Here are some e-mails I have been sent regarding this site and other TVOntario shows. These people share many of the same fond memories I have. Some recall shows I didn't watch. Some need help trying to remember show titles. Others offer more links. Have a read and feel free to send me an e-mail
January 4/07 from Juris:
Just stumbled across your website with my wife and loved
reminiscing about the good old days of TVO.
Just two questions. You have info on the British TV show "DON'T ASK ME?"
Used to love it and it was on Saturday nights before Doctor Who on TVO.
Also... I seem to recall a cartoon on weeknights about cavemen. I just remember
a few images of them hunting and taking down a wooly mammoth.
(I too recall watching Don't Ask Me on Saturday nights)
January 16/07 from Jason:
Hey there! I was wondering if Inside/Out was shown on
TVO? We saw it mostly in schools here =)
Thanks for all the great info on your site!!!
(It indeed was shown on TVO)
January 17/07 from Seaflower:
A long time ago there was a kids show on channel 2 Oakland,
California USA Called
Romper Room. On that show was a kids movie show animation called Paddington
Bear. The Bear was
actually a stuffed bear and it was quite a cute movie, with english cast. Mr.
and Mrs. Brown and there
daughter. I cannot recall the daughters name but I have some old story books
I can get it from. I wanted
to know how to find the movies, yet I checked with Channel 2 and they were quite
stuff shirts and did not
want to assist me on that information. They are more into the news than anything
else. Oh Well!
(Hope someone here can help)
January 21/07 from Arvind
Thank you for maintaining your wonderful website, Rick's TV. The TVO Kids Shows was a blast from the past for me and I throughly enjoyed it. Some of these shows I had forgotten about and your site reminded me of them. Have you thought of digitizing your collection so that it can be preserved for the future?
(Of course everything is now on DVD for me)
January 22/07 from Robert:
I was hoping you might remember an old PBS children show in either the late 60's or early 70's. Unfortunately, I do not know the title of the show. The only thing that I remember is the the beginning of the show. It showed kids running on a green field with colorful balloons going up in the air, and nice melody as its theme song.
(I am afraid I don't know)
January 28, 2007 from Jonathan:
I am a big fan of the ait/tvo shows that aired on PBS in the 80s and early 90's. These shows were fun to watch especially on days off from school. I was introduced to these shows way back in 3rd grade.
January 28/07 from Mike:
I'm not even sure if this show aired on CBC but I seem to think so, it feature a girl and her brother if I recall correctly. They used to use a closet of some sort and a Key I believe and were taken to another land, and I seem to think they would end up on some island or a beach, and they had some companion there like some sort of creature but i can't remember what exactly, I know that is pretty vague but maybe u have some idea. Thanks
(Anyone???)
February 11/07 from Paul:
Very nice to make your aquintice because I hope we can
trade and come to a Good Aggreement of some sort to get all that i would like
to Get from you as i have been looking
for what you have for several years and longer. OH I am Paul and I would like
to add you your DVD Collection with Fables Of the Green forest volume.1 that
i got and i will tell you where buy all 5 volumes too when we come to an agreement
for the videos i want thank you. fables has about 4 or 5 Episodes too i also
am soon getting La Linea that
stright white line guy thats a cartoon with animator that draws things to hurt
or get the stick guy in trounle lol, if your not sure just try in googles images
la linea.
February 16/07 from Carol:
I grew up in Niagara Falls NY, amd watched a lot of
canadian childrens shows. Mr. Dressup,The Friendly Giant, the Hilarious House
of Frightenstein,World of Oz, The adventures of Pinocchio,New Zoo Revue, Polka
Dot Door,and Circle Square.
I am writing because there are two shows that no one seems to remember. One
is called Monkey Bars. It had young teen characters that sang every week. The
other show I can't remember the name but Bill Lawrence the weatherman from the
Hamilton channel played the part of the uncle and his niece was a puppet.I know
there were other characters as well but I just can't remember them.I hope someone
can help!
(A Special Place)
February 18/07 from Ricky:
While surfing the 'net I got to recalling the old TVO
kids show Inside Out. Couldn't find ANYTHING about it on IMDB or Wikipedia so
I Googled it. LO & B-Hold it
came up as the FIRST two results! Checked 'em BOTH out and it ALL came back
to me! Thank you VERY MUCH for having the forethought to put up obscure pleasant
nostalgia like this up on the 'net.
Feburary 21/07 from Vin:
Hi, don't know if you remember a show (tv short) that
was about word and word origins (etymology).
I vaguely remember they would choose a word and then discuss its use and etymology.
(probably aired in the 80's)
If you remeber the title of such a show, let me know...
(Anyone?)
February 22/07 from Jess:
hello, my names jessica, and i came across your website and i was hoping you could help me. A couple days ago i was remembering this old show i used to watch- im pretty sure it was on TVOkids. it was about 3 people (2 guys and 1 girl). 1 of the guys was african american who liked crafts. the other guy was a bit nerdy, and the woman was into music, and she had her own little music studio in the corner. Also, there were little blue toys in the wall that would talk. PLEASE help me out, you're my last resort! nobody else knows what i'm talking about! it's driving me crazy! anyways, thank you so much for your time, and if you could please email me back, that would be greatly appreciated!
(Join In - so many people ask about this one!)
March 1/07 from Susan:
Do you recall the name of a little dog detective on TV about 7 years ago? He would dress up and they would show him in present and past scenarios? I just got a new dog that reminds me of the TV dog and I can't recall the name. It is driving me crazy!!
