Polka Dot Door facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Polka Dot Door
Genre	Children's television series
Created by	Peggy Liptrott
Based on	BBC's Play School
Developed by	Dr. Vera Good Peggy Liptrott L. Ted Coneybeare Marnie Patrick Roberts Dr. Ada Schermann Dick Derhodge Pat Patterson Dodi Robb
Written by	Pat Patterson Dodi Robb Jed MacKay Emily Hearn Fran Handman Ian Ritchie Susan Murgatroyd Nancy Crystal Lori Hauser Anne McCourt Clive Endersby Mary MacKay-Smith Carmel Suttor L. Ted Coneybeare
Directed by	Peggy Liptrott (1971) Ian Morris Susan Murgatroyd (1979–1984) David Moore (1983; 1985–1993) Douglas Williams (1987)
Presented by	Various; See Article
Theme music composer	Herbie Helbig
Country of origin	Canada
Original language(s)	English
No. of seasons	22
No. of episodes	383
Production
Executive producer(s)	Dr. Vera Good (1971–1972)
Producer(s)	Peggy Liptrott (1971) L. Ted Coneybeare (1972–1984) Jed MacKay (1985–1993)
Production location(s)	Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Running time	28:50
Production company(s)	TVOntario
Distributor	TVOntario
Release
Original network	TVOntario
Original release	1971 (1971) – 1993 (1993)
Chronology
Followed by	Polka Dot Shorts and Gisèle's Big Backyard

Polka Dot Door was a popular Canadian children's TV show. It was made by TVOntario from 1971 to 1993. The show had two hosts who talked directly to the kids watching at home.

The show's goal was to help kids learn and be creative. Each week, the episodes focused on one main topic. Every weekday had a different way of exploring that topic. For example, Tuesdays were "Dress-Up Day." On this day, the hosts would use costumes to explore the week's theme.

One of the most famous parts of the show was "Polkaroo." This was a special character whose name mixes "polka dot" and "kangaroo." Usually, the male host dressed up as Polkaroo. Polkaroo would appear to the female host and act out a story without speaking. When the other host came back, they would often be sad they missed Polkaroo. At first, Polkaroo only appeared once a week. But because everyone loved the character, Polkaroo appeared more often later on.

Another cool part of the show was "looking through the polka-dot-door." This usually happened on "Finding-Out Day." The camera would zoom in on a special dot on the door. The dot would open up to show a short educational film.

Meet the Creators and Hosts

Over the years, Polka Dot Door had three main producers. They helped shape the show a lot. These were Peggy Liptrott (1971), L. Ted Coneybeare (1972–1984), and Jed MacKay (1985–1993). Jed MacKay started as a writer and composer for the show. He later created other award-winning shows for TVOntario.

The show's music was played live by talented Canadian pianists. Herbie Helbig played from 1971 to 1984. John Arpin took over from 1985 to 1993. Their music helped set the mood for the stories.

The Show's Many Hosts

Every episode of Polka Dot Door had two human hosts. It was always one man and one woman. More than 50 different people hosted the show over its many years! Each pair of hosts worked together for one week of episodes. Many hosts came back for more weeks, but not always with the same co-host.

Some hosts worked for many years. Cindy Cook was the female host who stayed the longest. She appeared from 1981 to 1993. She worked with two different producers during her time on the show. Other well-known hosts included Johnnie Chase and Carrie Loring. Many Canadian actors got their start on Polka Dot Door. They later became famous in TV, movies, and theater.

Here are some of the people who hosted Polka Dot Door:

• Johnie Chase (1984–1993)
• Cindy Cook (1981–1993)
• Nonnie Griffin (1974–1980)
• Rex Hagon (1976)
• Nina Keogh (1971–1972)
• Alex Laurier (1971–1981)
• Carrie Loring (1985–1993)
• Gerry Mendicino (1979–1984)
• Sherry Miller
• John Ralston
• Gloria Reuben
• Denis Simpson
• Nerene Virgin (1981)
• Tonya Williams (1980–1983)

Many hosts also worked on other educational shows by TVOntario. These include Heather Conkie, Nina Keogh, and Nerene Virgin.

