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YellowYahooey
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Hi, I remember seeing a kids' show that was produced in Toronto, Canada called Today's Special, which I first discovered on Galaxie (not the current digital CBC channels devoted to streaming music, but the bygone programming block with children's programming from Canada and overseas). Based on the episodes I recall seeing on Galaxie around 1983, it appeared that they aired the first two seasons of the series (1981 and 1982) before Galaxie went off the air in 1984.
However, when I discovered the show was aired on PBS in the late 1980s and early 1990s, I was surprised the show ran beyond 1982, as I recall seeing subsequent episodes, such as "Pianos", "The Sea", and I do recall a character named Mrs. Pennypacker.
The show was supposedly set in the toy department at Simpson's Department Store supposedly in downtown Toronto, and the episodes took place after hours. The principal cast of characters included Jodie, who works in the children's department, Jeff, a mannequin who transformed into a human when wearing a Scottish tam and the magic words "Hocjus pocus alamagocus!" were uttered. A security guard named Sam Crenshaw, believed to be in his 90s in the series (I don't know why he never retired by that point), loved sailing on the open sea and enjoys singing "Yo He Ho" frequently. Sam operates a talking microcomputer, TXL 4000, to help find any activity in which things go wrong (imagine how it would work in the Internet era). And Muffy, a shy but intimidated mouse, lives in the store and seems to always make mistakes and fears consequences, only for the problems to be resolved with the help of Jodie or Jeff.
There were several celebrities who made guest appearances on the show, including iconic Canadian singer Bruce Cockburn (who had a US top 40 hit with "Wondering Where the Lions Are" in 1980).
Today's Special aired on other networks, including the original broadcaster, TVOntario (also known as TVO), and later Treehouse TV in Canada, and Nickelodeon. All of the episodes from the first two seasons are on YouTube, and TVO Kids have uploaded several high quality episodes onto their YouTube channel.
For those who remember the series, what are your favorite moments from the series? And the actor Jeff Hyslop who played Jeff, was he related to former Sesame Street executive producer Al Hyslop?
However, when I discovered the show was aired on PBS in the late 1980s and early 1990s, I was surprised the show ran beyond 1982, as I recall seeing subsequent episodes, such as "Pianos", "The Sea", and I do recall a character named Mrs. Pennypacker.
The show was supposedly set in the toy department at Simpson's Department Store supposedly in downtown Toronto, and the episodes took place after hours. The principal cast of characters included Jodie, who works in the children's department, Jeff, a mannequin who transformed into a human when wearing a Scottish tam and the magic words "Hocjus pocus alamagocus!" were uttered. A security guard named Sam Crenshaw, believed to be in his 90s in the series (I don't know why he never retired by that point), loved sailing on the open sea and enjoys singing "Yo He Ho" frequently. Sam operates a talking microcomputer, TXL 4000, to help find any activity in which things go wrong (imagine how it would work in the Internet era). And Muffy, a shy but intimidated mouse, lives in the store and seems to always make mistakes and fears consequences, only for the problems to be resolved with the help of Jodie or Jeff.
There were several celebrities who made guest appearances on the show, including iconic Canadian singer Bruce Cockburn (who had a US top 40 hit with "Wondering Where the Lions Are" in 1980).
Today's Special aired on other networks, including the original broadcaster, TVOntario (also known as TVO), and later Treehouse TV in Canada, and Nickelodeon. All of the episodes from the first two seasons are on YouTube, and TVO Kids have uploaded several high quality episodes onto their YouTube channel.
For those who remember the series, what are your favorite moments from the series? And the actor Jeff Hyslop who played Jeff, was he related to former Sesame Street executive producer Al Hyslop?