There are few personalities that unite Canadians fairly like Mr. Dressup.
For 29 years, spanning a formidable 4,000 episodes, the beloved youngsters’s present host appeared on tv screens throughout the nation, inviting children to discover his iconic Tickle Trunk alongside a legion of puppet sidekicks, together with the cherished duo of Casey and Finnegan.
And though many are conversant in the character portrayed by Ernie Coombs, far fewer know the endearing story of how Mr. Dressup got here to be a mainstay on Canadian TV.
Now, a brand new documentary is about to discover that, taking a deep dive into the Mr. Dressup’s legacy in addition to his profound impression on youngsters’s programming.
‘Mr. Dressup: The Artwork of Make-Imagine’ begins streaming on Prime Video Oct. 10.
Amazon Prime Video
“There’s not sufficient time to debate the issues that I discovered (whereas making the documentary),” Rob McCallum, the director of Mr. Dressup: The Magic of Make-Imagine, informed International Information.
“What actually strikes me, if we wish to get actual for a second, was that as a lot as this was a children’ present on the floor – made for youths to really feel protected and really feel cherished by everyone – watching it with my children it grew to become far more about ‘Wow, I’m nonetheless studying from Mr. Dressup’. And, boy, I want I used to be extra affected person like Ernie. I want I used to be extra within the second and never distracted with every little thing that’s happening exterior my residence…how come we will’t be a bit bit extra like Mr. Dressup?”
Weaving collectively interviews from Canadian celebrities like Michael J. Fox, the Barenaked Girls and Bif Bare, with archival footage from the present and tales from the late Coombs’ private life, Mr. Dressup: The World of Make-Imagine takes a more in-depth look into the lifetime of a person identified for his kindness, inclusiveness and creativity.
“Ernie’s programming, and the programming round that timeframe, actually centered on creativity from its simplicity,” Jani Lauzon, a puppeteer on the present, informed International Information. “You may actually create one thing out of nothing, and that was the unimaginable fantastic thing about the present. All you wanted was a bit of paper and a few scissors and a few glue or tape and you might create one thing.”
International Information sat down with McCallum, Lauzon and fellow puppeteer Jim Parker to debate all issues Mr. Dressup, the documentary, and the endearing and lasting relationship Coombs maintained with fellow youngsters’s present host, Fred Rogers, of Mr. Rogers Neighbourhood fame. Watch the interview above.
Mr. Dressup: The Magic of Make-Imagine will likely be accessible for streaming on Amazon Prime Video on Oct. 10.
© 2023 International Information, a division of Corus Leisure Inc.