(Wishbone -thanks to Chole for this answer)
March 2/07 from Renee:
I want to thank you for your site! What a trip! I am
a total 80s kid and remember fondly many of these shows, and more that you don't
have listed. To share a memorable experience, when I was a kid, I remember meeting
Alex Laurier at Ontario Place. Whatever happened to him?
Again, I want to thank you for your wonderful site.
March 5/07 from Craig:
Im a HUGE fan of the old TVO shows and just had a baby boy recently!
I want to get these shows for him to watch and would do ANYTHING for some of
them...
mY fAVORITES were frightenstein, readalong, electric company, a bear called
jeremy, all about you, lets go, sesame street and eureka.
(Congrats!)
March 6/07 from Suzy:
Growing up in Louisiana, I loved watching this show. I am trying to find out where I can find copies of Parlez-Moi. I have searched google, ebay, amazon but with no luck. I have found some Sol videos, but no Parlez-Moi.
March 12/07 from Darren:
Hi first of all I love your site!
I read through it and it gave me chills thank you for making my day!
On to my question, I believe I watched a show in the early 80’s that had kids pitted against each other to cook stuff then their parents had to eat it. I don’t remember much else but I would like you to confirm whether its Just like mom or not. I saw the caps you have and it looks like it but I’m not totally convinced it’s the same.
Thank you again for bringing back the best years of my life!
(It indeed is Just Like Mom!)
March 15/07 from Michael:
Was Hodge Podge Lodge on TVO? I think the lady back in 2003 asking about hippie kids in the country might have meant this one.
And the one with the witch and the magic flute was H.R.Puffnstuff.
Was "Tell Me a Story" on TVO? It had an amazing theme song.
"Tiny Talent Time" was CHCH I guess, and "A Special Place" which also starred Bill Lawrence must have been CHCH as well.
I found your site while searching for Tiu Leek. I kept
thinking "Is it my imagination, or was she extremely good looking?".
She starred along with
Roy Campannella in "Science International" a.k.a. "What Will
They Think Of Next?"
It wasn't a kid's show, but "Party Time", the charade game show with Billy Van, is fondly remembered by Canadians of gen-x age and older, too.
"Tell Me a Story" and "Magic Shadows"
are some of the most beautiful music I've ever heard. Of course,
Simon, Jeremy, Vision On, Friendly Giant, etc. all had great themes too.
(Thanks for the memories)
March 20/07 from Mandy:
This has been bothering me for YEARS! There was this show, a live action, with three people living in this one apartment (which had a balcony). It was educational, and had lots of artistic content. The three people included one middle-aged black man, a 30-ish white man, and a woman with black/brown hair. In the apartment, near the right by the door, was a blue box built into the wall. The blue box had a little wizard in it, along with the wizard's wife (who was much taller), and their dog. I'm pretty sure it was stop animation, as I think they were wooden or maybe plasticine.
(Join In)
March 22/07 from Linda:
I live in Australia and I was a big fan of Read All About
It when I was a child.
I'm not really sure why, but for some reason the theme song from the show popped
into my head and I haven't thought about the TV show for years!
Naturally I Googled it and up came your website!
I just wanted to say wow, you have done a great job, seeing the pictures brought
all the memories flooding back.
I think we aired a lot of Canadian TV programs in Australia in the 70's and
80's. Other favourites of mine were Degrassi Junior High / High & You Can't
Say That On Television.
I don't have any information for you, but just wanted to say thanks!
(Always great to hear from so far away)
March 26/07 from Rory:
I remember all these cartoons, awesome, so glad I found this site! I have some names for some of the questions people asked. The name of the underwater cartoon with Pearl van oyster was called the Waterville gang there was also a question about an old history cartoon that I believe is called Max the 2000 year old mouse.I hopes this helps , I myself am trying to find anything on belle and Sebastian, It was a really nice cartoon
(Thanks for the info!)
March 27/07 from Todd:
I am searching for the name of a Kids show from the 70's that I used to watch, that I believe was on a Canadian station. We lived near Erie and would get channel 10 out of Canada, which I believe it came from. It involved a Giant and a Flute near a Castle Window. He Would grab these tiny Chairs and act like the viewers watching the show would come and want to sit with him, and he would hold these tiny chairs for them. Not Much I know...But can you help me out with a Name of this show? Very Much Appreciated.
(The Friendly Giant - a true classic)
March 27/07 from Darren:
It’s me again (that is if you remember) since finding
your site and sharing it with my co-workers we have all been on a mission to
find and relive our most favorite memories. Anyway if you could help us out
with figuring out what this show’s title was or where we could find it
that would be amazing! It was a short show perhaps a filler between shows It
starred a bunch of bathroom chracters a electric toothbrush a toothpaste tube
and so on. The only episode we can all recall was
the one where the rag got stuck at the bottom of the bathtub.Ay
help would be uber appreciated
(I think it was the Toothbrush gang)
March 28/07 from Andrea:
Just happened upon your TVO site. Nice job! I think I know the missing words to the Green Forest theme song, that you had questions marks for: "four and fifty fables there". I'm pretty sure, after listenning a few times, that this is right.
(Thanks!)
March 29/07 from Hugh:
I just came across your website – it’s awesome! It brought back some great memories.
TVO had some amazing shows back in the day. Much better than the commercialized garbage kids watch today.
