. But he had work to do!
The fact I'm old enough to remember all of these, remember watching them, and being sad when alot of them ended makes me sad for kids today, who don't have these wholesome heroes to look up to
cant believe no one mentioned today's special or underneath the umbrella tree!! those were great shows!! also Tell-A-Tale-Town or anything with Lois Walker! So nostalgic!! Ovide and the Gang and The Smoggies were great too! I keep thinking of more great Canadian shows as I type this out haha
Mr. Rogers spent time in Canada developing a kids' show on the CBC, and he brought Ernie Combs with him as his assistant and puppeteer. When Mr. Rogers went back to the US to develop his show for PBS, Ernie Combs stayed in Canada and the show they worked on together became Mr. Dressup.
Fred Rogers started his show 'Mister Rogers' with CBC in 1963 until 1967 at the behest of CBC executive Fred Rainsberry who recognized his great talent connecting with children, and took him from a behind the scenes puppeteer, and put him in front of the camera. Here is the Canadian origin story behind Mister Rogers' Neighborhood. ruclips.net/video/rWqEFx69QNk/видео.html
Most of these are older than what I watched when I was a kid. Some that I loved were Mystery Hunters, Elliot Moose, Franklin, George Shrinks, Uh Oh, Prank Patrol.... So many others
Before I read through the comments, I said the same thing. Every day after school, I looked forward to that show. Even looked up some episodes on line a few years ago.
@@markinnes4264 The Forest Rangers was a seminal Canadian program shot in Kleinburg, Ontario. Was viewed around the world and at their reunion some funny stories were told about that. Clive Endersby tells of being in the London subway going to a party with his brother Ralph and telling him not to brag about being in a TV series in Canada because nobody in London knows or cares about The Forest Rangers. They get off the subway and immediately a little girl starts screaming "Chub Stanley, Chub Stanley" :)
Growing up in the 70's that's the first tv show I remember watching. We only got CBC at the time (little radar station in Northern Ontario) so it was what was on after school. That's another theme song that I think most Canadians my age will always recognize.
We had an old trunk I wanted to use for my kids' tickle trunk but I was sure they'd drop the heavy lid on heads or fingers. So we had a dress-up cupboard instead. Simple home made stuff and thrift store finds and a lot of imagination.
16:45 The Littlest Hobo is about a dog who travels from place to place by himself helping folks in need. The dog was actually played by 2 different german shepherd dog's at different times. The original dog was deemed very intelligent and took commands like any human actor. It was meant to be a family oriented show. watched it religiously growing up.
My cockatiel got used to Fred Penner in the summer, watching it with my kids. When they were back in school, if the TV wasn't on at 10:00 AM, he would start shrieking until I turned it on. He loved the music and the bird whistles in the intro (and apparently, he could tell time...).
So 'Mr. Rogers Neighborhood' actually got it start in Canada as 'Mister Rogers'. Ernie Coombs came up with Fred Rogers to help with the show, and when Rogers went back to the states, Coombs stayed behind and started his own show... Eventually becoming a Canadian citizen and spending the rest of his life here.
This was my favourite video so far! Canadian children’s tv was world-class in the 70s & 80s! I actually played videos of all these for my son since they were so chill and educational
The littlest Hobo clip you showed was from the 50's movie. The TV show was the dog wandering from town to town, meeting people and helping them solve problems/crimes etc.
In my part of Canada, we did not really watch any of these... It's what happen when you live in a different language. We grew up on: Passe-Partout Le club des 100 watts Watatatow Les Intrépides Robin et Stella Vazimolo Bibi et Geneviève Iniminimagimo Les Débrouillards
The Friendly Giant was such a classic. Thanks Tyler for bringing back memories. I loved Littlest Hobo too. Each episode, the dog would wander into someones life and solve problems.. get estranged lovers together, solve crimes, etc My favorite americain show was Thunderbirds when I was older.
I never thought of The Littlest Hobo as a kids show. It was very much like Lassie meets Highway to Heaven or Touched By an Angel except that the main character was a dog and he was very much from earth. He would just befriend someone in the beginning of an episode, solve a life crisis problem, then just walk out of their life at the end of the episode
Our son loved Dudley the Dragon and would play that theme song over and over and over again. We even had a stuffed animal at one time. Another of his favourite shows was Mighty Machines. Even has a scar related to that show! For older kids I would say Degrassi High was a long running show as well.
I remember watching some of Mighty Machines on VHS. Absolutely loved those. Dudley the Dragon was also a favourite of mine. As soon as the theme song started playing in this video it all came back to me. Love videos like this.
I'm a bit disappointed you didn't at least play the intros to the various shows. Most of them are very ear-wormy that will take Canadians back in an instance. "The Raccoons" and "Littlest Hobo" especially had themes that every Canadian will recognize (or in the case of the Raccoons will still hear on the radio as "Run with us" will still be played a lot. Mr Dressup and Mr Rogers were contemporary and basically started at the same time and had similar shows teaching similar themes. Mr Dressup had Cassie and Finnigan as his puppets, and they are nationally recognized; the puppets are actually part of the CBC museum in Toronto now. The Friendly Giant had another theme that people would recognize with the haunting flute being played as he invited everyone in to listen to him tell stories. He may seem dry to today's audiences but he was friendly and courteous. Danger Bay (Danger as in the hazard, not how you pronounced it) was an evening drama so it wasn't really targeted at kids but kids could watch it. (The Littlest Hobo was a similar adult drama for all ages). Reboot was done by Mainframe Entertainment, out of Vancouver, early pioneers in CG Animation. (They did the Dire Straits Money for Nothing video). They also did shows like Beast Wars/Beast Machines, and War Planets (Shadow Raiders) as well as the 4 seasons of Reboot. (ABC only paid for 2 seasons, hence the iconic "The ABC's They've turned on us!" line as well as the Binome people performing B S n P) Fred Penner and Sharon Lois and Bram (the Elephant show) were shows to teach music and entertain and teach morals basically. And yes, Skinnamarinkiedinkiedink is a song that S, L & B made famous and wormed into the minds of generations of Canadians. Street Cents was done by the Halifax CBC studios. It is basically a consumer education program aimed at kids and teens. Early seasons had a theme/storyline with the villanous "Buy-Co" corporation, but as time went on, they morphed it into a consumer product show, where the hosts would teach basic economics, budgeting, as well as review products (where especially bad products would be thrown into The Pit) One that you didn't see mentioned was another Halifax studio production called "Wonder Why?". It was a science show hosted by a local meteorologist who would teach simple science of all sorts; from weather related science, to ocean science, plate tectonics, and more.
