The Big Comfy Couch

The Big Comfy Couch
Created by Cheryl Wagner
Directed by Wayne Moss (1992-1994)
Robert Mills (1995-1996, 2002, 2006)
Steve Wright (2006)
Presented by Alyson Court (1992–1996, 2002)
Ramona Gilmour-Darling (2006)
Starring Bob Stutt
Fred Stinson
Grindl Kuchirka
Edward Knuckles (2002, 2006)
Robert Mills
Taborah Johnson (1992-1996)
Jani Lauzon (1992-1996)
Jackie Harris (1992-1993)
Suzanne Merriam (1994-1996)
Theme music composer JP Houston
Composer(s) JP Houston (1992–1996, 2002)
George Flores (2006)
Country of origin Canada
Original language(s) English
No. of seasons 7
No. of episodes 100
Production
Executive producer(s) Annabel Slaight
Producer(s) Cheryl Wagner
Robert Mills
Location(s)

Wallace Avenue Studios
Toronto, Ontario (1992–1996 and 2002)

Studio City
Toronto, Ontario (2006)
Editor(s) Steven B. Pinchuk
Camera setup Multi-camera
Running time 25 minutes
Production company(s) Radical Sheep Productions
Owl Television (1992-1993)
Owl Communications (1994-1995)
YTV (1992-1996)
Amity Entertainment (2002, 2006)
Tadpole Kids (2002)
Nashville Public Television (2002, 2006)
Benny Smart Films (1995-1996)
American Public Television
Release
Original network YTV (1992-1996)
Treehouse (2002, 2006)
PTV/PTV Park (US) (1995-1996)
PBS Kids (US) (2002, 2006)
Original release March 2, 1992 (1992-03-02) – December 29, 2006 (2006-12-29)

The Big Comfy Couch is a Canadian preschool television series about Loonette the Clown and her doll Molly, who solve everyday problems on their Big Comfy Couch. It aired from 1992 until 2006. It was produced by Cheryl Wagner and Robert Mills, directed by Wayne Moss, Robert Mills and Steve Wright. It premiered on March 2, 1992 in Canada and in February 1995 in the USA on public television stations across the country.

Synopsis

Each episode contains several common elements that take place throughout the episode. Early in each show, Loonette performs an exercise routine she calls the Clock Rug Stretch, and toward the end, she performs a high-speed clean-up routine called the Ten-Second Tidy.

Other oft-repeated elements include reading a story to Molly, who sometimes either chooses a story to hear, gives Loonette a book and oversized glasses, or turning on the lights for Loonette; encounters with the dust bunnies who live under the couch; visits to various places in Clowntown, songs that emphasize the episode's lessons or themes, and a trip to Granny Garbanzo's garden and house. Here she encounters Snicklefritz, Granny's cat; Major Bedhead, the local mail-delivery clown, who travels on a unicycle; and of course, Granny herself. The conversation with Granny is often used as the episode's teachable moment, where Granny offers Loonette advice or lessons, often with the help of Major Bedhead, who delivers gifts and messages from Auntie Macassar or Uncle Chester. All episodes end with Loonette and Molly having a nap and sometimes reminding the viewers to remember the rules on today's episode.

In season 7, Loonette and Molly play the Dream Game and Molly gives out the letter that the dream starts with and provide what they will be dreaming about. In season 6, Loonette and Molly play the Doll School Game where Molly learns the alphabet as well as numbers. A similar element used in seasons 1–3 (And in one episode of Season 5) is the Alphabet Game, where a certain letter is shown on a giant alphabet block and Loonette uses certain words beginning with that letter and also makes the letter's shape with her body to get the viewers to guess the letter.