I can’t believe there’s someone else out there that used to watch “Don’t Ask Me”. To this day I still remember the theme song: it was “House Of The King” by a Dutch group called Focus. Science International (with Joseph Campanella & Tiuu Leek) also had a cool theme song. Does anyone know what the theme song for that show was?
Do you remember Galaxy? It was TVOntario’s sister cable station that used to play nothing but kids shows (a precursor to YTV I suppose). It didn’t last long.
What about Snelgrove Snail? I also remember Binkley & Doinkle – those great PSAs from the Government of Canada. Noreen Young did the puppetry for those (along with Readalong, Pencil Box and others). Come to think of it, Noreen Young must have designed the puppets for almost every Canadian kids show back then. They had a very unique style).
Thanks for the memories & keep up the great work!
(Thanks for the good read and memories!)
March 29/07 from Sue:
Hi there,
I just stumbled across your website after years of trying to find information
on various TVO shows that I watched as a kid -- fantastic job!
Thanks so much and, again, kudos on your website!
March 30/07 from Mike:
I am a fellow canadian also in search of fables of the
green forest and I was wondering if you ever found any episodes on vhs or dvd.
(There are a few commercial copies of the show available)
March 30/07 from Paul:
Thanks for the great web page on TVO children's shows! It solved a long standing mystery regarding the name of "Vision On." I've tried to describe it to people, but no one knew what I was talking about. I was always impressed by the way they made a mirror image of the handwriting and turned it into some sort of springy insect thingy. I remembered the character but not the words. In fact, I thought the show may have been in French, but I now see that it was produced for deaf children and contained very little dialogue. Also, as a kid I probably couldn't tell the difference between a French accent and a British one!
One more mystery remains. I recall a short segment that had a fat man paired with a skinny man in a Laurel and Hardy type friendship. It was filmed in black and white and I think they travelled by way of a spaceship. I believe they spoke French and it was likely a segment within another show. Perhaps it was just a dream...
(Anyone???)
April 5/07 from Michele:
As with most of the people who write you, I grew up watching in the 80’s watching “Read all about it.” After talking with a group of fellow elementary school classmates we remember another show that we also watched during library class. The show was about a group of humans (kids and adults) who return to Earth (some year in the future), use a local library as their “safe house” from “bad guys”, and use the card catalog (a primitive thing, in their minds) to find out about things (aka how to survive). Think Styx Mr. Roboto type costumes ….. Does this ring a bell at all?
(Zardip maybe? Not sure)
April 5/07 from Greg:
In a matter of minutes your readers solved two mysteries
that have plagued me for over a decade (the titles of "Parlez Moi"
and "Once upon a time ... Man".)
I have another challenge for your readers, that doesn't appear to be addressed
in your archives. I am looking for the title to a British kids program (BBC
or Thames, can't recall) aired on TVO. It was a live action show, I believe
it involved adults demonstrating arts and crafts, and the key feature was that
at the end of each program the title of the program would be handwritten and
held to a mirror. The title and its mirror image would resemble a creature with
large eyes and feet, and would then spring up from horizontal to bounce around
the frame, and then on out into the countryside, accompanied by the theme music.
Anyone remember this show? Anyone remember the name?
(Vision On!)
April 9/07 from Alisha:
hey!...i was looking for a website and on ebay to see
if i could purchase some Join In dvd or vhs..however i am having no such luck..i
just wanted to
thank you for such an amazing site..and to answer one of your readers questions,
i belive that the name of the show where the balloons where going
up in the air and the kids were playing on the green grass was called "balloonerlanding"
(Thanks for the info)
April 18/07 from Nathan:
The fond memories of watching Eureka! on day's I stayed home from school have come to mind as I now have a child who would be interested.
April 19/07 from Chris:
Love the website.. It brings back huge memories. I used
to watch all these shows.. One show I am thinking of that I couldn't find on
your site.
Now, I don't know the name of the show anymore.. but I know that it has a flying
golden phoenix bird, and a flying carpet and I think it was in english, like
British english.. I could be wrong.
If you know the name of this show... I would love to know.. and remember...
LOL
(The Phoenix and the Carpet)
April 22/07 from Collette:
Hi…there was a character called “uncle chizimus” ….something like that… I am trying to find a picture of this character. Hope you can help.
(No idea with this one)
April 23/07 from George:
I am currently trying to find out where I can buy all
the old episodes of Jeremy from tvo on DVD. If you know where I could purchase
them
all please let me know.
(Not aware of any commerically available copy)
April 23/07 from Heather:
I hope i'm not annoying you by sending you another email.I didn't get a chance to check out your website entirely. Do you live in Australia? I live in Melbourne, Victoria.
I actually found this http://8store.8thman.com/ta3.htm website late last night which seems to have Fables of the Green Forest Volumes 1 -5. Not sure if they are legit though. Also it seems to be an American website. I don't know if i'd feel comfortable ordering internationally...especially with conversion rates? It would be confusing. Do you know if the distributors will be officially releasing this series on dvd or if they already have?
I'm really into the retro stuff now. I found a good website if you are interested maybe take a look. Has lots of good stuff on it. http://www.retrojunk.com/
Also there are a couple of videos on You Tube (www.youtube.com) for the Fables of the green forest you can watch. Not sure if you're aware of this site but it's fantastic and has pretty much any video you can think of. It's about (if not more so) popular than myspace (if you have heard of that). All you do is type in the name of the show or whatever into the search bar. There's the Fables of the green forest intro & an episode (that is split up into 3 vids and i think it's in spanish though)
(Thanks for all the info)
April 27/07 from Sean:
I think its great what you have done on your site with the old TVO programs!!! Brought back some memories for me!