Canadian here I grew up with Mr Dressup, Mr Rodgers, Shinning Time Station, Theadore the Tugboat, Poka Dot door, Romper Room, Todays Special, Eliphant Show, Fred Penners place & Sesame Street Those were all on TVO kids or CBC Kids We also had the typical Saturday morning like Loony Toons, Ninja Turtles, Power Rangers
I forgot about hammy the hamster. So many memories flooding back after watching your reaction to some of our beloved kids shows. Reboot was cool. The first 3d generated of its kind I think
The Buck Shot Show was what I grew up on. The Buck Shot Show was a local children's television series that aired on CFCN Television in Calgary, Alberta, Canada from 1967 to 1997.
Sharon, Lois and Brampton were doing a sound check when my junior high band was there to check out the Confederation Centre. Immediately 30 teenagers plunked themselves in seats and sang along, complete with actions, to Skinamarink. Love the memory.
I worked for a canadian book store chain and we had a Canada Day playlist that included beloved Canadian show theme songs. It was fun watching peoples reactions when the Littlest Hobo theme came on. Some would sing or just smile to themselves but others would get quite emotional. One day pretty burly dude in his 40s was crusing books when the theme song came on. His lip quivered and he said out loud "Nope!" And left immediately 😂 we also had the Racoons theme song which would ALWAYS result ina sing along. Every. Single. Time!
We (my brother & I) grew up with Mr. Dressup (originally known as Butternut Square), Under the Umbrella Tree, Fred Penner's Place, Barney, Sesame Street (& Canadian Sesame Street, which later became Sesame Park), Polka Dot Door, Polka Dot Shorts & The Big Comfy Couch. We were a little too young, but knew of The Friendly Giant, The Elephant Show & Today's Special. We did get a number of US children's shows as we were a little older like Eureeka's Castle & Blue's Clues).
Oh my gosh-I loved Mr. Dressup, The Friendly Giant, Littlest Hobo. We also got The Muppets, etc. but those three are were the BEST! I’m old - I still love them and have wonderful memories of each of those programs. They were all so incredibly wholesome, gentle and lovely. As a child, you just feel cared about and all warm and fuzzy. They’re the equivalent a warm, cozy blanket for children. I loved it when the Friendly Giant set up the room each show. ❤❤❤❤❤
The mid -1960s program, "The Forest Rangers" has a special place in my heart...it was the very first show (black and white of course) our family watched when my Dad brought home our first TV, plugged it in and set the aerial up, on Saturday afternoon. lol A couple of children, whose father was a forest ranger, experienced a different problem each week. One episode was about a forest fire...it was so realistic I started to cry. My Dad said he was going to take the TV back to The Bay. He never did of course, because Hockey Night in Canada (original 6 teams) came on right after the Forest Rangers. lol. Guess how old I am
I was starting to get nervous no one had put Reboot on the list. As a kid I remember a show called Camp Caribou, though I don't remember much more than "Off! On! Llllocked!" As I grew up, there was also The Secret Life of Alex Mack and White Fang that I'm pretty sure were Canadian...
![FNAF vs TF2 - Episode 2 [SFM]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/z5b3V2-VLb0/mqdefault.jpg)
The Littlest Hobo was a stray dog. No one owned him. In every episode, there were people (different people in every episode) who had some sort of problem. The Littlest Hobo would wander into their lives, solve the problem, and then wander off to his next adventure.
What memories! Just thinking about poor London without a home makes me want to cry like I did as a kid. 😢
I used to get so sad at the end of each show when he would wander off at the end of each episode and I couldn't understand why he would never stay with the people he helped. Not to mention the theme song to this show gets stuck in my head sometimes for weeks at a time lol. It's like a brain worm
The Incredible Journey meets The Love Boat.
The Friendly Giant had a beautiful opening song.
@@Snoodles294 Like a brain worm? Try the original early 60's theme that has been in my head for over 50 years :)
Many years ago I had to go to a child’s funeral, the parents were well liked and the husband a member of the business community in a big Canadian city. The child was 5 or 6 when they died after a long and terrible illness.
The funeral was held on a weekday morning, with hundreds of businessmen in attendance. The couple were remarkable people and decided that the service should be the one their child would have wanted.Hymns were replaced with children’s songs. Watching a church packed with a few hundred high-powered executives with their impeccably dressed wives singing "Skinamarink" and doing all the gestures and movements to the song, is one of the strangest and most beautiful things I’ve ever seen.
This made me cry happy tears. How lovely!
Wow, that's...kind of amazing. Hats off to those people. All of them.
They were remarkable parents. We were dreading the funeral. But the parents made it a really lovely event. Crushingly sad, but at the same time, a real fitting tribute.
@@potts7976 me too
I believe that song was even played at Lois Lilienstein's funeral even.
You know you're Canadian if you'd trust your kids in the care of a grown man in tights playing a flute to a chicken.
It was a great show! Alot more wholesome than Barney imho
@@janmacdonald1547 I had an affinity for it because my family runs to very tall.
He was my neighbor! He was a great man. His wife was a wonderful woman too. When she died he fell into depression. My grandmother helped him up they remained great friends until his death.
@@mobot3d15 Then why don't you spell it neigbour?
@@mikelavigne5085 probably because my keyboard is set to US and it autocorrected it.
You will kick yourself when you realize that DanGer bay is danger, as in something that may cause harm. I had to chuckle 😄🤗 Sharon, Lois and Bram's Elephant show was a staple for our kids. Their songs were mostly old fun songs.