Along with the lessons and problem solving sequences, the show also emphasized imaginative play. These episodes often take place in the context of a visit to Clowntown, with sites such as Granny Garbanzo's Cabbage Club Cooking School, and Major Bedhead's Clown Chi Dojo and Dancing School. Additionally, Loonette is gifted in the art of classical dance and runs Miss Loonette's Dance Academy. From Seasons 1-6, Loonette was too young to visit Clowntown alone, but in Season 7, she makes frequent trips to Clowntown, and volunteers at the Clowndergarten, where she teaches young clowns games, songs and stories. This imaginative play was also demonstrated through dress-up games and through Loonette's dollhouse, in which she imagined the adventures of The Foley Family. Shown first as a doll-sized family, in Loonette's imagination they would become a family of regular-sized clowns, whose actions were shown in high speed and with a musical background in the style of old silent movies. The Foley's did not speak. Early in the first season, Molly had discovered the Dust Bunnies. However, Loonette didn't believe that there are dust bunnies under the couch.

The two lounge around the couch all day, with the exception of the Clock Rug Stretch and daily adventure, sometimes involving Granny or Major Bedhead, a postal service employee who also plays bit parts. Each day includes a few songs and a story (which, when told by Loonette, involves her wearing huge yellow glasses and holding a blue storybook); and is concluded with the Ten-Second Tidy and a nice nap.

Production

The show was originally produced by Radical Sheep Productions and Owl Television, then Canadian children's television network YTV and WITF-TV Harrisburg, with a run of 65 episodes. In 2002, 13 new episodes were produced with Benny Smart, an American children's television production company, Tadpole TV and Treehouse TV, a companion channel of YTV, and Nashville Public Television.

From 1992 to 1996 and 2002, the show was filmed at Wallace Avenue Studios in Toronto, and in 2006, it has been filmed at Toronto's Studio City.

Radical Sheep Productions and Amity Entertainment, in association with Treehouse TV and Nashville Public Television, produced 22 additional episodes, which debuted on American Public Television in 2006.

Characters

Loonette

Loonette is the lead character, portrayed by Alyson Court from 1992–2002 and Ramona Gilmour-Darling in 2006. She is a young clown living with her doll, Molly, on the eponymous Big Comfy Couch, an over-sized couch.

She frequently reads stories to Molly, always performs a Clock Rug Stretch, and likes to visit Granny Garbanzo. Auntie Macassar or Uncle Chester frequently send Loonette postcards which Major Bedhead delivers on his unicycle. Her Parents are never seen or mentioned. Loonette is gifted in the art of classical dance and runs Miss Loonette's Dance Academy. Another gift she possesses is the unusual ability to clean just about any mess up in ten seconds, which she calls the Ten Second Tidy.

Originally, Loonette was too bossy even when Molly didn't like it, and she was too young to visit Clowntown, but starting from 2006, Loonette makes frequent trips to Clowntown to visit Granny's Cabbage Club Cooking School and Major Bedhead's Clown Chi Dojo and Dancing School. The trips to this second location indicates that she practices martial arts. Loonette also takes Molly to Clowndergarten and helps out with the other young clowns. This third location is similar to kindergarten.

Molly

Molly is Loonette's doll. Loonette found her in a barrel with a sign marked "Free to a good home", and adopted her. She is puppetered by Bob Stutt.

Molly wears a blue dress. She believes that dust bunnies really exist, despite Loonette's disbelief. Her favorite food is doughnuts. She only speaks by cartoon bubbles, and usually answers Loonette's yes–no questions by either nodding or shaking her head.

Additional characters

Reruns and other original channels

In the United States, the series was syndicated by American Public Television to public television stations in that country, most of which were affiliated with PBS, starting in February 1995 and ending in December 2006. In Canada, it was shown on Treehouse TV until it stopped broadcasting in 2011, it is mainly shown on demand.

Merchandise

Additional items for kids, like coloring pages, could be found on the Big Comfy Couch website. Other merchandise included: VHS tapes, DVDs, coloring books, stuffed plush dolls and furniture, puzzles, and life size dolls.

Episodes

Season 1: 1992

Season 2: 1993

A large painting of someone is now hanging on Loonette's wall to the upper right next to the couch and a fence and garden wall to Granny's garden is added. All Dance Academy shows are announced by Fred Stinson. Snicklefritz also debuts in this season.

Season 3: 1994

The intro changes starting this season, and now features Snicklefritz and Auntie Macassar. Auntie Macassar now speaks in the postcards sent to Loonette. The Clock Rug gets a new redesign with darker colors and a new font for the numbers. Also, Granny's garden is redesigned with brighter green grass.