I specifically went on the net to see what I could find on Read All About It, then I saw the pictures of Lydia Zajc, I simply LOVED her when I was watching the show back in the day! I see that you mentioned that she emailed you, and I was wondering if you still had her email address or any way to contact her.
Thanks making your website and thanks if you can help me any!!
(That was over 10 years ago, the email no longer works)
May 8/07 from Kim:
Just wondering if you remember the show...I think it was called TreeHouse or something. I'm pretty sure it was before I had cable. The theme songs sticks in my head all the time. " Come with me , we're going to the TreeHouse, Everybody's welcome come along and play."..Sound familiar??..
(No idea)
May 16/07 from Shell:
I have been looking (for years) to find any informatiom
about the great late 70's TVO series called "Magee & Company,"
and I asked for assistance
on www.metafilter.com, and was directed to your site.
Do you have any information on the show ?
It featured Michael Magee, who played a variety of characters on the show (which aired after "Polka Dot Door" Monday-Friday at about 6:30PM, as I recall), which was more or less political satire.
I have even written to TVO, but they had nothing on Magee or any knowledge of the show.
I am fairly certain that I was not dreaming this.
(Information sent, obtained from TV North book by Peter Kenter)
May 19/07 from Terri:
I have been trying to see if anyone else remembers that series of shows I used to watch after school. I specifically remember the episode where the boy falls down a cliff and gets hurt but it's almost like a dream.. I can barely remember episodes but I remember it was one of my childhood memories watching that. Also a french show with two girls and a guy I think... I vaguely remember, they wore really geometrically shaped shirts or dresses or something this I remember but don't know what the name of it was...I also remember the Edison Twins.... wow I think I was really young. I was born 1975 Thanks for joggin my memory. :)
(Inside/Out, Passe-Partout - good shows!)
May 21/07 from Cheryl:
the IMDB lists the show as being produced in 1972. (They
also list a Beaver credit for Marty Short, so take it with a grain of salt)
One episode i remember vividly had Moose trying to put together a plastic model
dinosaur. The child reporter did a story on dinosaur skeletons in Alberta. By
the end of the episode, Moose couldn't seem to be able to put the model together
(even though there were only about 4 or 5 pieces ... i remember screaming at
the teevee screen), but when he and Beaver left the lodge, some spooky music
played and we saw a stop-motion sequence of the model putting itself together.
(Thanks for the episode info. I believe Short played in one episode)
May 25/07 from Sheila:
I was wondering if you would know about a show I'm trying
to remember the name of:
- it was from out west - Canadian -- I understood
it was put on by members of the same family (siblings)
- there were 2 males and 1 female (either young adult or older teens) who played
themselves and different parts (dressed up)
- it was mostly located in a barn, educational re: very young children learning
to read
- I believe it was on tv in the late 1980's
I remember mostly the young woman dressed up as a grandmother (for one skit) and it was very obvious it was the young lady playing the part.
I know it's not much to go on - but wondered if you might have access to different sources to find out.
(Sounds like it may have aired on Alberta Access Network - no idea about the show though)
May 28/07 from Paul:
In response to Kim's message from May 8/07, there was a show called Treehouse that was produced by CKCO TV (CTV Kitchener). I Googled it and found the bio of Anne Coughlan, which says "Her life as a performer began as a child on her father's television show The Treehouse on CKCO TV." (http://www.supportingroles.com/pages/who.html)
I distinctly remember the show because a friend of mine appeared on an episode (perhaps in 1983). He was excited because they said that Wayne Gretzky would be on the show. As it turned out, it was just a video of an interview that was done with Gretzky. Oh well...
I see several references to the Friendly Giant on your message board. Your readers may be interested to know that Canadian singer-songwriter Stephen Fearing recorded a version of the theme song (Early One Morning) on his 1997 CD Industrial Lullaby. It's called "Robert's Waterloo" in honour of actor Robert Homme.
(Thanks for the info)
May 31/07 from Jess:
Your site is very informative! I am trying to remember
a show called Monkey Bars. I think it had kids in it who were either really
small or would shrink. I can't remember anything else, except that I think I
might have been scared of it!
Also, do you have any information on a show called Big Blue Marble and a show
about two mice named Nick and Pick? I can remember the tunes to the theme songs
to these shows, but not many of the words.
(I have some Big Blue Marble episodes, but that's about it)
June 3/07 from Janet:
I came across your site recently, and had a good laugh
remembering all the great shows I used to watch when I was a kid. I am now a
grownup, and teaching Grade 4 (this September) in Peel. I was wondering if you
could tell me how you found episodes from the shows you listed.
I would absolutely love to get my hands on certain shows to show my students.
I just know they would enjoy them as much as I did. The shows would be a fun
way to teach some otherwise boring subjects (i.e. grammar). My school has some
episodes of Read All About It!, but I would love to be able to collect more
episodes from other shows as well.
June 7/07 from Phil:
great site man, lots of memories for sure. 2 things my friends and I cant seem to get a name on. Remember a big record with a wooden spoon always dancing?? I know that sounds whack but we all remember it. And the second wasnt really a show but it was a dude wearing a full body suit of the internal part of the human body and he would always explain stuff. Very weirsd I know but we all remember so I know Im not crazy. Any help would be awesome...
(Well, Well, Well with Slim Goodbody - quite strange!)