Yeah, that's "Danger" to rhyme with "ranger" (not "hanger")! 😊
Yeah, Dane-Jer .... when he kept mis-saying it I kept thinking, oh man the comments are going to roast you on this. Glad to see I was wrong.
So sorry that he pronounced that incorrectly!
@@redmarvel IAM late to the game! Doesn't he edit?!!!
I knew Ernie Coombs family personally when growing up. I'm still great friends with his cousin Ben. He was very important to alot of kids in Canada for many years. 🙂
Jealous
Mr. Dressup (Ernie Coombs) rescued me when I got separated from my mom and aunt while skiing when I was about seven. I think we were at Blue Mountain, or one of the other ski hills in the Collingwood area. He skied me down the hill, took me into the lodge and waited with me until my aunt came to collect me. He bought me a hot chocolate and talked to me about what was inside Casey and Finnigan's tree house. He could not have been kinder or more patient. It is still such a fond memory from my childhood. This would have happened about forty years ago.
when mr. dressup died a close friend was more affected by it than her own parents deaths.
His wife was my Nursery School Teacherlol. Small world.
To this day, I still have a "tickle trunk".
Just heard one of our local morning radio hosts include “tickle trunk” in a sentence today. Mr. Dressup is embedded in Canadian culture,
I can hear the Friendly Giant theme in my head and the "here's a chair for two to curl up in"....fantastic kids show
For someone who likes to rock, a rocking chair in the middle.
Ah shoot now you made me cry.
My 2 sisters and I would argue over who got the rocking chair 😂
I was screaming at my phone what!! Of course, he is a giant !!! What are talking about???? Lol 😂
Look up...look WAAAY up
Fun Fact: Fred Rogers first started with the CBC and before moving back to the states as he was picked up by PBS, he pitched a show called "Butternut Square" to show off Ernie Coombs' real talent. In Butternut Square Ernie played Mr. Dressup for the First time and Butternut Square eventually gave way to Mr. Dressup. (The Treehouse is suppose to be in the Butternut Tree of Butternut Square). Also, after retirement from TV Ernie still played Mr Dressup for many years until his death, and when he eventually became a Canadian Citizen he said that Mr. Dressup was finally a Canadian.
Someone else who remembers Butternut Square. Thank you.
Yes. I watched Butternut Square as a child. :)
The fact that you didn't listen to the theme songs for these kills me a bit inside. The Raccoons and The Littlest Hobo themes are forever engrained in a special part of my brain...There's a voice, that keeps on calling me...Down the road, is where I'll always be....
And on the topic of dog centric shows, I'd add White Fang to the list - ruclips.net/video/DtAK0vRT7AQ/видео.html
I still sing to myself, 'Maybe tomorrow....!'
Yeah, I was hoping for the theme songs as well :)
And every stop I make, I'll make a new friend. Can't stay for long, just turn around and I'm gone again. Maybe tomorrow I'll want to settle down.. until tomorrow I'll just keep moving on. Doo doo doo do . Doo doo doo do.
Yeah, I NEED to see reactions to the theme songs!!!
There was also Fraggle Rock. I remember watching and loving it as a kid but when I watched reruns the only thing I can remember thinking was "How high were the screenwriters?" LOL Still I have fond memories of it.
The best compliment you can receive is ‘You rock like a Fraggle!’
The Littlest Hobo is a Canadian classic and that dog was just as popular here as Lassie was in America, The theme song was actually quite popular as well.
The radio morning show I listen to plays the theme song at the end every morning lol
"Corner Gas" spoofed The Littlest Hobo in the episode "The Littlest Yarbo" (aired in 2005).
I am sure I could still sing all the lyrics to the intro. Loved that dog!
Mr Dressup was my neighbor. Ernie Coombs. He and his wife were wonderful people he went into depression when she died. My grandmother helped lift him back up. They remained friends until his death
Street Cents was a great program that developed kids critical thinking skills and consumer choices. They tested products and things kids could purchase and explained why they were good quality or a bad use of your money. They revealed the effects of advertising and corporate greed. It also taught kids about money, saving, and how to run a business.
I could have used this show! Alas, I was too old when it came on.
Good show. One of the hosts of Street Cents was Jonathan Torrens who has had a run of success in Canada like few others: Street Cents, Jonovision, Trailer Park Boys, Mr D to name a few. Met him in the early 90s when I was in TV news, seemed like a nice guy.
It was rebooted last I heard
I'm a cheap bastard because of this show lol... so awesome how one host ended up on trailer park boys. Johnathan Torrens one of my fav actors
I loved Street Cents and Popular Mechanics for Kids. They were both so interesting and informative, and important information sometimes, but made digestible for kids. Kids these days need a show like Street Cents.
The Littlest Hobo was like Lassie.
I love that someone outside of Canada is curious about our shows.
There was a show called "You Can't Do That On Television" which was produced in Canada but was very popular in the US as well. And "The Hilarious House Of Frightenstein" was also popular.
.
Alanis Morrisette was on 'You Can't Do That on Television'
Saturday mornings were the best!
Harvey Wallbanger!!
They say THHoF was equally good viewing for glassy eyed teens at 3AM in somebody else's basement whose parents were out of town...
A while ago, I went to a bookstore, and the Littlest Hobo theme song started playing; suddenly, everyone there started quietly singing it. It was hilarious and really wholesome.
A kid's show that was missed: Today's Special and in Québec Passe-Partout (I think that would've been the most well-known).
Non, in Quebec Bobino was watched by all kids when I was growing up, Passe-Partout was not. Bobino would come on at 4pm after you came home from school, then at 4:30 depending on what day of the week, either Fanfreluche, Nic et Pic, le Pirate Maboule, Sol et Gobelet & others would come on.
@@phildwstuff I think those were all after my time because I've never heard of them. Also, Passe-Partout was played in the morning (at least it was the few times I watched it).
@@phildwstuff Passe-Partout was watched in my area because every french kid I came across seemed to have the whining talk perfected.
Passe-partout! Yes. 😊 As a kid I thought that the woman who played Jodi on Today's Special was Whitney Houston. 😅
@@VeryCherryCherry 😅 OMG! It's true! Never thought about it before.
