Picolo facts for kids

Picolo is a fun character created by Paul Buissonneau for the CBC. He was the main star of several TV shows! You might see his name spelled as "Picolo" or "Piccolo." Both spellings have been used for many years, even in official places.

Meet Picolo: A TV Star!

Picolo's journey began in the summer of 1956. Paul Buissonneau was asked to write stories for a new TV series called "Picolo." He also got to play Picolo himself!

This first series had 13 episodes. Picolo would chat with famous fairy tale characters. Imagine him talking to Bluebeard, Little Red Riding Hood, or Puss in Boots! Other actors like Claude Préfontaine and Gilles Gauthier were also in the show.

Picolo's unique costume was designed from a drawing by Francoise Charbonneau.

Picolo Joins La Boîte à Surprise

After his first series, Picolo became a regular character on a popular show called "La Boîte à Surprise" (The Surprise Box). This was around 1956-1957. On this show, Picolo explored themes from Commedia dell'arte. This is an old type of Italian comedy with characters like Pulcinella and Harlequin.

As part of "La Boîte à Surprise," Picolo also starred in another series of 33 episodes. These episodes focused on different regions of France.

Paul Buissonneau created a third series for "The Surprise Box" called "Picolo and Objects." This was a 15-minute show where Picolo could talk to everyday objects! It was even shown again in May 1967.

A description from "Here CBC: local listings for television" said: "Piccolo is a strange clown, part-Pierrot, part-Harlequin. He can talk to objects around him and make them talk with Paul Buissonneau."

You can even find some of these classic moments! The "Picolo Volume 1" DVD set, released in 2007, includes songs from "Picolo and Objects."

Around this time, Paul Buissonneau also played Picolo live at The Treehouse in Montreal.

Picolo's Later Adventures

Starting in October 1967, Picolo got his own half-hour episodes as part of "The Surprise Box." These shows were sometimes called "Picolo and Michel" when Michael the Magician was there. Paul Buissonneau played Picolo, and Michel Pebbles played Michael the Magician. Other characters included Pants, the Doctor, and Captain Columbine.

From 1968 to 1971, "Picolo" became its own 30-minute series. It continued to feature themes from Commedia dell'arte with characters like Pants, the Doctor, and Captain Columbine. Michael the Magician was also part of the cast. Some episodes from the 1967-1968 "Surprise Box" period were included in this new "Picolo" series.

During this time, a "Picolo" musical was also created. It had short musical parts featuring Picolo. These musical parts were later shown on their own at different times between other TV shows for several years.

Picolo's Musical Interludes

At one point, all commercials were removed from children's TV shows. This left gaps in the programming. To fill these gaps, Paul Buissonneau used his imagination! He created short adventures for Picolo, set to famous classical music. These musical interludes were shown instead of commercials. They were even gathered into three special broadcasts. Sadly, these film recordings of the interludes are now lost.

Piccolo Theatre and Mural

In 1980, a play called "Piccolo Theatre" was created. This time, the name was spelled with two "C"s. Bernard Meney played Piccolo in this production. It was shown on Télé-Métropole on December 25, 1981.

In November 2010, the City of Montreal honored Paul Buissonneau with a special mural. It's located at the corner of Ontario Street and Beaudry. The mural shows the character Picolo from "The Surprise Box." Artist Lawrence Gascon designed it. The mural is made of colorful ceramic tiles and measures about 21 square meters (227 square feet).

See also: Piccolo (disambiguation)