Kids CBC logo |
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| Channel | CBC Television |
|---|---|
| Origin | Canada |
| Format | Children's programming block |
| Runtime | 7:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. (EST) |
Kids' CBC is a preschool commercial-free programming block aired weekday mornings on CBC Television.
Currently, the hosts of the block are Patty Sullivan and Sid Bobb.
Contents |
Children's programming has always been part of CBC's weekday lineup, for almost as long as the network CBC existed.
From the 1980s to the early 1990s, the lineup was called Hodge Podge Lodge (not to be confused with the American series of the same name), with interstitals featuring animated multi-coloured geometric shapes.
In the early 1990s, the lineup was relaunched as CBC Playground, and aired Fred Penner's Place, Guess What?, Mr. Dressup, Rolie Polie Olie, Sesame Park, Skinnamarink TV, and Theodore Tugboat. In the late 1990s, two human hosts, Lisa and Drew, were added to the block.
In 1999, CBC Playground was replaced with Get Set for Life, a block named after a partnership between non-profit parenting organization Invest in Kids, Canadian Living magazine, and the CBC Children's Programming Department. It featured Alyson Court and Michael Clark as hosts.
Get Set for Life saw the departure of Fred Penner's Place, Guess What?, Rolie Polie Olie, Skinnamarink TV, and Theodore Tugboat.
Kids' CBC started in 2003, taking the place of Get Set for Life on CBC. Alyson and Michael still appeared from time to time, but the look and the studio sets had been drastically changed. The child seen in the Get Set For Life logo was slightly redesigned and turned into a separate animated character called Dot, and the Get Set For Life theme song and opening sequence were rewritten and reshot. Five regional hosts appeared, providing links from all over Canada. The hosts were Patty Sullivan (Ontario), Joyce Quansah (Quebec), Kush Uppal (Western Canada), Hayley Gene (the Prairies), and Dashi Malone (Atlantic Canada).
In December 2005, the first season of Kids' CBC was deemed a success. There was only one major change, which was changing the set from a colourful fantasy world to a garden in a geometric type dome. Both Hayley Gene and Dashi Malone moved on to other things and were replaced by Mark O'Brien and Holly Bernier.
This edition of the block also saw the departure of Mr. Dressup, which was removed from syndication after ten years of reruns and five years after the death of Ernie Coombs, who played the role of the title character.
In September 2007, the hosted interstitial segments on Kids' CBC became Kids' Canada. For these segments, everything had changed except for Patty. The garden was replaced by a Canadian village-type setting. The regional hosts moved on and Sid Bobb came in as co-host. New puppets arrived to feature various parts of Canadian culture, such as Mamma Yamma, who is played by puppeteer Ali Eisner, Drumheller Dinosaur (Alberta), Saumon de Champlain (Chateau Frontenac), and Captain Claw (Peggys Cove, Nova Scotia). A new character, "Canada", a green, abstract representation of the map of Canada, was also introduced. The Kids' CBC branding and logo remain, to represent the block as a whole.
Current Kids' Canada shows include Animal Mechanicals, Artzooka!, Bo on the Go!, Dirtgirlworld, The Doodlebops, Lunar Jim, Poko, Razzberry Jazzberry Jam, The Save-Ums, Super Why!, and Turbo Dogs.