Mr. Dress up was who inspired me as an artist. He taught us how to do simple cartoons and create stories. Using one’s imagination in many ways. Miss this man. The friendly giant I loved to. Loved “rusty”. Raccoons was a very serious topics cartoon. More adult themes of working world and friendship. The elephant show was fun as a young child. Good fun songs and catchy tunes. Teaching about kindness and friendship and working together.
He was like my Dad.♥
@@stevevee8675 Are you a bot or on the drug?
Learning French as a child watching Chez Hélène. It was a 15 minute daily show from 1959-1973.
Suzie la souris était la meilleure
I watch Chez Helene and Bobbino et Bobbinette (sp?)
I watched Parlez-Moi in the early 80s for the same reason.
It was just 15 minutes? It seemed way longer. The only reason we watched it was because it was on in between Mr. Dressup and Friendly Giant.
@@gnomealone350 Actually Chez Hélène shared a half hour time slot with “the friendly giant” which was also only 15 minutes. I think it seemed longer because there were no commercials.
Mr dress up aka Ernest Coombs was one of my favourite shows as a kid growing up in Nova Scotia Canada. Then as the age of 21 I moved to Pickering, Ontario where Ernest Coombs lives. I was a live in nanny for a family there. One day I had the 3 year old for a walk in her stroller and I looked to my right where a man was out gardening who said hi then I realized it was Mr dress up! I was so excited that I was seeing this person I loved watching on tv growing up. He talked to us and said he knew the family and had invited us in so I could see the most famous puppets he ever had Casey and Finnegan but I declined even though I really wanted to but I told him I’d have to check with her parents if I was allowed to take her there. He said well if they do I’m always around. I told the parents that night and they said they were good friends they lived in the same subdivision and that I could take her there anytime. So I got to go back and see Casey and Finnegan they were in a glass case above his fireplace mantle but I wasn’t allowed to touch them but I touched the cases they were in plus he had the tickle trunk from the show as well and I got to touch that and see the different toys inside. It was so awesome. Tyler you should watch a whole episode of it you’ll see the attraction even as a adult. I’m 46 and it still makes me feel happy when I think of that show and Ernest Coombs
And in french canada, "Passe-Partout" is LEGENDARY!! They filmed like 4 seasons but they had re-runs for about 30 years before they decided to do a modernized version
yes!! passe-partout will forever be legendary
Don't forget Bobino
Chez Helene !
@TuxMan20 Mystérieuses Cités d'Or
Yes !!
SO DISAPPOINTED NOBODY MENTIONED “TODAY’S SPECIAL!”
Today’s Special was my go-to for YEARS as a child.
They mite have but he scroll pass it like he did with "you can not do that on television "
I just commented the same thing lol... guess I didn't scroll far enough
The BEST show as a kid. Todays special shout it loud and clear. Best opening if kids show ever.
🎵🎵🎵🎵One of these things is not like the others. One of these things doesn't belong. Which of these things is not like the others? Tell me now before I finish this song. 🎵🎵🎵🎵
I was waiting for that one too!
I grew up in the US, but just across the border from Canada. I watched Mr. Dressup, Friendly Giant, and Chez Helene (though I didn't remember any of the French). The Friendly Giant Theme is permanently etched in my brain, and I find myself humming it every now and then out of nowhere...
You probably know that it's an English folk song called "Early One Morning." There are a lot of variations because it was very popular in the 1960s.
Fred Penner is beloved by my generation. I saw him play at a bar in my 20’s and the whole room was singing along to all his songs including The Cat Came Back and Sandwiches are Beautiful.
Those are both iconic! Can still sing them :)
I saw Fred Penner live and had his autograph!!! Only it was on my winter jacket which has since been lost....😢
Hammy Hamster was a brilliantly filmed series with some very funny characters including GP the guinea pig, Matty the rat and of course Hammy. You should watch an episode. The stories are still interesting and amusing to an adult audience.
I may be a bit off, but wasn't Hammy originally broadcast as ' Riverfront Tales ', in black and white.
It may have been a limited series, that was then re-shot in colour, and broadcast as Hammy Hamster.
I loved the live action filming, and the original names 🙄.... Hammy Hamster, Ratty the rat, GP the guinea pig, I forget Mousys, name... unless it was Mousy.
Because of that show, my brothers and I got to have hamsters. 😁
Didn't think about it as a kid, but how much film did they waste waiting for the lab rat to grab the steering wheel of that little toy boat
Omg I totally forgot about that show
Hammy! His little paws glued to the boat steering wheel 😂😂😂
You could do a whole video about the show: the Hilarious House of Frightenstein"!!!
I am so disappointed that The Hilarious House Of Frightenstein never made the cut... I remember watching as much of it every weekday in the morning and having to miss the last 10 minutes to get ready for the walk to school... Maybe everyone forget that it was a Canadian show ....
Best and weirdest kids show of all time.
Same
Ah, I just posted it. As much as I loved Mr Dressup and the Friendly Giant, it's definitely #1 on my l ist!
Eric McCormack (Will and Grace) is a Canadian actor. He named his son Finnigan after the puppet from Mr. Dressup.
"You can't say that on television." Alanas Moresett (sic) Pretty good young teenager show.
The best part of my school day was when our teacher rolled the tv into the classroom at the end of the period so we could watch Read All About It. Loved the eeriness of it and the music at the beginning. Loved Today's Special and the Edison Twins as well. Adored Hammy Hamster, Mr. Dress Up, The Friendly Giant, and Polka Dot Door. Tyler - Street Cents was a consumer education program geared towards teenagers. It tested out products that teenagers used everyday - clothes, shoes, bathroom products - to see which ones were the best quality - and which ones worked the best. Any that weren't worth the money were "tossed in the pit." Thanks for the stroll down memory lane.
