Passe-Partout facts for kids
Passe-Partout is a popular children's television show from Quebec, Canada. Its name means "master key" or "all-purpose" in French. The show was first made by Radio-Québec (now Télé-Québec) and aired from 1977 to 1993. It was so loved that a new version with a different cast started in 2019.
The show was broadcast on Radio-Québec and also on Télévision de Radio-Canada. Each episode was about 30 minutes long. It featured both real actors and puppets, but they usually did not appear together on screen.
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How Passe-Partout Started
When the famous American children's show Sesame Street came out in 1969, people in Quebec thought about making a French version for their children. However, they decided that Quebec kids might not connect with an American show. So, the Quebec Minister of Education started looking into creating a children's show made right in Quebec.
After a couple of years, in 1973, a producer named Laurent Lachance took over the project. But there were some problems between Lachance and Radio-Québec, which caused delays. Eventually, Lachance left the project. The government then asked private companies for help. On February 14, 1977, they hired JPL Production to create Passe-Partout.
The first episodes were made until 1979 and then repeated on TV for several years. In 1983, the government decided to order 50 more new episodes because the show was so important. The government saw the show as a way to teach young children important lessons, similar to what they would learn in a pre-school program, but at a much lower cost.
Meet the Characters
Live-Action Friends
The live-action parts of the show often showed the fun activities and friendships of several playful characters.
- Passe-Partout was a woman dressed mostly in blue (or purple in the new version). She was played by Marie Eykel in the original show and Elodie Grenier in the reboot.
- Passe-Carreau was a woman dressed mostly in yellow (or pink in the new version). Her name means a tool used for ironing clothes. She was played by Claire Pimparé and later by Gabrielle Fontaine.
- Passe-Montagne was a man dressed in brown (or red in the new version) who wore butterfly-shaped bowties. His name means a balaclava. He was played by Jacques L'Heureux and later by Jean-François C. Pronovost.
Other characters who appeared less often included:
- André, a young adult played by André Cartier.
- Julie, a young adult played by Jocelyne Goyette.
- Fardoche, a farmer played by Pierre Dufresne and later by Widemir Normil.
- Grand-mère, an older neighbor who acted like a grandmother. She was played by Kim Yaroshevskaya (who was also a storyteller on another kids' show) and later by Danielle Proulx.
Later in the show's original run, two characters of color joined: Passe-Tourelle, a Haitian immigrant played by Joujou Turenne, and Passe-Midi, a Vietnamese character played by Daniel Dõ. In the 2019 reboot, a new character named Tancrède (played by Chadi Alhelou) was introduced.
The live-action scenes had a unique, almost dream-like feel. There were no visible walls; doors, windows, and pictures seemed to hang in the air! This made the show look very special. These segments could be about learning (like counting or language), singing original songs, teaching good behavior, or telling stories.
Puppet Pals
Unlike the live-action parts, the puppet segments were filmed in realistic, but smaller, environments. These stories often featured the twin puppets, Cannelle (a girl) and Pruneau (a boy). Their adventures included their parents, Perlin and Perline, their grandpa Bi, and their neighbor Madame Coucou. Other puppet friends were Rigodon (their cousin), Ti-Brin (a slightly older character who sometimes caused trouble), and their classmates Doualé and Mélodie.
There was also Alakazou, a zebra who acted like a human and hosted Cannelle and Pruneau's favorite TV show. He often talked to the children, perhaps in their imagination. The puppet stories often explored social and moral issues that children might face. For example, in one episode, the children's dad lost his job, and they learned about facing uncertain times.
Later, new puppet characters joined, like Minella, who spoke French with an Italian accent, and Jade and Mirio, who were Vietnamese and Haitian. In the 2019 reboot, Madame Coucou is shown as a lesbian, Mélodie is now Asian, and a new Haitian character named Kiwi was added.
Short Films and Learning
Between the main segments, many creative short films were shown. These could be animations, art pieces (like a woman carving a puppet from an apple), or even real children sharing their thoughts. Many of these shorts showed everyday activities that kids could relate to, like playing, or learn from, like what it's like to live in the city versus the country. They also taught about things like going to the dentist, getting X-rays, starting school, or cleaning your bike.
While most shorts didn't feature the main characters, some did, like Passe-Carreau getting her car fixed or Passe-Montagne getting his shoe repaired.
Passe-Partout's Lasting Impact
Many people who grew up watching Passe-Partout are now called the "Passe-Partout generation." The show left a big mark on them. In 2005, a TV show called Les Francs-Tireurs dedicated an episode to Passe-Partout, with Marie Eykel (the original Passe-Partout) present. In 2006, another show, Ici Louis-José Houde, looked at the history of children's shows in Quebec, focusing a lot on Passe-Partout with Eykel, Pimparé, and L'Heureux all there.
In 2006, it was announced that the first two seasons of the show would be released on DVD. This happened because many unofficial, or "pirate," copies of the series were being sold online. At first, Télé-Québec wasn't interested in re-broadcasting the show or making DVDs. But Marie Eykel and Jacques L'Heureux got the rights to the first 125 episodes. The DVD was then produced by the actors, Télé-Québec, and Alliance Atlantis Vivafilm. The DVD was released on November 21, 2006, and almost sold out on the very first day!
On September 29, 2009, a music album called Génération Passe-Partout was released. It featured some of the show's songs sung by popular Quebec artists of that time.
The Show's Return
The beloved show made a comeback in 2019 with a new cast.
- Élodie Grenier plays Passe-Partout.
- Gabrielle Fontaine plays Passe-Carreau.
- Jean-François Pronovost plays Passe-Montagne.
- Danielle Proulx plays Grand-Mère.
- Widemir Normil plays Fardoche.
The first episode of the new series aired on February 25, 2019. It was a huge success, with 707,000 people tuning in to watch!