June 16/07 from Thyme:
Quick question. I remember a show when I was little that was in Spanish. This would be in the 70's. All I can remember is that there were pictures of a carnival or fair and the song had Via Allegra " in it. Do you know what this show was?
(Anyone?)
June 19/07 from Counrtney:
Hey.... i was on your website and you seem soooo knowledgable
when it comes to old TVO television shows....
so i'm really hoping that you can help me out. I used to watch a show on TVO
about a library in which rats also lived and i believe the rats would always
get help from younger kids and i believe they would read the books. Also i remember
that it was like an after school reading thing like perhaps a club and sometimes
the kids would also come in before having to go to class....
i hope i provided you with enough information to come up with something....
i would really appreciate an email back because this is something that has been
bothering me for quite some time now and i have yet to come up with a title
for this show
(Bookmice, I think)
July 8/07 from Lauren:
I’m trying to find the name of a show from the 80’s with these kids/teens in orange and blue (and maybe silver, too) suits and sweat/head bands. I think it came on PBS and I think it was a SciFi show. I seem to remember them being in the woods and going into a secret place. This is the only show that I haven’t been able to find any information about. I did come across someone else who was looking for it, so I know that I didn’t just dream it, LOL. I hope you can help so my mind can finally rest.
(Anyone?)
July 14/07 from Keli:
I have been searching FOREVER for the name of this show
i used to watch and as i was google-ing it this site came up from some other
lady who was looking for the same show. So here it goes..
Its a show about 2 cats (ricky and tango) and their dog friend (charlie)
they lived in a garden area and there was also a bird sometimes on the show.
There was an inside set aswell as an outside set and charlie the dog had his
own house outside.
Thats not much description but ive been reading and you're quite the master
at this so PLEAAASEE can you try to help me with the name of this show and any
sites that has information on it! Ive been trying to think and search for months
now!
(Hmmmmm...)
July 16/07 from Kelly:
First, I would like to start off by saying thank you
so much for this site! My brother and I were born in the early and mid 70's
and we like to talk about all the old shows that we once watched as children
and how life has changed for our own children.
We have gone through and remember classics like, Dr. Snuggles, Read all about
it, Captain Kangaroo, Bozo the Clown, Vegetable soup, Ghost Writer, Space Coaster,
All about you.. but there is one show that we cannot remember the name of and
it is driving us crazy!!!!
I do hope that you can help if I give a description of the show. It was educational
we are from the states and live in Maine. It was a PBS show I believe. It was
about writing sentences or grammer. It would have you go through a story or
a sentence and you would need to figure out the proper word or phrase. It was
hosted by a cricket or a grasshopper he had really big reading glasses and he
always had a pencil.. (we think) at the end of the show he would talk about
the club password we think it was something like palabrajot or something sounding
very similiar to that.
I really hope that you can help. My brother and I are going insane trying to
remember. I am 35 and he is 32. We have tons of fond memories of these shows
and so many others that I did not mention.
If you are unable to find the answer could you please post this so that maybe
someone who does remember the show can email me and let me know.. thanks so
much!
(Paralab Jot or something like that)
July 18/07 from James:
.I just wanted to thank you for having info on the show vision on.im sure u heard this before but for 30 yrs ive had that music and cartoon grasshopper in my head.I began to think I imagined it way back then because I only saw the show a few times.finally doing some research I discovered your site.thanks again!
(Glad to help)
July 21/07 from Michael:
Doing a little reminiscing over the weekend and came across your web page that mentioned the Inside/Out series.
Episode Six: Just Joking was shot at my grade school. My father was the cinematographer and I believe one of my sisters was in the episode.
That candy store in the last scene still stands today in a western suburb of Cleveland, Ohio.
I got a kick out of your comment about the (Look for some bizarre camera zoom action at the very end of the episode)"
As kids we were put in commercials, etc by my dad. I
was the narrator for one of them. I always thought it was for Inside/Out, but
after checking out your
website, it must have been something else.
(Thanks for sharing this cool memory)
July 31/07 from Jay:
I’ve been trying to remember the name of a TV show I watched as a kid. It was in the 80’s and I’m pretty sure it was Canadian. Either on TVO or CBC. It was about these kids who traveled to some fantasy land ( possibly an island ) and there the characters are puppets. There was a mean witch and possibly a dragon… any ideas you have would be appreciated!
(Anyone know this one?)
August 1/07 from David:
My favourite show of all time is "Guess What?" starring Jan Rubes. Do you have any of this show on tape?
August 3/07 from Rob:
Great site, really brought back memories of the 14" black and white TV in the rec room where I grew up. Wondering if you recall the name of a cartoon that was on TVO in ~70's that I cannot. Each episode was a period in mankind's history, in the top corner of the screen there was a character that basically had two eyes and his mouth was a type of odometer telling the time in history. There was also a reoccurring old man character who had his entire body covered by his white beard, all you could see is his eyes, stick arms and big feet.
(Once...Upon a Man)
August 12/07 from Sara:
I need help. There was this show that came on in the 80's with a man and a woman-the man would narrate the story and the woman would be drawing out the stories in chalk. It was on PBS I believe. I can't for the life of me remember what it was called! Any ideas?
(Sounds like a John Robbins show)
August 25/07 from Andrew:
Just stumbled across your website and it's been a real mind melter. My girlfriend and I had almost completely forgotten that Read All About It even existed. What an amazingly creepy, well done children's show. I was wondering if you could help me with another piece of info. I remember watching a program with my father when I was fairly young, probably around '82 to 88', that was a collection of live action, foreign language fairy tales or stories. From what I remember they seemed kind of dark and scary (to a five year old). My memories are vague at best but I've been trying to find the name of the program for years now. I have a feeling it was either on TVO or CBC as I can't see any other network airing this type of show. If you or anyone else could help me out with some info it would be a happy day.