How the Show Worked

Polka Dot Door episodes were filmed in groups of five. Each group of five episodes aired over one week. The same two hosts would appear each day that week. Each week had a special theme. But within that theme, each day of the week had its own consistent topic:

• Monday: "Treasure Day"
• Tuesday: "Dress-Up Day"
• Wednesday: "Animal Day"
• Thursday: "Imagination Day"
• Friday: "Finding-Out Day"

The show had special activities for each day to help kids feel familiar with the routine:

• Treasure Day: The hosts would take out stuffed animal toys from a polka dot house-shaped toy box. They would sing a special "hello" song. They often found a surprise "treasure" from a nearby box.
• Dress-Up Day: The hosts would open the Polka Dot Door closet. Inside were dress-up clothes! They would pretend to be different people or characters.
• Animal Day: The hosts would go outside to a barn. They would interact with the Polka Dot Door pets or special "guest pets." The show had five regular pets that kept the same names throughout the series.
• Imagination Day: This day focused on make-believe. Hosts encouraged viewers to use their imagination. This was the main day when Polkaroo appeared.
• Finding-Out Day: Hosts would explore scientific discoveries or look at the week's theme in a new way. This day always ended with the hosts putting the toys back in their box. They would sing a special "goodbye" song. The show would end with the hosts leaving through the big polka dot door.

Storytime and Songs

Storytime happened every day on the show. It didn't matter what "day" it was. During Storytime, a host would teach the time using a large clock. A small stuffed animal called "Storytime Mouse" would also appear. Storytime Mouse was often doing something related to the day's story.

Storytime could happen at different times during the show. Chimes would ring to let everyone know it was time for Storytime. The hosts would stop what they were doing and go to the clock. Then they would read a story in a special rocking chair. The pianists would play music to match the story's mood.

There was also a "song of the week" that was often sung every day. This helped kids remember the week's theme. Many early songs were written by the show's scriptwriters. When Jed MacKay became producer, he composed many of the songs.

Characters and Toys

The hosts would lead songs and stories with stuffed animal characters. These characters were Humpty, Dumpty, Marigold, and Bear. They didn't talk or move on their own. The hosts would tell the audience what the toys were "saying." For example, a host might say, "What's that, Marigold? You would like..."

In the 1980s, a stuffed cat named Minou joined the toys. Minou helped viewers learn simple French words and phrases. On certain theme days, the hosts would invite the audience to look through the Polka Dot Door. This would show an educational video, like how crayons are made.

Awards and Special Episodes

In 2010, Polka Dot Door received a special award called the Masterworks award. The Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television gave it this award. They called it a "groundbreaking children's educational series." They said it "changed the nature of children's television programming." It also "impacted countless young Canadians."

One-Hour Specials

Only two one-hour specials were made for Polka Dot Door:

• Polkaroo's Birthday Party: This special celebrated the show's 20th anniversary. Other past hosts made guest appearances.
• Polkaroo Goes To Camp: This special marked the end of the series. It was the only episode in the show's history that did not have Storytime.

All About Polkaroo

On "Imagination Day," the famous character Polkaroo would appear. The actor playing Polkaroo wore a tall, green, furry costume. It looked like a kangaroo. Polkaroo wore a yellow and multi-colored polka-dot dress. The character only spoke by saying its own name, "Polkaroo," over and over. It would use big hand gestures to show what it meant. The audience had to guess what Polkaroo was trying to say. This was usually followed by a song that started, "Imagine, imagine, you can imagine Polkaroo..."

In the first two seasons, Polkaroo would appear to one host while the other was away. When the second host came back, they would often say, "The Polkaroo was here?!? And I missed him again?!" Both hosts took turns playing Polkaroo. After the second season, only the male host played Polkaroo.

After Polka Dot Door ended, Polkaroo became part of new shows. In the late 1990s, Polkaroo and the other animal characters (now played by actors in costumes) starred in Polka Dot Shorts. Polkaroo also appeared in the show Gisèle's Big Backyard.

The original Polkaroo costume was handmade in Toronto by Tanya Petrova. She was an artist who also made puppets and costumes for other shows and attractions. Other versions of the Polkaroo costume were also created over time.

Images for kids

• 

  The Polka Dot Door logo created by Dick Derhodge in 1971.

• 

  Polka Dot Door's first female host Nina Keogh with original producer Peggy Liptrott (right), floor director Al O'Malley (front left) and educational consultant L. Ted Coneybeare (left with tie) in background (1971).

• 

  Polka Dot Door's first male host Gordon Thomson with Polkaroo played by Nina Keogh (1971).