Special Delivery (TV series) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Special Delivery |
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| Narrated by | Bill St. James (1984–1993) |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Production | |
| Running time | 30 minutes–2 hours |
| Production company(s) | Various |
| Distributor | Various |
| Release | |
| Original network | Nickelodeon |
| Picture format | NTSC |
| Audio format | Mono/Stereo |
| Original release | April 6, 1980 – September 13, 1993 |
| Chronology | |
| Related shows | 16 Cinema Nick Jr. Storytime |
Special Delivery is an American anthology series on Nickelodeon, broadcast during weekend afternoons from 1980 until 1993, when the network's original programming output was deemed sufficient to discontinue the block. Special Delivery mainly carried a variety of productions for children purchased by Nickelodeon, including both live-action and animated programming. Much of this programming was made up of children-focused made-for-TV movies produced in Canada in the 1970s and 80s, short films originally made for the ABC Afterschool Special and CBS Schoolbreak Special anthology series, sports specials (often with the time purchased from Nickelodeon by the event's distributors), and some unsold television pilots adapted to an hour-long timeslot.
From 1987 to 1989, 16 Cinema, which aired specials targeted towards teenagers, aired an hour after Special Delivery on Sundays. Several half-hour Special Delivery episodes plus new specials aired on weekdays as Nickelodeon Lunch Break Theater (in the summer of 1992), Nick Jr. Lunchbreak Theater (from late 1992 to April 1993), and Nick Jr. Storytime (from April 1993 to June 1995).
Overview
Presentations on Special Delivery were varied in focus and origin. A May 1984 issue of Boys' Life referred to the programs shown on Special Delivery as "fill-in shows" compared to the rest of Nickelodeon's lineup. Most programs were aimed at family audiences, but in an attempt to emulate the success of sister network MTV, Nickelodeon occasionally aired rock-and-roll concerts as part of the block. The earliest known Special Delivery broadcast was a Rick Derringer concert aired in April 1980. According to a March 1983 interview with Nickelodeon's acquisitions manager Eileen Opatut, potential acquisitions for the series were tested in schools before being chosen to air.
Episodes
| Title | Airdate | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Rick Derringer in Concert | April 6, 1980 | |
| The Magical Mystery Trip Through Little Red's Head | August 20, 1980 | |
| Courage to Succeed | August 31, 1980 | |
| The Little Fugitive | September 1, 1980 | |
| The Day The Derby Almost Died | September 9, 1980 | |
| Star City Roll Out | September 21, 1980 | |
| Mandy's Grandmother | December 10, 1980 | |
| Hansel and Gretel | December 25, 1980 | |
| Michel's Mixed-Up Musical Bird | January 18, 1981 | |
| On Stage At The Agora: Toto | February 6, 1981 | |
| My Mom's Having a Baby | February 11, 1981 | |
| The Incredible, Indelible, Magical Physical, Mystery Trip | February 25, 1981 | |
| Circles and Spins | March 18, 1981 | |
| Portrait of Grandpa Doc | April 17, 1981 | |
| Rudyard Kipling's Jungle Book | May 16, 1981 | |
| Clever Jack | July 10, 1981 | |
| Circus Town | August 9, 1981 | |
| China Spectacular | August 15, 1981 | |
| The Ransom of Red Chief | September 20, 1981 | |
| We Are All One People | September 28, 1981 | |
| The Darts | October 3, 1981 | |
| I'll Find A Way | October 14, 1981 | |
| The Police | October 17, 1981 | |
| Beware, Beware, My Beauty Fair | October 30, 1981 | |
| Robinson Crusoe | November 1, 1981 | |
| David Johansen in Concert | November 6, 1981 | |
| One Of A Kind | November 15, 1981 | |
| Nikkolina | November 26, 1981 | |