(Anyone?)
September 8/07 from Marybeth:
I really enjoyed finding your website. I was actually
doing a search trying to figure out a show I use to watch when I would stay
home sick on PBS.
It was this middle-aged guy with a mustache who would draw/illustrate a story
while a portion of it was being red. I LOVED that show. It may be
"Readit with John Robbins" as shown on your site, but I'm not sure.
I was also really stoked to see "All About You" - I forgot about that
show but
clear as day can remember the theme music. And, I also remember the Readalong
with the shoe puppet!!! I was trying to explain that to my husband
but he didn't remember. I was thrilled when I was able to show him a scene of
it from your site. I saw one of the readers of your site post some
memories of shows. He reminded me to of the show on the 'metric system'. I totally
remember part of that song!!! I think at one point they sing.."The
metric system......THE METRIC SYSTEM!!". I just remember a sorta creepy
looking scientist on that show.
I think this one below that the viewer "Mike"
also posted might be the show with Bob Ross --he had the wicked afro and would
be painting and describing
things as he painted them, like "let's make some friendly little trees"
or "let's make some friendly little clouds."
"5) An art show with a kind of creepy middle aged guy that talked funny. The show would start with the camera on him while he whistled the intro tune."
(BirdBook may be it)
September 19/07 from Lauren:
All I remember is that there was a dark-haired woman who spoke french a mime and a mouse. I think the premise was that she taught people french... I think either the mouse or the mime was named "merci" Thank you in french... my mom and i used to watch this show.. do you know what I am talking about. Thanks so much for your help.
(Anyone?)
September 25/07 from Michael
Wouldn't it be great to have a cd of (mostly) Canadian
television themes?
Friendly Giant (old English folk song)
Mr. Dressup
Polka Dot Door
House of Frightenstein (from "Songs to Moog By" by either Perrey or
Kingsley)
World of Oz
Adventures of Pinnochio
Gumby
Davey and Goliath
Uncle Bobby ("Bimbo")
New Zoo Revue
Today's Special
Big Blue Marble
Readalong
Tell Me a Story
Magic Shadows (on YouTube)
The Beachcombers (on YouTube)
Hockey Night in Canada
Rocket Robin Hood
Simon and the Land of Chalk Drawings
Vision On (by Al Hirt?)
Vegetable Soup (on YouTube)
Kiddio
A Special Place
Tiny Talent Time
Hodge Podge Lodge
Jeremy
Hammy Hampster
Dougal
Party Time
Definition
Bowling For Dollars
Zoom
That's all I can think of right now.
October 2/07 from Maayan:
I'm from Israel. and I'm 31, and when the show "On
the Move" was on Israeli TV I was about 8 years old.
I've been looking for information about this show for over 5 years !!!!!
It has become a quest, I had no information what so ever, except remembering
the exact lyrics of the openning theme.
A couple of years ago I even tried to go over all the canadian shows ever produced
(and exausted after a couple of hundreds...).
There's also an Israeli forum that a couple of other guys posted questions about
this show.
Thanks a lot, I can't tell you how glad I am after 5 years of searching, to
find even a screen-shot showing the guy.
I actually remember all the episods you've mentioned, and in addition two more
episodes:
- An epsiode were our guy meets an "hipi" hitchhicker later returns
him his wallet he forgot in a dinner, and our guy mistakes that the hipi actually
stole his wallet.
- An episode were our guy works in tabbaco harvests.
(I only discovered this show from someone else in
Israel!)
October 3 from Alison:
I found your site as I was searching for information
on "READ ALONG" for my 5 year old daughter.
I was born in 1974 so I remember this show with happy memories and was thrille
to find out that my daughters SK teacher still uses the old film movies to show
to the class.
Was the series ever reproduced? IF there ever was a show worth reproduction
this would be it.
My daughter has the "Read Along" series on her Christmas list already.
I am affraid she is going to be disappointed on Christmas morning. However thanks
to your web site we can now plan a trip to the museum and see the wonderful
puppets that made us all smile..............Thanks BOOTS! I love ya.
(YEAH BOOTS!!!)
October 5/07 from Brigina
i was wondering if you could help me remember the name of a show that used to play on tvo kids. it was set in space and one of the characters had rainbow hair. it was not animated.
(Anyone?)
October 11/07 from Krissy
Hey I love your site, great memories, I've actually been
recalling old shows I used to watch in the 80's and I've got about 70 of them
so far, I can't think of this one that's really really old it probably came
out in the 60's or 70's ...It was with this man in a shop .. like perhaps a
candy shop, I remember a little boy and I remember a moose or a deer head mounted
on the wall but it would talk and it would show behind the wall and the moose's
body was still there it's head was just through the wall talking .. and singing?
I'm not sure. I need help!!
To answer a previous question of Lauren's about the Sci-Fi show, I think it
was the Odyssey, in the later episodes I think they stopped hanging out in their
place in the woods but they did have a secret place to hang out.
To Answer Jay's question about the Island where kids would go with the puppets
and the Dragon, I think it would be the show "Dudley" but I'm not
entirely sure because I don't remember a witch, I could be wrong!
(Anyone?)
