Harrigan (TV series) facts for kids

Harrigan was a popular Canadian TV show for kids. It aired during the 1970s and 1980s. The main character, Harrigan, was a friendly leprechaun. He was played by actor Barry Dale.

The show was made by CKWS-TV, a TV station in Kingston, Ontario. It was shown all over Canada. This is called syndication. It means the show was bought by different TV stations to air.

Many kids remember the catchy theme song. Part of it went: "H - A - double R - I - G - A - N ... it's Harr-i-gan!"

What Was the Harrigan Show About?

Each episode of Harrigan was about 30 minutes long. The show had different fun parts for children. Harrigan would often look into his magical pot of gold.

Magical Pot of Gold Segment

In one part of the show, Harrigan would look into his magical pot of gold. He would see hand-drawn pictures. These pictures were sent in by his young fans. Harrigan's co-star in these segments was Deb-Lyn. She was Barry Dale's daughter.

Miss Sunflower and Mr. Green

Another fun character was Miss Sunflower. She delivered the mail to Harrigan. She rode a unicycle! Miss Sunflower was played by Jo-Anna Dale, Barry Dale's wife.

Harrigan also had a good puppet friend named Mr. Green. Harrigan and Mr. Green would sit together. They would read a book to all the children watching at home. Deb-Lyn also played Mr. Green.

Where Did Harrigan Start?

The character of Harrigan first appeared in Ottawa, Ontario. This was at the TV station CJOH-TV. The show ran there for its first two seasons.

Harrigan was originally part of a children's show called Sandbox. This show aired at 7 a.m. on the CTV Television Network.

Moving to a New Station

Barry Dale thought the Harrigan show should be shown in more places. He suggested making it a syndicated show. The station manager at CJOH-TV did not want to do this.

Then, Lorne Freed from CKWS-TV invited Barry Dale. He asked Dale to bring Harrigan to his station. So, Harrigan started taping new shows at CKWS-TV. New episodes were made until 1985. After that, reruns of the show were aired until 1992.

Awards and Legacy

The Harrigan series was very successful. It won three CanPro Awards. These awards are very important in Canada. They are like the Emmy Awards in the United States. They honor great syndicated TV programs.

Why the Show Stopped Airing

Sadly, the Harrigan show is no longer shown today. This is because of a technical problem. The show was recorded on large, two-inch video tapes. Over time, these tapes wore out.

At the time, no one thought to copy the shows. They were not transferred to newer, longer-lasting types of media. So, the original recordings are no longer usable.

What Happened to Barry Dale?

While at CKWS-TV, Barry Dale also worked as a promotions manager. For a while, he even had his own lunchtime variety show. Later, he left the station.

After leaving TV, Barry Dale started a pizza business. It was called Godfatha Pizzas. If customers recognized Dale and sang the theme song or did a little dance, they got a special treat. They would receive an extra slice of pizza or an extra topping!

Barry and Jo-Anna Dale moved to Arizona in 2001.