O Canada: Whatchamacallit? - Page 8

SignalHillHiker · #**141** Posted **Apr 16, 2014, 10:14 AM**

Never heard of Roger Ramjet.

RWin · #**142** Posted **Apr 16, 2014, 12:49 PM**

Speaking of kids shows, the Australian work buddy had never heard of Mr. Dressup. When the other Canadian colleague and I mentioned it, he thought we were talking about porn. And even Siri didn't have a clue:

Bob: "Mr. Dressup"

Siri: "There are two costume shops near your current location."

Acajack · #**143** Posted **Apr 16, 2014, 12:51 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by RWin

Speaking of kids shows, the Australian work buddy had never heard of Mr. Dressup. When the other Canadian colleague and I mentioned it, he thought we were talking about porn. And even Siri didn't have a clue:

Bob: "Mr. Dressup"

Siri: "There are two costume shops near your current location."

Mr. Dressup is pretty much (English) Canada only.

RWin · #**144** Posted **Apr 16, 2014, 12:54 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Acajack

Mr. Dressup is pretty much (English) Canada only.

I can't imagine it dubed anyway. Or with subtitles

kwoldtimer · #**145** Posted **Apr 16, 2014, 12:55 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by SignalHillHiker

Never heard of Roger Ramjet.

You know, I have no memory of seeing the cartoon but as soon as I saw the name, the tune came to me with the lyrics I remember from childhood:

Roger Ramjet, he's our man.
Hero of our nation.
The only thin that's wrong with him
is mental retardation!

Is it possible that it gets harder to learn as we grow older because our brains are filled with childhood crap that will never go away?

Acajack · #**146** Posted **Apr 16, 2014, 12:57 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by kwoldtimer

You know, I have no memory of seeing the cartoon but as soon as I saw the name, the tune came to me with the lyrics I remember from childhood:

Roger Ramjet, he's our man.
Hero of our nation.
The only thin that's wrong with him
is mental retardation!

Going from memory only I believe the last lines went something like:

To see what Roger will do next
Just stay tuned to this station

SignalHillHiker · #**147** Posted **Apr 16, 2014, 1:03 PM**

Our kids' rhymes were stupid.

I remember set to Loonie Toons: "We're tiny, we're toony, we're all a little loony because Brian Mulrooney invented GST!"

And set to God Save the Queen: "God give us lots of beans, to stuff in our tummies, we want more beans. Then we'll bend over, pucker our sphincters, and blow them out of us, thank God for beans!"

kwoldtimer · #**148** Posted **Apr 16, 2014, 1:03 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Acajack

Going from memory only I believe the last lines went something like:

To see what Roger will do next
Just stay tuned to this station

You are probably correct. I wonder where our "parody" version came from?

MolsonExport · #**149** Posted **Apr 16, 2014, 1:04 PM**

what about Casey and Finnegan? They were an odd couple.

Acajack · #**150** Posted **Apr 16, 2014, 1:04 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by RWin

I can't imagine it dubed anyway. Or with subtitles

While some children's do get dubbed, it's worthy of note that the most legendary children's shows from both English and French Canada were not, and so memories of the most beloved kids' shows from "home" are almost perfectly "'siloed" between anglophones and francophones, with only a minority of Canadians (like me I suppose) having a grasp of the classics on either side.

I am think of stuff like Mr. Dressup, the Friendly Giant and for Ontarians mostly, Polka Dot Door.

And in French there was Passe-Partout, Bobino, etc.

Acajack · #**151** Posted **Apr 16, 2014, 1:05 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by kwoldtimer

You are probably correct. I wonder where our "parody" version came from?

It's not hard to figure out if you remember the show. Roger wasn't the sharpest tool in the box if I recall.

SignalHillHiker · #**152** Posted **Apr 16, 2014, 1:06 PM**

The Canadian one I remember most was Circle Square Ranch.

"21-21 Station F, Toronto, Ontario, M-4-Y 2-Z-9" or something close to that.

