ImagiNation: The Golden Age of Toronto Kids' TV

A new book from Dundurn Press by Retrontario creator Ed Conroy

A nostalgic look back at fifty years of children’s television from the beloved — Polka Dot Door, Today’s Special — to the bizarre — Kiddo the Clown, Maniac Mansion.

From the time CBC sputtered onto screens in 1952, children’s television has been at the centre of Canada’s cultural output. The country’s first television host was an onery puppet named Chichimus, who set the stage for future Toronto-based puppeteers, producers, directors, and actors to make children’s television their own. With the studios of CBC, TVOntario, CFTO, and eventually YTV all located in Toronto, the city’s televisual output was staggering and fed by the imagination and hard work of the local talent.

Featuring over 100 children’s programs broadcast between 1950 and 2000, ImagiNation is a memory-filled trip for anyone who spent their weekdays after school or Saturday mornings staring at the squawk box. The story of each Toronto-produced series is covered — from inception through production to broadcast — along with the tales of local stations and the people who made it all happen.

Fans of Polka Dot Door, Degrassi Junior High, Readalong, YTV, Uncle Bobby, Mr. Dressup, and much more will find their favourites — plus shows they’ve forgotten they loved (or loathed). Whether you adored Jerome the Giraffe, Hammy the Hamster, the Fraggles, or the Grogs, ImagiNation is a trip you won’t want to miss.

PRAISE for

IMAGINATION

“ImagiNation is full of sumptuous detail, important history, and honours the people who created those programs. For me, it was The Friendly Giant, Mr. Dressup, Razzle Dazzle, and The Forest Rangers. For you, it will be a half-dozen other amazing programs. Lucky for us, Canada was particularly good at making kids’ shows. And lucky for us, Ed has gathered them all up and preserved them in this book.”

– Terry O’Reilly, host of CBC’s Under the Influence

“A much-needed compendium of the history of Canadian television. Coming from an era where we threw out tapes regularly, I’m thankful for Ed Conroy and Retrontario for creating such a rich archive for us to enjoy.”

– Phil Guerrero (a.k.a. PJ Fresh Phil), former host of YTV’s The Zone

“A diligent observer & committed supporter of television.”

– Moses Znaimer, creator of Citytv, MuchMusic, Bravo!, and ZoomerMedia

“Ed Conroy … has lovingly produced the definitive history of kids’ TV programs to date.… For this book, through his love of the genre and extensive research, he has unearthed numerous kids’ TV shows, many of which are deeply etched in the hearts and souls of our inner child.… So if you’re like me, and you believe that children’s programming is important to our culture or if you’re just feeling downright nostalgic, read this wonderful book!"

– Nina Keogh, TV history consultant and puppeteer

“Conroy's well-researched book ImagiNation took me down memory lane, sharing behind-the-scenes stories about the shows that coloured my world when I was a kid, when television was everything, and I believed everything was possible."