| A Gift to Last | December 24, 1981 | |
| Kids' Writes | December 25, 1981 | |
| Marie Anne | January 1, 1982 | |
| The World According to Nicholas | January 27, 1982 | |
| Meeting Halfway | February 5, 1982 | |
| Roger Daltrey: Ride A Rock Horse | February 14, 1982 | |
| Danny | February 15, 1982 | |
| Hello Symphony | February 20, 1982 | |
| Kids in Performance ("Suzuki's Children"/"Dancespace") | March 11, 1982 | |
| Wild Rides | March 17, 1982 | |
| His Majesty, the Scarecrow of Oz | April 1, 1982 | |
| The Adventures Of Dinosaur Badlands | April 4, 1982 | |
| The Amazing Mr. Blunden | April 5, 1982 | |
| The Velveteen Rabbit | April 9, 1982 | |
| Clay Creatures | May 7, 1982 | |
| End of the Game | May 17, 1982 | |
| Big Apple Birthday | June 9, 1982 | |
| Split Enz | June 11, 1982 | |
| The Cars | July 2, 1982 | |
| The American Hero Show | July 3, 1982 | |
| Santa Fe Trail | July 7, 1982 | |
| The Stowaway | July 10, 1982 | |
| Let the Balloon Go | August 7, 1982 | |
| Alex and the Wonderful Doo Wah Lamp | September 12, 1982 | |
| The Water Babies | October 11, 1982 | |
| Tuck Everlasting | November 25, 1982 | |
| ELO In Concert In Wembley | December 10, 1982 | |
| Clarence and Angel | December 19, 1982 | |
| Kävik the Wolf Dog | January 29, 1983 | |
| Foghat | February 5, 1983 | |
| Voice Of The Fugitive | February 13, 1983 | |
| Clarence and the Ottaway | March 5, 1983 | |
| Adam & the Ants: The Prince Charming Revue | March 12, 1983 | |
| Silver City | April 9, 1983 | |
| Quarterflash | May 1, 1983 | |
| Gulliver's Travels | June 4, 1983 | |
| Duran Duran in Concert | June 11, 1983 | |
| Haircut 100 in Concert | June 26, 1983 | |
| Talk Talk And Depeche Mode In Concert | July 2, 1983 | |
| Avengers of the Reef | July 9, 1983 | |
| Someday, Sometime | July 16, 1983 | |
| Altered Images | August 13, 1983 | |
| Star Chart | September 2, 1983 | |
| School Daze ("Louis James Hates School"/"Miss Nelson Is Missing!") | September 25, 1983 | |
| Aladdin | October 9, 1983 | |
| Introducing Janet | November 6, 1983 | |
| Raisins and Almonds | December 3, 1983 | |
| The Nutcracker | December 11, 1983 | |
| English Beat In Concert | January 8, 1984 | |
| One Last Ride | January 8, 1984 | |
| UFO Kidnapped | January 14, 1984 | |
| Wings in the Wilderness | February 5, 1984 | |
| Mariposa | March 3, 1984 | |
| Spirit Bay | April 7, 1984 |
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| Bob Welch and Friends | April 14, 1984 | |
| BMX World Championships | May 5, 1984 February 5, 1985 June 8, 1986 October 4, 1987 |
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| The Get Along Gang (pilot) | May 6, 1984 | |
| Kajagoogoo | June 9, 1984 | |
| Cody | June 10, 1984 | |
| Belle and Sebastian | June 30, 1984 | |
| Kansas in Concert | July 8, 1984 | |
| Rolex Junior Tennis Championships | July 14, 1984 July 6, 1985 |
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| Atomic Legs | September 2, 1984 | |
| The Raccoons: Let's Dance! | October 6, 1984 | |
| The Boy Who Couldn't Lose | October 6, 1984 | |
| Thompson Twins | October 27, 1984 | |
| The Adventures of Marco Polo Jr. | November 3, 1984 | |
| The Americanization of Elias | November 17, 1984 | |
| Mighty Moose and the Quarterback Kid | November 17, 1984 | |
| Joshua's Confusion | December 2, 1984 | |
| The Snowman | December 15, 1984 | |
| Doctor Snuggles | January 5, 1985 | |
| Brother Tough | January 12, 1985 | |
| In the Fall | January 13, 1985 | |
| Andrew | February 9, 1985 | |
| Sometimes I Wonder | March 9, 1985 | |
| Do Me A Favor... Don't Vote For My Mom | March 17, 1985 | |
| The Magic Laser | April 7, 1985 | |
| Black Magic | April 13, 1985 | |
| Grandma Didn't Wave Back | April 14, 1985 | |
| Backstreet Six | May 4, 1985 | |
| Road To The Stars | July 14, 1985 | |
