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Cappelli & Company facts for kids
| Cappelli & Company | |
|---|---|
| Created by | Frank Cappelli |
| Presented by | Frank Cappelli |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of episodes | 65 |
| Production | |
| Running time | 30 minutes |
| Release | |
| Original network | WTAE-TV |
| Original release | May 27, 1989 – December 5, 1992 |
Cappelli & Company was a fun American TV show made for children. It was created by and starred Frank Cappelli, who is a talented songwriter and composer. The show was produced for about four and a half years, from 1989 to 1992. It first started in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on the ABC TV station WTAE-TV.
The show quickly became very popular in Pittsburgh. It received good reviews and high ratings. Because of its success, Cappelli & Company was then shown on other TV stations across the country. These stations were owned by Hearst Television, the same company that owned WTAE. Some of these stations included WCVB in Boston and KMBC in Kansas City. The show continued to air on these stations well into the 1990s.
Contents
What Was the Show About?
Cappelli & Company was filled with music, puppets, and fun activities. Frank Cappelli would often lead sing-alongs with a live audience of kids in the studio. He would play his acoustic guitar during these parts.
Musical Adventures
Many parts of the show featured musical segments. These were filmed in different places away from the main studio. Frank Cappelli wrote all the original songs. Some songs were lighthearted, like "Brusha-Brusha Brush Your Teeth." Others were more heartfelt, like "Lindsay's Bakery." Kids would often appear in these segments to help tell the story of each song. Sometimes, other adult actors would also join in.
Special Guests and Discoveries
Guests with different talents would also visit Frank Cappelli and the kids in the studio. Each episode also included a "human interest" segment. This was a special part where viewers could learn how things are made or done. For example, one segment might show how candy is made inside a factory. This was similar to the "Picture Picture" segment on Mister Rogers' Neighborhood.
How the Show Became Even More Popular
Because Cappelli & Company was so successful on the Hearst TV stations, a big cable channel for kids, Nickelodeon, decided to air reruns of the show. It became part of their Monday-Friday morning block called Nick Jr.. The show started airing on Nick Jr. on April 5, 1993, and continued until June 10, 1994.
Even after new episodes stopped being made in 1992, Hearst stations kept showing Cappelli & Company once a week on Saturday mornings. WTAE, the show's first station, aired it the longest. It ran for 14 years in total, with the last 10 years being only reruns. The show was finally removed from WTAE's Saturday morning schedule in the fall of 2003. Most other Hearst stations stopped airing it by the late 1990s.
Awards and Music
Cappelli & Company was very successful on both regular TV and cable. It won two Emmys for being a high-quality children's program. It also received two national Gabriel Awards for children's television.
Frank Cappelli also signed a deal with A&M Records as a national recording artist. He released six audio cassettes and two video cassettes. These were partly based on the songs and ideas from the TV series. Both his audio and video recordings won many Parent Choice Awards, showing how much families loved his work.