The interesting thing about Mr Dressup is that he (Ernie Coombs) and Fred Rogers were cut from the same cloth. In fact, most Americans wouldn't know that Fred Rogers got his start in Canada working together for the CBC. Eventually they went their separate ways, but each of their impacts were considerable in the ways that both shows were produced, sharing many of the same core values. Also have to give a shout out to Sharon, Lois & Bram, aka The Elephant Show aka Skinnamarink TV, and Polka Dot Door, our answer to Romper Room. I've met Fred Penner several years ago at our local music festival. He had a much longer beard, but such a warm caring man, very grandfatherly in nature.
Fred Penner is from my home city. Still see him perform occasionally when I volunteer for kids festivals and things.
Big one missing: "Fraggle Rock!"
Actually fun fact: my cousin-in-law is an actor in Toronto and was one of those chosen to play the Polkaroo character in The Polka Dot Door back in the early 90s. It's become a cherished part of our family lore. :)
I remember driving home from work in September 2001, listening to CBC Radio News and they announced Ernie Coombs’ (Mr. dress up) death. I burst into tears like he was a relative of mine. He died exactly one week after 9/11 and I think it touched a lot of Canadians who grew up watching him. His famous Tickle Trunk housed wonderful costumes - something new in every show - and then he would act out a story. All kids (and parents too) loved to watch him draw on his easel. He was a talented man and his show felt like a fun daily visit.
Same. I mourned for him like a dear friend
you have to watch the Friendly Giant right from the beginning. with the drawbridge to the castle, the music, and the welcome. it's the most heart warming intro ever.
Everyone knows the theme from the Littlest Hobo and it wasn’t just for kids. It was a “family” show.
Yep, someone else said it….the Canadian “Lassie”. Except he travelled, and Lassie had one family.
Most people might not know this, but Canadian Sesame St. was different than the US version. Mostly in the B roll stuff, like learning French words instead of Spanish, I remember a lot of sign language on the Canadian version as well.
And had Barabara Plum.
And Basil the French polar bear pilot
Thank you for sharing that ! 😁 It's true, when I was young, I thought actually that Sesame Street was a Canadian Show, because of the french inside. So, I just discovered that they really did à Canadian version in the 70's.
Feels like lots of 80s shows on there.
My memories are Mr. Dressup, Katie and Orbie, The Racoons, Reboot, Are You Afraid of the Dark, Little Bear, Arthur, The Magic School Bus, Freaky Stories, Cybersix, Tintin, Madeline, Lamb Chop, The Little Lulu Show, Beetlejuice, Gargoyles, Tales from the Cryptkeeper, Xmen the Animated Series, and Stickin Around.
Thats my Canadian childhood. Ofc I watched a lot of US cartoons too. But that's the Canadian ones.
I loved the polka dot door and Hammy Hamster! I also forgot to mention the Uncle Bobby Show, Tiny Talent Time and the Hillarious House of Frightenstein with Vincent Price as a guest star.
Me: Tell me you're not a Canadian without telling me you're not a Canadian.
Tyler: Who is Mr. Dressup?
😁
Mr Dressup is Justin Trudeau our Prime Minister
@@Canuckgirl152 Can we please leave snippy partisan politics out of this?
@@Shan_Dalamani Hmmm libtard nope !!! Don't like the truth you can always fk off !!!
We don’t need politics inserted into a video about children’s show. Mr. Dressup was sweet and innocent, let’s not ruin it.
Danger Bay? I always thought danger was a pretty easy word to pronounce…as in dangerous!
I dunno, I think this guy is a moron. He keeps blathering on asking about what the shows are about and scrolls past Wikipedia which is at the top of every search he does.
I grew up watching the Littlest Hobo on my Grandma's lap. I remember those days with a smile.
I can't believe nobody mentionned Fraggle Rock, Edison Twins, Caillou, Arthur, Ovide and the gang and Rocket Robin Hood. I am also disappointed no Quebecers went on and mentionned the legendary Passe-Partout, Fanfreluche, Bobino, Cornemuse, Radio Enfer, Cent tours de Centour, Le Club des 100 watts, Wattatatow and Vazimolo.
Also want to add in all the numerous animated shows for kids that came out of the Nelvana animation studio, like Inspector Gadget, Sam and Max, the early Star Wars cartoons (Ewoks and Droids) and Care Bears (just as a small taste). Some of the stuff was aired in the States, but a lot was only aired in Canada. and Nelvana is/was? a Canadian company based in Toronto.
eta: Oh, and Readalong, used to love that as a kid as well, and a few others in this comment thread have also added The Hilarious House of Frightenstein which was also a personal favourite.
Cornemuse was after my time but she was sca-ry, lol! My oldest kid watched it a little bit.
@@princess20-sideddie95 Also Babar! I loved Babar.
Others missed are Under the Umbrella Tree and on the older kids list Kids of Degrassi, Degrassi Jr. High... Edit... He eventually mentions Degrassi.
I miss all the awesome Canadian programming.
Omg Rocket Robin Hood!! I totally forgot about that! However did anyone really like Caillou? 🤣
I loved ReBoot as a kid, but I went back and watched it as an adult and it held up even better. Classic Canadian humour with jokes that I wouldn't have gotten as a kid. Great show. A bit dated, but you gotta give it some leeway there. Massive props to whomever posted that one on reddit.
Yes, my childhood TV was Mr Dress-up and The Friendly Giant.
I was so upset when I started kindergarten and found out I'd have to miss Mr Dress-up!! (In the days before ways to record shows!!!)
I missed out mostly on the Friendly Giant, it was just reruns by the time I was born in 1990, but Mr Dressup was one of my favourites.
Ohhh, thanks for this trip down memory lane! haha... 'back in the day', special effects weren't great but we had imaginations... the Friendly Giant WAS a giant! ;) YES, Sharon, Lois and Bram and Fred Penner were amazing! I loved their singing/albums mostly but the shows were ok too. Yup, loved Mr. Dress-up, Polkadot Door, Littlest Hobo, Street Cents!
Also, You Can't Do That On Television (for older kids), Buckshot (but that might have only played in Calgary?) and Monty's Travelling Reptile Show!
And we watched some American shows too... Sesame Street (of course), Mr. Rogers, The Reading Rainbow, Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?, Captain Kangaroo.