October 15/07 from Suzan:
It's for a friend who is going crazy trying to figure out what this show was called. All she remembers is that it had two cat puppets, non animated, that sat on a brick wall. That's it. Any ideas?
(Hmmm...no idea)
October 16/07 from Jenna:
Hi, I saw the website and it was helpful.
I was just wanting to know more about the "Two Plus You" Show and
wanting to know if you have additional links or information.
I have been trying to find out more about that show for the last...well, forever.
I watched it as a child and could never find any information on it growing up.
(I would love to get more info on this show myself!)
October 22/07 from Havina:
I loved the green forest as a kid, thanks for having the lyrics up on your site!
October 30/07 from Shelley:
I am looking to buy old episodes of Parlez-Moi. I was hoping you would know where I could purchase them. I remember watching this show growing up and it was a great way to learn a little bit of french. I really wanted my children to see this show and I have been looking around to see if they are for sale anywhere. I have had no luck so far. Any info would be appreciated.
(International Telefilms may have it for $$$$$)
Nov 7/07 from Jean-Claude:
I was doing a search for the same info Kim asked on May
8/07 and found this link:
http://www.tvarchive.ca/database/19448/treehouse_club,_the/details/
(Thank you!)
November 7/07 from Elizabeth:
wow I just stumbled upon your site and was reliving the
memories of all these children's shows XD
I especially was happy to find info on "Once Upon A Time" and "Starlore."
Anyway here are the 2 shows I've been wondering about.
The first one starred a husband and wife I think and was most definitely from
the 70's. the opening featured the animation of a dragon riding in a wagon all
over the place and down a hill and finally crashing I think.
Ohh!! I just remembered another one! Strawberry Square! Does anyone remember
that?? If I remember correctly it may have featured an interracial relationship
which stuck out to me as a kid. (not in a bad way.) ^_^
And finally! I think this show was called "The Art Corner" and it
featured this pretty lady who would walk down the street picking up kids while
this hokey music played in the background and I think the words went something
like "c'mon c'mon to the art corner" or something.
Wow this is making me remember a lot...last I promise..."The Letter People"
that show I actually didn't like. The puppets scared me. They were like a demented
version of sesame street lol.
Anyways I hope this helps anyone who might have remembered bits and pieces of
these shows, or if it comes up with any clues as to what they were about or
anything. (:
(The first show is Dragons, Wagons and Wax)
November 10/07 from Tara:
Well i have read and read your website, and absolutely
love it. I, a youngster it seems(19), have a few shows that i remember and some
that i cant remember the names of.
I grew up watching The Polka Dot Door (and i would always guess which polka
dot they were going to go through that day!
Theres Todays Special, i think the one episode i remember best was when the
place caught on fire from the mouse house!?
BOOKMICE! Does anyone remember Bookmice! The song went "BOOKMICE Look twice"
something something. I absolutely loved that show, the girl from that show is
in tonnes of commercials now most recent one i think she is in is the Canadian
Tire Christmas one, she askes her husband for the thingy. Every time i see her
i think of that show.
The Adventures of Dudley the Dragon (even the original energy consumption one!)
Sharon Lois And Bram
There is this other show with the guy that was in Sharon Lois And Bram and i
cant remember it. He lived in a trailer park with his daughter. I belive the
mother had died, and part of the song was "dont say goodbye say so long"
or something to that extent.
COuntry Mouse and City Mouse when i was a little older.
Eurikas Castle was a good one too. I loved Magellon!
Does anyone remember a tv show that had 3 puppet cats i believe. They lived
in this house with a glass roof there was a tree with a bird in it that they
would visit every so often. There were other puppet like characters on the show
i just for the life of me cant remember!
I briefly remember the TV show Heres How
Unfortunately now the cartoons on the show arent the greatest. I would love
to know if anyone remembers that show with the cats. I've asked everyone i know
if they could remember it and no one has.
Theres one more. it was some live action type show i guess, it wasnt a cartoon,
these kids were writters or something or mystery hunters perhaps. There was
a few episodes where they were chasing this big purple blob of slime and i distinctly
remember him yelling at them all saying "ARE YOU LAUGHING AT ME!!! ARE
YOU LAUGHING AT ME!" i had nightmeres after that, but i would love to know
what that show was called.
Another show was Around The Twist it was an australian show i think. "have
you ever, ever felt like this, now strange things happen, are you going round
the twist. Have you heard the word about the bird and the spider it wiggled
wriggled and jiggled inside her. have you ever ever felt like this, now strange
things happen are you going round the twist."
I cant get over the fact that there is a website for this! i am so happy i found
it!
(Lots of good stuff there)
Nov 12/07 from Lindsay:
Do you know the name o f the show where the guy was in a kangaroo suit solving math problems for Mr. Big.
Also there was a show – where a little boy went through a door in his closet and met up with a giril on the other side and there was a horse drawn carriage – anything????
One more – they had a trunk and I don’t know
if they time traveled or just went to different locations – but I think
it was the same actor as in Swiss family Robinson.
(Math Patrol)
Nov 12/07 from Stefan:
OMG.. I was amazed when I came across your website. Like many others, this is the TV I grew up on, and I've been looking to try to find it ever since. The one show that really grabbed me was 'Read All About It'.
It torments me to know how rare the book is.. I did have it as well when I was young - alas.. that was ages ago.
(I would love to see the book!)
Nov 14/07 from Jessica:
I grew up in Nebraska, who produced alot of the shows shown in US and Canada. I saw a few comments I thought I would respond back to on shows.
