Most Popular Programs
Blizzard Island
Tracey Allen, a 10 year-old Nova Scotia girl, and her nine year-old brother Wayne find intrigue while rummaging through an old chest. Their father, a sea captain, keeps many strange things — but none stranger than a mysterious necklace. This "special" necklace transports them to the magical world of Blizzard Island. As the children quickly find out, the ...
Lynette Jennings Homeworks
Lynette Jennings Homeworks was a weekly show that communicated affordable within-reach advice to consumers in the areas of renovation, home improvement design and decorating.
After studying architecture and performing arts at the University of Michigan and Chicago's DePaul University, she relocated to Canada in 1971. The following year, Lynette bega ...
Size Small
Size Small was the Lumby family's television program for children. The original series of 65 episodes was hosted by mother Helen Lumby, produced by father John Lumby Sr., and along with 18 puppets, the show's performers include the three Lumby children: John Jr., Lisa, and Jeff.
Although the music on the program was provided by a Toronto firm, The Mu ...
Chez Hélène
Chez Hélène was a children's television series produced by and broadcast on CBC Television. The 15-minute weekday program was broadcast on the English television network to provide viewers with exposure to the French language.
The program was produced at CBC's Montreal studios. It began its 14-season run on 26 October 1959, with the final program air ...
Hilarious House of Frightenstein, The
The Hilarious House of Frightenstein was a Canadian children's television series which was produced by CHCH-TV. It was syndicated to television stations across Canada and the United States.
A quirky sketch comedy series, the show's cast included Billy Van, Fishka Rais, Guy Big, Mitch Markowitz, and Julius Sumner Miller. Van, in fact, played the vast ...
Skipper and Company
This half-hour children's show was set in the living room of a retired sea captain, who was played by Ray Bellew. His regular visitors included the postman; a magical friend named Vincent Vagabond; the cook, Charlie Lee; and an old friend, Corky. The skipper also gathered other guests, including singers, dancers, musicians, and hobbyists. Guests ranged ...
Don Messer's Jubilee
Don Messer's Jubilee appeared on the CBC in the same time slot for virtually an entire decade, and became one of the most beloved programs CBC television has ever produced. It presented a selection of old-time, country, and Maritime-flavoured folk music, and gained the loyalty that characterizes audiences of traditional, country music.
After CBC canc ...
Street Legal
Street Legal was a Canadian television drama that focused on professional and personal lives of the members of Toronto law firm. The show, set and often shot in downtown Toronto, dealt with Canadian issues that made it strikingly different from its counterparts. Filled with memorable characters and, at times, controversial storylines, the series ran for ...
Howdy Doody
Originally an American program, "Howdy Doody" was rewritten and recast by CBC, Canadianizing characters such as Buffalo Bill into Timber Tom. The program featured an ongoing storyline, and a cast of characters performing songs and slapstick to a live studio audience known as the peanut gallery.
The CBC aired the all-Canadian version of "Howdy Doody" ...
Plouffe Family, The
The Plouffe Family was a Canadian television drama about a Quebec family that first aired in the French-language on Société Radio-Canada in 1953. A year following the successful premiere of the original series, CBC programmers decided to launch an English version. The version was essentially the same as its French counterpart, though modifications w ...
Willy and Floyd
Willy & Floyd featured wise Uncle Willy (Bill Luxton) and his buck-toothed nephew, Floyd (Les Lye) in a show full of slapstick, puppets and gags. Willy and Floyd was originally just a wrap-around for a Saturday morning cartoon series, but it soon expanded to a full half-hour show. It originated at CJOH in Ottawa and was eventually syndicated across Cana ...
Uncle Chichimus
"Uncle Chichimus" was one of the first live television productions to originate in Canada, preceded only by a news bulletin when CBC-TV went to air on day one. Created by John Conway, the program began as part of a weekday, early evening family program called "Let's See," and quickly became a daily children's favourite.
Uncle Chichimus "Chich" and H ...
Reach for the Top
The televised Reach for the Top series was first shown on CBC affiliate CBUT in Vancouver, British Columbia in 1961. The first national Reach for the Top tournament took place in 1965. The series was filmed at locations across Canada with the national championships held in Montreal, Quebec. In 1968 a short-lived Trans-World Top Team series was created b ...
You Can't Do That on Television
You Can't Do That on Television (YCDTOTV) was a children's television program produced from 1979 until 1990, with a reunion episode in 2004. It primarily featured child actors in a sketch comedy format, acting out short scenes based on a theme that served as the topic for the episode. Connecting scenes based on the theme would often serve to create a st ...
Mr. Piper
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation purchased this 39-episode children's series from Pied Piper Films Ltd. of Toronto. Host for the show was Toronto opera singer Alan Crofoot. Each weekly half-hour program consisted of four segments. The first, Tale Time, was a fantasy story using graphics with Crofoot's voice over film as narration. Other segment ...
Vid Kids
Vid Kids was a lively half-hour show featuring original and well-known songs ranging from the '60s to the '80s, each presented in music-video form in a wide range of styles and settings.
The Vid Kids themselves, aged from 7 to 14, appeared throughout each show to sing, dance and act out the lyrics of the songs, bringing youthful high energy to the s ...
King of Kensington
Larry King owned and operated a variety store in Toronto's crowded, multicultural Kensington Market. In the tradition of the television comedy series, most of the action took place in one or two sets, principally King's store and attached house. Larry was a portly, garrulous fellow whose business was everyone else's business. He ran the shop with his wi ...
Randy Dandy
Rafael Markowitz, then known as Randy Martin, hosted this children's series on CHCH-TV. Fast-paced and swiftly varied, the show mixed a merry melange of cartoons, animated characters, curious props, hand puppets, special film effects and studio improvisations.
Written with unusual skill to capture youngsters' interest, its host was backed up by clow ...
CBC Championship Curling
Besides regular coverage of Canadian and international curling, the CBC sponsored an annual bonspiel. CBC edited and broadcast the matches on Saturday afternoons in the winter. CBC Championship Curling changed its name to CBC Curling Classic in 1973.
All Around the Circle
All Around The Circle was a weekly half-hour program of good music, song, variety and travel from St. John's, Newfoundland. It originally aired only locally but made its debut on the CBC-TV network in the summer of 1969. Regulars appearing in the first nationally televised summer series included singers John White and Carol Brothers, musician Ray Walsh ...