Skinamarinky Dinky Dink from The Elephant Show is ICONIC! I could literally hear it after so many years of not hearing it and know the words and the "dance"
Littlest Hobo is so good and sweet. I love the theme song
Mr. Dressup is iconic. Even if you weren't around for its run, you know of it
The Toy Castle was a personal fave of mine, but wouldn't say it was the best
My favourite was The Elephant Show ... It's like The Wiggles (fir modern day) from the 80's! Sharon and Bram still perform and Sharon and her daughter also perform together these days. Lois passed away. There is a park ilthat was dedicated and named after their group. The theme song "One Elephant went out to play" was released on their first actual record in the 70's and was the inspiration for the show! They also have a recently released song (Sharon and Bram) and accompanied book. The song Skinamarink
(And it's actions) became famous from them. *ah - nostalgia!* ❤ Thanks for the walk down memory lane. 😊
You Can't Do That On Television was pretty popular, they invented the concept of dropping buckets of green slime when someone said a specific word. Rick Moranis was living in Toronto doing the final season SCTV in 1983, he watched the show, yeah, adults watched it too, and came up with the idea of a ghost made of green slime for Ghostbusters when he was cast, Slimer, the iconic line "He slimed me" comes from YCDTOT.
Growing up in Canada, I watched Dragon Tales. I don't know if it was shown in America. But it was about a brother and sister who went to Dragon Land to play and go on adventures with their dragon friends.
I also grew up watching the Big Comfy Couch.
This one didn't make it into your video, but Mr. Maker was on TV for kids. He would make a craft and teach kids how to make it. At the same time, kids learned their shapes and colours. Plus, little kids would make a picture with their bodies on the floor.
Another one that I grew up watching was Uh-Oh! It was a kids' reality game show.
Finally, there was a show that even my parents didn't mind watching. It was called the Berenstain Bears. It was a children's show based on the books by the same name. Honestly, I wish they'd bring shows like this back.
These were a couple of my favourites.
I was obsessed with Theodore tugboat when I was 4, and then I fangirled when I was 12 when I saw a real life Theodore tugboat in Halifax.
I remember Theodore! Didn’t watch it that frequently, but liked it.
Same!! My husband and I visited Halifax in 2016 and saw Theodor the tugboat then!
I am in my 50s now but I remember Mr.Dressup when I was 6 years old when we finally got cable and I was just glued to the TV when he was on. In 1996 when he came to our city I took my nephew who was 6 years old to see him and I think he really enjoyed himself. When Mr.Dressup passed away the puppets named Casey and Finnegan were retired to an island close to the island I live on. Now in the summer the puppeteer who still is the original one from the show will do a small show for the children who are visiting the island.
One that was criminally missed was Today's Special. Jodie works over night in the children's department of a department store. With a magic hat and magic words she brings one of the store manaquines (Jeff) to life each night. There's a mouse named Muffy (a puppet) and the night security guard Sam Crenshaw (also a puppet). Hijinx ensue.
I was thinking of that, and under the umbrella tree
Yes! I loved that show when i was a kid!
Mr. Dressup and The Friendly Giant were my two favorite shows as a young child. To this day I remember a couple of the songs from Mr. Dressup, and the last time I heard them was 55 years ago.
Mr. Dressup likes to dress in costumes, which he keeps in his Tickle Trunk.
The puppets are Casey (the boy) and Finnegan (the dog). Other puppets they had over the years was Miz Biz and Aunt Bird.
My favorites Mr dress up and the friendly Giant I watched them when I was a kid brings back memories ❤
Rainbow Country was my favorite Canadian show growing up along with The Hilarious House of Frightenstein. In my later years , I worked in the small town that Rainbow Country was filmed and had my own adventure looking from a Beaver float plane to find an injured park ranger!
Raised in a very bilingual northern Ontario town in the ‘60s I would watch Mr. Dressup, and the Friendly Giant, but also “Chez Helene”, a fusion of english and french, and if you were lucky you got to watch “Bobino et Bobinette”, but only if you had a french channel. Luckily for us one of our 2 channels just happened to be French.
The actor (Guy Sanche) that was Bobino on the show is from the city I'm living in. Like him I was born in Hull Quebec. A public library building was named after him.
Loved Chez Helene!
Je me souviens très bien de Misterogers(tout d’un mot )la voix et le calme de MR Rogers qui s’adressait au petits Ma fille de deux ans était fascinée par lui et l’embrassait sur l’écran Puis il est reparti aux US
I'm glad to find out I wasn't the only one who got teary-eyed to The Littlest Hobo end credits!
Tyler-- There was 4,000 episodes of Mr Dressup - Ernie Combs- worked on the Mr Rogers show first before coming to Toronto in the early 60s... You might also check out the animated Rocket Robinhood made here in the 60s. The Littlest Hobo is actually a really great TV series more family drama than just kids show.
Ernie Coombs was not Ray Combs brother. They were almost 30 years apart in age and spelled their last name differently
I know mr Rogers an Mr dressup both liked each other and the shows. They felt they were similar but diffrent enough.
Mark, what most Americans and Canadians don't know, is that Fred Rogers got his start in Toronto with CBC in front of the camera where he had his first show called 'Misterogers' for six years (1963-167). Ernie Coombs worked with Fred in the US - both puppeteers behind the scenes - and Fred brought Ernie to Toronto with him. Fred moved back to the US to continue his show there as 'Mister Rogers Neighborhood' - and Ernie started 'Mr. Dressup'. You will find this short clip very informative. ruclips.net/video/rWqEFx69QNk/видео.html
@@jethro1963 my error
The Littlest Hobo featured a dog that would come into people's lives, solve their problems, and then move on, ready to help other people. I felt so sad when he moved on. I kept hoping he would stay with people. But he had work to do!
Lassie meets Quantum Leap
The fact I'm old enough to remember all of these, remember watching them, and being sad when alot of them ended makes me sad for kids today, who don't have these wholesome heroes to look up to
cant believe no one mentioned today's special or underneath the umbrella tree!! those were great shows!! also Tell-A-Tale-Town or anything with Lois Walker! So nostalgic!!
