Walden Cabin: Observations typed on an old Underwood

Tuesday, November 06, 2001

Are you giant? or Dressup?

It's just amazing, really. Generations of Canadian children were raised with little plastic and polyester puppets as their heroes and teachers -- Casey and Finegan, Rusty and Gerome, those wacky silent overstuffed cats at the piano and harp in the Giant's anteroom.

Today Jasper and I visited a special exhibit at the Children's Museum of the Canadian Museum of Civilization. The CBC has opened the vault on the original puppets and sets for some of my generation's favourite children's shows: Mr. Dressup, The Friendly Giant, among others.

OK, actually, Mr. Dressup and The Friendly Giant are really the only two I care about. My friend Richard asked me today which I preferred more. We have a lot in common, but he is a "Dressup" man, while I prefer "Giant". We're not sure what this means.

I must admit, my heart lept when I walked into the exhibit and saw, right there, Casey's tree house, including the whole tree! Incredible! There it was; the shuttered windows, the little walkway porch, the veiny oak tree, the secret side door entrance. Upon closer inspection, the whole thing is made of cardboard and felt and paper maché, like something an art class would assemble for a one-time stage production. The real treat was being able to see inside the back where puppeteer Judith Lawrence knelt for hours and held the rapt attention of thousands upon thousands of kids. She had carpet padding stapled to a ledge to protect her knees. Thank you, Judith!

How could this simple little tree house have been so important to me? And what kind of brilliance led to its creation? There were no wild combat creatures on Mr. Dressup, and no Pokemon-style fantasy, aside from what came out of the tickle trunk or from Ernie Coomb's pen. And you have to admit, the Casey/Finegan tag-team was a strange one. Nowadays you'd be laughed out of the boardroom if you pitched a children's show concept that featured a single man who had a four-fingered kid and his mute dog living in a tree in the back yard. "Come on, you really think we should call it the 'Tickle Trunk'?" Let's not even get started on The Friendly Giant: A kindly giant lures kids into a castle, but goes around the back so he won't be seen going in the front door with them. Once that draw bridge goes up, kids, that's it! And what do they mean by "two or more to curl up in". How many people can comfortably fit in a wooden rocking chair!? And how about the skinny hostage rooster in the bag at the top of the bellfry, and the giraffe with the body image problem. Yikes! Only in Canada.

These shows just would not be produced today. That's a shame. Are kids more sophisticated? Maybe. Would these shows have the same impact on today's toddlers? We'll find out. I'm calling CBC tomorrow to see if I can get my hands on Friendly and Mr. Dressup archives on tape. I want Jasper to get to know and love my dear plastic and polyester friends.

>> See photos of our visit to the Children's Museum.
>> Visit the Canadian Museum of Civilization.
>> Watch a clip from Mr. Dressup.
>> Watch a clip from The Friendly Giant.
>> Visit CBC4Kids.ca



	Tuesday, November 06, 2001 Are you giant? or Dressup? It's just amazing, really. Generations of Canadian children were raised with little plastic and polyester puppets as their heroes and teachers -- Casey and Finegan, Rusty and Gerome, those wacky silent overstuffed cats at the piano and harp in the Giant's anteroom. Today Jasper and I visited a special exhibit at the Children's Museum of the Canadian Museum of Civilization. The CBC has opened the vault on the original puppets and sets for some of my generation's favourite children's shows: Mr. Dressup, The Friendly Giant, among others. OK, actually, Mr. Dressup and The Friendly Giant are really the only two I care about. My friend Richard asked me today which I preferred more. We have a lot in common, but he is a "Dressup" man, while I prefer "Giant". We're not sure what this means. I must admit, my heart lept when I walked into the exhibit and saw, right there, Casey's tree house, including the whole tree! Incredible! There it was; the shuttered windows, the little walkway porch, the veiny oak tree, the secret side door entrance. Upon closer inspection, the whole thing is made of cardboard and felt and paper maché, like something an art class would assemble for a one-time stage production. The real treat was being able to see inside the back where puppeteer Judith Lawrence knelt for hours and held the rapt attention of thousands upon thousands of kids. She had carpet padding stapled to a ledge to protect her knees. Thank you, Judith! How could this simple little tree house have been so important to me? And what kind of brilliance led to its creation? There were no wild combat creatures on Mr. Dressup, and no Pokemon-style fantasy, aside from what came out of the tickle trunk or from Ernie Coomb's pen. And you have to admit, the Casey/Finegan tag-team was a strange one. Nowadays you'd be laughed out of the boardroom if you pitched a children's show concept that featured a single man who had a four-fingered kid and his mute dog living in a tree in the back yard. "Come on, you really think we should call it the 'Tickle Trunk'?" Let's not even get started on The Friendly Giant: A kindly giant lures kids into a castle, but goes around the back so he won't be seen going in the front door with them. Once that draw bridge goes up, kids, that's it! And what do they mean by "two or more to curl up in". How many people can comfortably fit in a wooden rocking chair!? And how about the skinny hostage rooster in the bag at the top of the bellfry, and the giraffe with the body image problem. Yikes! Only in Canada. These shows just would not be produced today. That's a shame. Are kids more sophisticated? Maybe. Would these shows have the same impact on today's toddlers? We'll find out. I'm calling CBC tomorrow to see if I can get my hands on Friendly and Mr. Dressup archives on tape. I want Jasper to get to know and love my dear plastic and polyester friends. >> See photos of our visit to the Children's Museum. >> Visit the Canadian Museum of Civilization. >> Watch a clip from Mr. Dressup. >> Watch a clip from The Friendly Giant. >> Visit CBC4Kids.ca				(11.06.2001) Nobody's Turkey. Rusty and other friends under glass. See Jasper's visit to the Children's Museum (10.22.2001) NosferatStu, Slutty Ghoul, and BatJasper. A Hallowe'en Evening >> See the full photo. Bedouin Boys Out there, in the desert, they keep watch, and serve tea. See The Soothing Hammam, from Syria. >> See the full photo. >>See previous cover photos. Updated - September 12, 2001 Head for the Hills of Prince Edward Island Walden Cabin >> "I went to the woods because I wanted to live deliberately, to front the essential facts of life and to see if I could learn what they had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived." Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862) Walden; Or Life in the Woods (08.21) Walden Cabin is a publishing creation of Accolade Intermedia, an Ottawa-based communications company that specializes in content-rich Web products. www.accolade.ca >>
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