ImagiNation

The Friendly Giant. Mr. Dressup. Polka Dot Door. Degrassi in all of its forms. For decades, viewers were entranced by the high quality of children’s programming produced in Toronto by CTV, CBC, TVOntario, YTV and other networks. Working on tight budgets, these series educated and entertained, and found loyal audiences across Canada, the United States and beyond.

For more than two decades, children’s shows have been a cornerstone of Ed Conroy’s Retrontario television preservation project. His YouTube channel features uploads of many fondly remembered TV favourites that aren’t widely available because of rights issues.

In his first book, ImagiNation, Conroy spotlights Toronto-produced programming aired between the launch of CBC’s television service in 1952 and 2000, when the rise of the internet began fragmenting viewing habits. Beyond a nostalgic look at these series, Conroy explores the behind-the- scenes stories of creators battling network executives, educators and artists working in harmony, and changing trends in programming and technology. The chronological structure allows anyone from baby boomers to millennials to jump in at whatever point matches their kid-show viewing days (or interests). Helpful sidebars include tales of the children’s TV world across the border in Buffalo, N.Y., and such famous 1990s public service announcements as “Don’t Put It in Your Mouth.”

There are plenty of interesting tidbits throughout, from the Canadian career of Fred Rogers (who hosted a prototype of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood in the early 1960s) to Kiddo the Clown, a CTV series whose title character’s apartment was destroyed in the final episode to make way for Toronto’s subway system. Conroy also explores an interesting theory that connects the CBC version of Howdy Doody and the long-running British sci-fi series Doctor Who.

As to why these children’s programs resonated with viewers, Conroy quotes Sharon Hampson of Sharon, Lois & Bram, who felt tiny budgets “forced the shows to be more real.”