Ovide and the Gang and The Smoggies were great too! I keep thinking of more great Canadian shows as I type this out haha
Mr. Rogers spent time in Canada developing a kids' show on the CBC, and he brought Ernie Combs with him as his assistant and puppeteer. When Mr. Rogers went back to the US to develop his show for PBS, Ernie Combs stayed in Canada and the show they worked on together became Mr. Dressup.
Fred Rogers started his show 'Mister Rogers' with CBC in 1963 until 1967 at the behest of CBC executive Fred Rainsberry who recognized his great talent connecting with children, and took him from a behind the scenes puppeteer, and put him in front of the camera. Here is the Canadian origin story behind Mister Rogers' Neighborhood. ruclips.net/video/rWqEFx69QNk/видео.html
M.Dressup also taught at OTTAWA university...
one kids show that i bet you never thought was Canadian is Arthur, it was made by Cinar studios in Montreal
As a Canadian it had never occurred to me other countries didn't know about Mr. Dressup.
When I was a child in Toronto, I used to watch Chez Helene ... I didn't speak French but still lived the show. I still remember the mouse saying Suzie
I was lucky enough to see Mr. Dressup, live on stage at the Cobalt Mining College somewhere around 1972 or 73.
I was yelling at the screen saying “click on the intro/outro” for the Littlest Hobo ! It’s so much more than the b&h clip you chose. Great show.
Most of these are older than what I watched when I was a kid. Some that I loved were Mystery Hunters, Elliot Moose, Franklin, George Shrinks, Uh Oh, Prank Patrol.... So many others
I'm quite a bit older and this is a show I loved as a kid in Canada... The Forest Rangers (TV Series 1963-1966)
Before I read through the comments, I said the same thing. Every day after school, I looked forward to that show. Even looked up some episodes on line a few years ago.
I saw it in 70s reruns. Was it shot in Canada?
@@markinnes4264 The Forest Rangers was a seminal Canadian program shot in Kleinburg, Ontario. Was viewed around the world and at their reunion some funny stories were told about that. Clive Endersby tells of being in the London subway going to a party with his brother Ralph and telling him not to brag about being in a TV series in Canada because nobody in London knows or cares about The Forest Rangers. They get off the subway and immediately a little girl starts screaming "Chub Stanley, Chub Stanley" :)
Growing up in the 70's that's the first tv show I remember watching. We only got CBC at the time (little radar station in Northern Ontario) so it was what was on after school. That's another theme song that I think most Canadians my age will always recognize.
I preferred "The Friendly Giant" to "Mr. Dressup". Jerome and Rusty rocked! Plus the iconic recorder theme.
*_There's a voice, that keeps on calling me, down the road, that's where I'll ALWAYS be!_*
Every stop I make, I make a new friend…. Tyler, you do have to check out the theme songs. 🙏💕
I wanted my own tickle trunk so bad!
We had an old trunk I wanted to use for my kids' tickle trunk but I was sure they'd drop the heavy lid on heads or fingers. So we had a dress-up cupboard instead. Simple home made stuff and thrift store finds and a lot of imagination.
My mom had one for us and now our kids use it.
16:45 The Littlest Hobo is about a dog who travels from place to place by himself helping folks in need. The dog was actually played by 2 different german shepherd dog's at different times. The original dog was deemed very intelligent and took commands like any human actor. It was meant to be a family oriented show. watched it religiously growing up.
I'm a bit older vintage so my favourite was The Friendly Giant. Both shows were big on kindness.
Littlest hobo into/outro is the video you want to play. Gets me super emotional I always wanted him to find a family.
This just unlocked a ton of childhood memories. I also loved Fred Penner as a kid. I would get so excited when he popped out of that bush 🤣
My cockatiel got used to Fred Penner in the summer, watching it with my kids. When they were back in school, if the TV wasn't on at 10:00 AM, he would start shrieking until I turned it on. He loved the music and the bird whistles in the intro (and apparently, he could tell time...).
When my 14 year old was in grade 1 we went to a children's festival and saw fred penner. I made sure I was a parent volunteer for that lol.
Look up, way up, and I'll call Rusty. The friendly Giant's opening. Rusty was a puppet ( chicken). Another show was Chez Helene😊
So 'Mr. Rogers Neighborhood' actually got it start in Canada as 'Mister Rogers'. Ernie Coombs came up with Fred Rogers to help with the show, and when Rogers went back to the states, Coombs stayed behind and started his own show... Eventually becoming a Canadian citizen and spending the rest of his life here.
This was my favourite video so far! Canadian children’s tv was world-class in the 70s & 80s! I actually played videos of all these for my son since they were so chill and educational
Am I the only one who giggled when Danger was pronounced Dang-er bay! I've done that before with other words.😅
Me too, hee!
*Anyone else used to watch "Adventures in Rainbow County"?*
For Canadians of a certain vintage, The Forest Rangers, Chez Helene, Littlest Hobo, Friendly Giant, Mr. Dress Up, Degrassi High.
The littlest Hobo clip you showed was from the 50's movie. The TV show was the dog wandering from town to town, meeting people and helping them solve problems/crimes etc.
In my part of Canada, we did not really watch any of these... It's what happen when you live in a different language. We grew up on:
Passe-Partout
Le club des 100 watts
Watatatow
Les Intrépides
Robin et Stella
Vazimolo
Bibi et Geneviève
Iniminimagimo
Les Débrouillards
I watch most of those too, the good old days of early Télé-Québec (Radio-Québec back in the days), Radio-Canada and Canal Famille.
The Friendly Giant was such a classic. Thanks Tyler for bringing back memories. I loved Littlest Hobo too. Each episode, the dog would wander into someones life and solve problems.. get estranged lovers together, solve crimes, etc My favorite americain show was Thunderbirds when I was older.
Fun fact: Fred Penner married my grant Aunt. He's a distant relative of mine! I watched him on tv before I knew he was related!
I never thought of The Littlest Hobo as a kids show. It was very much like Lassie meets Highway to Heaven or Touched By an Angel except that the main character was a dog and he was very much from earth. He would just befriend someone in the beginning of an episode, solve a life crisis problem, then just walk out of their life at the end of the episode
No one mentioned Romper Room ❤
I loved Romper Room. I wanted to hear my name be called every show. And the bee named Do Bee.
