Kids' CBC
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Kids' CBC Logo | |
| Premiered | September 1, 2003 |
|---|---|
| Network | CBC Television |
| Country of origin | Canada |
| Format | Children's programming block |
| Running time | 7:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. (EST) |
Kids' CBC is a commercial-free programming block aired weekday mornings on CBC Television. The current hosts of the block are Patty Sullivan and Sid Bobb.
History
Children's programming has always been a part of CBC's weekday lineup, for almost as long as the network CBC existed.
Hodge Podge Lodge
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.
CBC Playground
In the 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 Richardson and Drew Carnwath, were added to the block.
Get Set For Life
In 2000, 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 and is considered a classic programming block among fans.
Get Set for Life saw the departure of Fred Penner's Place and Guess What?, whilst Skinnamarink TVMr. Dressup and Theodore Tugboat were reduced to early morning slots in the weekends.
To date, Get Set for Life merchandise and footage is extremely rare. Almost no set photos exist online, no public videos are available, and the only available merchandise is a rare CD, Get Set to Sing With Alyson and Michael.
Kids' CBC
Kids' CBC started in 2003, replacing Get Set for Life on CBC. Alyson Court and Michael Clark continued to appear, but the main live action stars were five regional hosts from various parts of Canada. The hosts were Patty Sullivan (Ontario), Joyce Quansah (Quebec), Kush Uppal (Western Canada), Hayley Gene (the Prairies), and Dashi Malone (Atlantic Canada). The look and the studio sets had also been drastically changed. The child seen in the Get Set For Life logo was slightly redesigned to look less crude and turned into a separate animated character called Dot, and the Get Set For Life theme song was rewritten with new lyrics to match the block and given a new opening sequence, albeit with a few shots of the original opening sequence (Michael and Alyson exclaiming, "Bring it on!").
CBC Garden
In December 2005, the first season of Kids' CBC was deemed a success. There was only one major change, which was changing the original animated set to a live-action garden in a geometric type dome. Hayley Gene and Dashi Malone were replaced by Mark O'Brien and Holly Bernier, respectively.
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.
Kids' Canada
In September 2007, the hosted interstitial segments on Kids' CBC became Kids' Canada. For these segments, everything had changed. The garden was replaced by a Canadian village-type setting and a treehouse that was referred to as the "careforce" was added. The regional hosts moved on and Sid Bobb came in as co-host.
New puppets arrived to feature various parts of Canadian culture, each representing a different Canadian region:
- Mamma Yamma is a yam representing Ontario. She is the owner of a fruit and vegetable stand in Toronto's Kensington Market.
- Drumheller is a dinosaur that represents Western Canada. He is from the archaeological site near Drumheller.
- Saumon de Champlain is a fictionalized salmon version of Samuel de Champlain, who lives at the Château Frontenac.
- Captain Claw is a lobster representing Atlantic Canada. He is a lighthouse keeper in Peggys Cove, Nova Scotia.
Each of the puppets were used in a variety of scenes in their local setting, typically educational in nature. Mamma Yamma would frequently host cameos by visiting celebrities such as musicians or Canadian television personalities; a compilation album of live performances, Mamma Yamma and Friends, was released in 2008.
A new character, "Canada", a green, abstract animated representation of the map of Canada, was also introduced. The Kids' CBC branding and logo remain, to represent the block as a whole.
The new block gained generally negative feedback from older fans who preferred the human hosts.
In January 2013 the Kids' CBC style was changed. Drumheller, Saumon de Champlain, Captain Claw, and Canada were removed. A new theme song titled "You and Me and Kids' CBC" was added. New segments, such as Arts and Crafts, were added.
The current Kids' Canada programs are The Adventures of Napkin Man, Arthur, Bo on the Go!, Bookaboo, Busytown Mysteries, Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood, The Doodlebops, The Doodlebops Rockin' Road Show, Lunar Jim, and Super Why! , The Animals Pet, The Moblees .