both aired in Canada during the 1980’s, the country
also produced several of its own shows, many with a
longevity equal to or greater than either of the PBS se-
ries. The Friendly Giant, a show designed for preschool
children, aired for more than twenty-five years before
its cancellation in the mid-1980’s. The show’s host,
Friendly (played by Bob Homme), entertained view-
ers with stories and songs.The Friendly Giant’s “triple
relationship,” featuring a sole human character inter-
acting with two puppets, was a popular formula for
many Canadian children’s shows. The triple relation-
ship was also utilized inMr. Dressup, a Canadian equiv-
alent toMr. Rogers’ Neighborhoodthat was a staple of
children’s television programming on the Canadian
Broadcasting Company (CBC) throughout the
1980’s. During each episode, Mr. Dressup (Ernie
Coombs) would reach into the Tickle Trunk, pull out
a costume or prop, and use it to educate or entertain
viewers.
Some children’s television programming of the
1980’s was not educational in the traditional sense
but nonetheless attempted to inform and, to some
degree, socialize children. Both theABC After School
Specials, broadcast by the American Broadcasting
Company, and the Columbia Broadcasting System
(CBS) seriesSchoolbreak Specialscomprised encapsu-
lated episodes that typically aired during the after-
noon, when latchkey children were home from
school, prior to adult-dominated, prime-time pro-
gramming. The specials dealt with many issues that
affected children, including domestic violence, al-
cohol or drug abuse, peer pressure, and divorce. No
matter the subject matter of the episodes, the series
depicted children who sometimes made mistakes
or were faced with difficult decisions or situations.
These shows provided significant contributions to
children’s television during the 1980’s and have had
a lasting cultural impact.
Variety Shows, Dramas, and Comedies Variety
shows have been a staple of commercial television
since its inception. Jim Henson’sThe Muppet Show
was a favorite variety show of many children, until
the program was taken off the air in 1981. The dis-
continuation ofThe Muppet Showseemed to herald
the end of variety shows for children; however, the
hiatus was temporary. Canada stepped into the
breach withYou Can’t Do That on Television, which was
broadcast on CTV in Canada and on Nickelodeon in
the United States. The show was considered the first
children’s variety television program staffed almost
exclusively by children. It was a blend of sketch com-
edy, heavy doses of satire, and lots of green slime. To-
gether,PinwheelandYou Can’t Do That on Television
represented the bulk of Nickelodeon’s program-
ming during the American network’s early years.
Other variety shows that achieved popularity in
Canada during the decade includedJust Kidding
andSwitchback, both of which combined comedy
sketches with more serious material, including in-
terviews with scientists, music artists, and sports ce-
lebrities.
Dramas had long been popular in children’s tele-
vision programming and were used to explore the
complexities of life. One of the most successful and
longest-running drama franchises in Canadian his-
tory began in the 1980’s withThe Kids of Degrassi
Street. Later series included Degrassi Junior High
andDegrassi High, which chronicled the problems
a group of children encountered growing up. The
shows dealt with drug and alcohol abuse, aca-
demic struggles, social class differences, homosexu-
ality, teen pregnancy, peer pressure, premarital sex,
and interracial relationships. All of theDegrassise-
ries featured children who were often confronted
with difficult or even dangerous decisions, which
they frequently had to make without adult interven-
tion or guidance. Another successful Canadian chil-
dren’s drama wasThe Edison Twins, produced by
CBC from 1982 to 1986 and aired in the United
States later in the decade. The series was a frank por-
trayal of the protagonists, fraternal twins Tom and
Annie Edison, dealing with the realities of young
adulthood. The show also featured the siblings’
younger brother and several of their friends; the
twins’ relationships with these characters illustrated
the importance of family and friends.
Comedies had also been a part of children’s
television programming for several decades. One
unique aspect of many situation comedies (sitcoms)
during the 1980’s was the prevalence of programs
made for and starring children, a departure from
previous decades, when adult comedy shows had
dominated the television market. A shared trait of
children’s sitcoms was the tendency to combine ele-
ments of comedy and drama or sentimentality; fre-
quently an episode would conclude with a discussion
of the lesson a character had learned. During the
1980’s, many children watchedFull House, which de-
picted a widowed father living in San Francisco andThe Eighties in America Children’s television 207