MolsonExport · #**153** Posted **Apr 16, 2014, 1:09 PM**

In Quebec, the "poverty pack" was those 15-packs of cigarettes that came out in the late 80s. Two bucks a pack, they were. Instead of taking the bus (fare), you could use it for a poverty pack. Kept me in smokes when I couldn't afford the regular-size packs of 25 (I know that out west, the packs are 20). The government eventually banned the poverty pack, as studies showed it to be a gateway for youth to start smoking (i.e., making it affordable).

10 years since quitting the evil weed. Started with these in the 70s:

barbarastew

Razor · #**154** Posted **Apr 16, 2014, 1:11 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Acajack

I am think of stuff like Mr. Dressup, the Friendly Giant and for Ontarians mostly, Polka Dot Door.

Gee thanks..Now I can't get the Polka Dot Door theme song out of my head now.

I posted this at one time in the Ontario section, so maybe I'll revive it here.

Regional, but does anyone remember these old TVO commercials?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_9wHORHy2Gw

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pp3C4jOzJVg

Now I'm going to go out on a limb here and assume that there may be someone on here that remembers that old adoption show where you would adopt a child ..The theme song for the weekly series was The Beatles - All you need is love..The name of the show was Family Finder with David Duvall I believe. Ontario only. Parading innocent children on a live television set with the intent of having viewers adopt them would be unthinkable in today's day and age.

SignalHillHiker · #**155** Posted **Apr 16, 2014, 1:17 PM**

The packs are 20s here as well.

Acajack · #**156** Posted **Apr 16, 2014, 1:23 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Razor

Gee thanks..Now I can't get the Polka Dot Door theme song out of my head now.

I posted this at one time in the Ontario section, so maybe I'll revive it here.

Regional, but does anyone remember these old TVO commercials?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_9wHORHy2Gw

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pp3C4jOzJVg

Now I'm going to go out on a limb here and assume that there may be someone on here that remembers that old adoption show where you would adopt a child ..The theme song for the weekly series was The Beatles - All you need is love..The name of the show was Family Finder with David Duvall I believe. Ontario only.

Yes I do!

I wonder if Polka Dot Door (produced by TVO) was broadcast in the other provinces as well? I seem to recall seeing it in the Maritimes as a kid but not sure.

I believe it may have also been broadcast on CBC English stations in Quebec (we used to get the one from Montreal on cable in Eastern Ontario) when they had their educational programming block in the morning called "Quebec Schools Telecasts".

It may have also been broadcast by the Quebec equivalent to TVO, Télé-Québec (originally known as Radio-Québec), during blocks of English-language kids' programming they had during the day.

SignalHillHiker · #**157** Posted **Apr 16, 2014, 1:25 PM**

And then there was this...

• Video Link

It all seemed so normal as a child. Now it terrifies me to think these sorts of things made me who I am.

Taeolas · #**158** Posted **Apr 16, 2014, 1:28 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Acajack

Yes I do!

I wonder if Polka Dot Door (produced by TVO) was broadcast in the other provinces as well? I seem to recall seeing it in the Maritimes as a kid but not sure.

I remember seeing Polka Dot Door, but only when we went to see my grandparents in Cape Breton. Where I grew up, (Richmond Corner, NB), cable wasn't out our way so our only choice was the 5 stations on Antenna (CBS(WAGM), MPBN (PBS), CBC, CTV and occasionally MITV from Saint John), and I don't believe it aired regularly on any of them.

But my grandparents had cable, and it seemed I was always stumbling across it. I guess Donkin/Glace Bay's cable system must have had TVO back then.

Nashe · #**159** Posted **Apr 16, 2014, 1:30 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by SignalHillHiker

And then there was this...
(Captain Newfoundland)
It all seemed so normal as a child. Now it terrifies me to think these sorts of things made me who I am.

Nightmare material that. Except for Golden Dove. Was her outfit illegal in NL what with the cleavage?

SignalHillHiker · #**160** Posted **Apr 16, 2014, 1:31 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Vorkuta

Nightmare material that. Except for Golden Dove. Was her outfit illegal in NL what with the cleavage?

Nah, b'y. Ye can do whatever ye wants on TV.