Never heard my name either ☹️
@Bea Stoned me either. On a happy note, your name is the same as my mom, such a pretty name
I loved Romper Room
Our son loved Dudley the Dragon and would play that theme song over and over and over again. We even had a stuffed animal at one time. Another of his favourite shows was Mighty Machines. Even has a scar related to that show! For older kids I would say Degrassi High was a long running show as well.
I remember watching some of Mighty Machines on VHS. Absolutely loved those. Dudley the Dragon was also a favourite of mine. As soon as the theme song started playing in this video it all came back to me. Love videos like this.
I'm a bit disappointed you didn't at least play the intros to the various shows. Most of them are very ear-wormy that will take Canadians back in an instance.
"The Raccoons" and "Littlest Hobo" especially had themes that every Canadian will recognize (or in the case of the Raccoons will still hear on the radio as "Run with us" will still be played a lot.
Mr Dressup and Mr Rogers were contemporary and basically started at the same time and had similar shows teaching similar themes. Mr Dressup had Cassie and Finnigan as his puppets, and they are nationally recognized; the puppets are actually part of the CBC museum in Toronto now.
The Friendly Giant had another theme that people would recognize with the haunting flute being played as he invited everyone in to listen to him tell stories. He may seem dry to today's audiences but he was friendly and courteous.
Danger Bay (Danger as in the hazard, not how you pronounced it) was an evening drama so it wasn't really targeted at kids but kids could watch it. (The Littlest Hobo was a similar adult drama for all ages).
Reboot was done by Mainframe Entertainment, out of Vancouver, early pioneers in CG Animation. (They did the Dire Straits Money for Nothing video). They also did shows like Beast Wars/Beast Machines, and War Planets (Shadow Raiders) as well as the 4 seasons of Reboot. (ABC only paid for 2 seasons, hence the iconic "The ABC's They've turned on us!" line as well as the Binome people performing B S n P)
Fred Penner and Sharon Lois and Bram (the Elephant show) were shows to teach music and entertain and teach morals basically. And yes, Skinnamarinkiedinkiedink is a song that S, L & B made famous and wormed into the minds of generations of Canadians.
Street Cents was done by the Halifax CBC studios. It is basically a consumer education program aimed at kids and teens. Early seasons had a theme/storyline with the villanous "Buy-Co" corporation, but as time went on, they morphed it into a consumer product show, where the hosts would teach basic economics, budgeting, as well as review products (where especially bad products would be thrown into The Pit)
One that you didn't see mentioned was another Halifax studio production called "Wonder Why?". It was a science show hosted by a local meteorologist who would teach simple science of all sorts; from weather related science, to ocean science, plate tectonics, and more.
Canadian here
I grew up with Mr Dressup, Mr Rodgers, Shinning Time Station, Theadore the Tugboat, Poka Dot door, Romper Room, Todays Special, Eliphant Show, Fred Penners place & Sesame Street
Those were all on TVO kids or CBC Kids
We also had the typical Saturday morning like Loony Toons, Ninja Turtles, Power Rangers
I remember Shining Time Station!
I forgot about hammy the hamster. So many memories flooding back after watching your reaction to some of our beloved kids shows. Reboot was cool. The first 3d generated of its kind I think
Loved Reboot
I'm glad someone mentioned Street Cents, no one I talk to ever remembers that one
The Buck Shot Show was what I grew up on. The Buck Shot Show was a local children's television series that aired on CFCN Television in Calgary, Alberta, Canada from 1967 to 1997.
Sharon, Lois and Brampton were doing a sound check when my junior high band was there to check out the Confederation Centre. Immediately 30 teenagers plunked themselves in seats and sang along, complete with actions, to Skinamarink. Love the memory.
I worked for a canadian book store chain and we had a Canada Day playlist that included beloved Canadian show theme songs. It was fun watching peoples reactions when the Littlest Hobo theme came on. Some would sing or just smile to themselves but others would get quite emotional. One day pretty burly dude in his 40s was crusing books when the theme song came on. His lip quivered and he said out loud "Nope!" And left immediately 😂 we also had the Racoons theme song which would ALWAYS result ina sing along. Every. Single. Time!
We (my brother & I) grew up with Mr. Dressup (originally known as Butternut Square), Under the Umbrella Tree, Fred Penner's Place, Barney, Sesame Street (& Canadian Sesame Street, which later became Sesame Park), Polka Dot Door, Polka Dot Shorts & The Big Comfy Couch. We were a little too young, but knew of The Friendly Giant, The Elephant Show & Today's Special. We did get a number of US children's shows as we were a little older like Eureeka's Castle & Blue's Clues).
Who else remembers Uncle Bobby?
Bimbo the Birthday Clown.
@@2727rogers And Son of Happy!
Oh my gosh-I loved Mr. Dressup, The Friendly Giant, Littlest Hobo. We also got The Muppets, etc. but those three are were the BEST! I’m old - I still love them and have wonderful memories of each of those programs. They were all so incredibly wholesome, gentle and lovely. As a child, you just feel cared about and all warm and fuzzy. They’re the equivalent a warm, cozy blanket for children. I loved it when the Friendly Giant set up the room each show. ❤❤❤❤❤
The mid -1960s program, "The Forest Rangers" has a special place in my heart...it was the very first show (black and white of course) our family watched when my Dad brought home our first TV, plugged it in and set the aerial up, on Saturday afternoon. lol A couple of children, whose father was a forest ranger, experienced a different problem each week. One episode was about a forest fire...it was so realistic I started to cry. My Dad said he was going to take the TV back to The Bay. He never did of course, because Hockey Night in Canada (original 6 teams) came on right after the Forest Rangers. lol.
Guess how old I am
I was starting to get nervous no one had put Reboot on the list.
As a kid I remember a show called Camp Caribou, though I don't remember much more than "Off! On! Llllocked!"
As I grew up, there was also The Secret Life of Alex Mack and White Fang that I'm pretty sure were Canadian...