Season 4: 1995

Season 5: 1996

This was the last season of The Foley Family, Miss Loonette's Dance Academy, The Alphabet Game , Auntie Macassar and and Dust Bunny Comedy. This was also the last season that the stories Loonette read were illustrated.

Season 6: 2002

The intro changes again with children's vocals re-recorded, The couch is redesigned and Uncle Chester now sends the postcards to Loonette. The dustbunny music and the ending music have been changed in this season as well. Each episode features Molly attending Doll School with Loonette accompanying her. The stories that Loonette reads are now in live action. Even though the Foley Family segments were discontinued in Season 5, the dollhouse was still seen on the set next to the couch.

Season 7: 2006

Ramona Gilmour-Darling replaces Alyson Court in the role of Loonette. The Clock Rug is now smaller with darker colors. Also in this season, Loonette and Molly visit places in Clowntown such as Granny's Cabbage Club Cooking School, Major Bedhead's Clown Chi Dojo and Dancing School and Clowndergarten. Additionally, while Molly and Loonette are sleeping at the end of each episode prior to the credits, they play the dream game, dreaming about letters of the alphabet and what starts with that letter. The dollhouse was removed. This season featured the least amount of episodes with Loonette reading Molly a story.

Media

Time-Life Video was the main distributor for releasing the Big Comfy Couch series under Time-Life Video's children's label Time-Life Kids. VHS releases are also released by Goldhil Video.

DVD releases

The Big Comfy Couch has 5 DVDs featuring the new season starring Ramona Gilmour-Darling. The DVDs and VHS tapes that feature Alyson Court are now out of print, but can be found on certain websites such as Amazon.

On July 30, 2013, TGG Direct released the first two seasons on DVD in Region 1 for the very first time.[1][2] Seasons 3–7 were released on August 6, 2013.[3][4][5][6][7]

Album releases

Several albums of the original songs written by JP Houston and performed by the cast were released by Time-Life, as well as Naxos Music.

App releases

In 2015, Radical Sheep, in association with Sticky Brain Studios, released some apps based on the series.

Another app was released on May 17, 2016 called "Molly's Big Day". This app focuses on Molly and her big first day in Clowndergarten. There are also activities for the players to do as well.

This Hour Has 22 Minutes

On the October 18, 2016 episode of This Hour Has 22 Minutes, in a segment discussing the 2016 clown sightings, Loonette made an appearance as the show's "clown correspondent". This was the character's first television appearances since the show's finale in 2006 and the first time Alyson Court had portrayed Loonette on TV since her departure in 2002 when she was pregnant with her son, Blaede Court-Suzuki.

Tours

The Big Comfy Couch has had a few live shows at Londonderry Mall in Edmonton, Alberta and sometimes in Calgary and rarely in Regina, Saskatchewan.

Loonette and Molly Live Theatrical Tour

In 2007, a live theatrical production entitled Molly's Fool Moon Festival toured in Canada. The show included Loonette, Molly, Granny Garbanzo and Major Bedhead.

The production was produced by Koba Entertainment, and presented by Paquin Entertainment Group.

References

  1. Big Comfy Couch: Complete Season One
  2. Big Comfy Couch: Complete Season Two
  3. http://www.amazon.com/Big-Comfy-Couch-Season-3/dp/B00CMQIDZE
  4. http://www.amazon.com/Big-Comfy-Couch-Season-4/dp/B00CMQIE62
  5. http://www.amazon.com/Big-Comfy-Couch-Season-5/dp/B00CMQIDGI
  6. http://www.amazon.com/Big-Comfy-Couch-Season-6/dp/B00CMQIDCW
  7. Big Comfy Couch-Season 7, Tgg Direct, Llc, 2013-08-06, retrieved 2016-07-10
  8. Just Ask Molly! Accessed May 2, 2015.
  9. Fuzzy Wuzzy Fun! Accessed May 2, 2015.
  10. Clock Rug Time Accessed May 28, 2015.
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