The library kids coming back from future and using Library system/card catalog is Tomes and Talismans by Mississippi Public TV. The also did a show called The WRite center which was about that bug who worked on sentences which I saw someone else posted on.
I am in process of trying to get copies of Strawberry Square 1 and 2, Once upon a time, Starlore (same actors as OUAT), Nebraska Communities, Contact 3-2-1, and a show that was similar to OUAT but was a reading show where they got lost in pyramid and met a epgytiam mummy that comes to life, and a show about a stranded pirate that uses letters/sounds/reading. Any suggestion on where to get copies of all these.
(Write Channel was a fun show)
Nov 23/07 from Carlos
I stumbled across your web site and I am wondering if
you can help me. I used to watch a program as a child in the 1970s and 80s and
I have
tried for over a year to remember the name but cannot. It was a childrens' program
that consisted of an artist drawing a stick man on a
black canvas/sheet. The stick man would 'come to life' in the sense that he
would talk to the artist ... getting him to draw whatever he
needed. If I recall correctly, it was in French. I also seem to recall that
episodes were very short, being almost 'fillers' until the next
time slot. Sound familiar? I am pretty sure that I used to see it on TVO, but
I am not certain. I would appreciate any information you can
give me.
(La Linea)
Nov 26/07 from Millissa
Zoobalizoo - Im writing to see if you know of a place where I can get a hold of this series, if possible. Thanks
(PBS?)
Dec 6/07 from Caitlin:
Hi, I've read the archives, and no one seems to remember this show that I'm trying to locate about Eastern European folk tales. It was a haunting show that I can't stop thinking of to this day. I remember one episode was about a man who began to saw down a tree, but the tree started bleeding. Does that ring a bell?
(Anyone???)
Dec 6/07 from Crystal:
Hi I am trying to discover the name of a 1970's-1980's canadian childrens programming, these are the details I know about it. The name BARNEY is in the title (not the dinosaur), there are puppets and music, it is not animated and a man name Bill (william) Johnston played the guitar on the show but wasn't one of the main characters. I know Bill and he won't tell me so I am hoping you can give me some help.
(Backyard Barney)
Dec 18/07 from Tawny:
I am looking for the title of a show that aired in either the 80's or early 90's that had a woman, a beaver that whistled all the time when he talked, and I think it was set at a lakefront property... I'm also pretty sure that the title had the word "lane" in it.
(Not sure)
Dec 22/07 from Mary:
Saw someone mentioned Golden Pennies and show that aired in 1986, only ran for like 3-4 months, said they would like to hear it. So could you post this info? Check out u -tube, it has a video with the opening and closing credits.. boy it made me smile... Thanks
(Saw it on youtube - very cool song - hadn't heard it in ages)
Dec 30/07 from Rob:
I found your site while looking (in vain) for a few short
films I recall seeing when I was a kid during the early 80's on Roger's Children's
& Multicultural channel here in Vancouver. I remember many of the programs
you have listed, and the shorts I'm looking for were shown during this programming.
Anyway, my search has proven pretty fruitless so far...I even tried contacting
Rogers themselves to no avail. Anyway, I'll do my best to describe the shows
I'm looking for & see if any of them rings a bell with you.
In no particular order (and I don't know all the titles)
1. What to do in the dark - from the Netherlands I believe. A live action show
with the main character named Jack, who's supposed to be a little kid in his
room at night showing the viewer activities they could do at night. He had a
beard, black hat, white shirt, shoes at the bottom of his shirt to make him
look really small (think Tim Conway's "Dorf"), and he talked in a
high voice. Looked like it was made in the 70's.
2 Bear, Bear, Dance - a puppet show about a boy named Casper, a dancing bear,
and a rich guy who can't figure out what to do with all his money. The film
had a very sepia look to it, kind of a brownish hue. I think it may have been
German, it was definitely overdubbed as the puppeteer himself introduced the
show.
3 black & white animated short - I don't know the title, all I recall are
the images. It was a very crudely animated short with no dialogue, all the characters
had square heads, it was black & white, kind of "expressionist"
style to the animation. May have been German, or perhaps French. Ended with
some sort of dinner party where one guest gets a fork in his head. Wierd I know,
but it was on during children's programming.
4 animated short about a boy & his grandfather dealing with bullies. Looked
kind of like cut out animation, not in english, not even sure if was actually
a language, may have been just gibberish. Was in color, and the animation was
pretty smooth, but had a "cutout" look to it.
I realise these may be very vague, but for all my searching online, you're the
only person I've found who may know the shows I'm looking for. If you have any
ideas about these filsm, and perhaps where I can find them, or where I might
look, please get back to me. Thanks very much for your time, and I hope to hear
from you.
(If anyone has any of these, let me know!)
Shows on this site: TVOntario TVO TV Ontario PBS AIT All About You Barbapapa The Body Works Bits and Bytes Cucumber Eureka Fables of the Green Forest Guess What? (With Jan Rubes) Harriet's Magic Hats Jeremy Kidsworld Let's All Sing(with Tony Saletan) Mathmakers Math Patrol Parlez-Moi Read All About It Readalong Report (with Heather Conkie) The Adventures of Timothy PilgrimTwo Plus You! Vision On(with Tony Hart) What If...(starring Billy Van)World of B.J. Vibes Write On AIT Programming PBS Programming (In Other Words, Math Wise, It Figures, Thinkabout, Inside/Out, High Feather, Dragons, Wagons & Wax) Edison Twins, Just Like Mom, Camp Cariboo, YTV's Rec Room)