| Just An Overnight Guest | June 9, 1985 | |
| Keiko | August 3, 1985 | |
| The Boy Who Never Was | September 21, 1985 | |
| Cubanos | September 28, 1985 | |
| Mr. Gimme | September 29, 1985 | |
| Lassie: A New Beginning | October 1, 1985 | |
| The Magic of Lassie | October 5, 1985 | |
| The Mystery of the Million Dollar Hockey Puck | November 2, 1985 | |
| A Merry Mirthworm Christmas | December 1, 1985 | |
| Benji's Very Own Christmas Story | December 1, 1985 | |
| Today's Special: Live On Stage | December 1, 1985 | |
| Little Lord Fauntleroy | December 7, 1985 | |
| Raggedy Ann and Andy: A Musical Adventure | January 4, 1986 | |
| Stanley, the Ugly Duckling | January 5, 1986 | |
| The Witches and the Grinnygog | January 12, 1986 | |
| Snowbound | February 1, 1986 | |
| The Tap Dance Kid | February 2, 1986 | |
| My Mother Was Never a Kid | February 8, 1986 | |
| The Incredible Book Escape | March 1, 1986 | |
| A Movie Star's Daughter | March 1, 1986 | |
| The Little Princess | April 5, 1986 | |
| The Seven Wishes of a Rich Kid | April 6, 1986 | |
| The Treasure of Alpheus T. Winterborn | April 6, 1986 | |
| Starstruck | May 3, 1986 | |
| Big Henry and the Polka Dot Kid | May 11, 1986 | |
| Zoom the White Dolphin | May 17, 1986 | |
| BMX: Win With The Pros | June 8, 1986 | |
| The Brave Frog's Greatest Adventure | June 14, 1986 | |
| A Tale of Two Cities | July 5, 1986 | |
| Revenge of the Humanoids | July 6, 1986 | |
| David Copperfield | August 2, 1986 | |
| Misunderstood Monsters | August 10, 1986 | |
| Little Women | September 6, 1986 | |
| Red Shoes | October 4, 1986 | |
| Raggedy Ann and Andy in The Pumpkin Who Couldn't Smile | October 4, 1986 | |
| The Haunting of Harrington House | November 1, 1986 | |
| Raggedy Ann and Andy in The Great Santa Claus Caper | December 6, 1986 | |
| Santa's Pocket Watch | December 6, 1986 | |
| Chocky | December 13, 1986 | |
| Abra Cadabra | January 10, 1987 | |
| Dinky Hocker | January 11, 1987 | |
| Children's Island | January 17, 1987 | |
| The Courage of Rin Tin Tin | February 7, 1987 | |
| Talking Animal | February 7, 1987 | |
| Collared | February 8, 1987 | |
| Peking Circus | February 15, 1987 | |
| Sunkist Junior Invitational Track Meet | March 1, 1987 March 12, 1988 |
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| Prince and the Great Race | March 7, 1987 | |
| Really Rosie | March 7, 1987 | |
| The Wrong Way Kid | March 8, 1987 | |
| The Empty Chair | April 5, 1987 | |
| Minors | April 11, 1987 | |
| Umpire | April 11, 1987 | |
| National Junior Freestyle Championship | April 26, 1987 | |
| Pick Up Your Feet: The Double Dutch Show | May 2, 1987 | |
| Gulliver's Travels | May 9, 1987 | |
| Somewhere Else | June 14, 1987 | |
| Look at Me | July 12, 1987 | |
| Miss Peach of the Kelly School | September 5, 1987 |
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| Cadichon | September 13, 1987 |
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| Chocky's Children | October 10, 1987 | |
| The Little Fox | November 7, 1987 | |
| The Pinballs | November 8, 1987 | |
| Uncle Marvin | November 8, 1987 | |
| Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (1981) | November 14, 1987 | |
| Trouble River | December 5, 1987 | |
| Oliver and the Artful Dodger | December 6, 1987 | |
| The Prince and the Pauper | December 12, 1987 | |
| Jack and the Beanstalk | December 13, 1987 | |
| Cyrano | January 2, 1988 | |
| Master of the World | January 3, 1988 | |
| Gaucho | January 16, 1988 | |
| The Mysterious Island | February 6, 1988 | |
| Psst! Hammerman's After You! | February 7, 1988 | |
| Danny's Egg | February 7, 1988 | |
| Moon Madness | March 5, 1988 | |
| Summer Switch | April 2, 1988 | |
| A Home Run For Love | April 9, 1988 | |
| Sharon, Lois & Bram: Downtown | April 10, 1988 | |
| Moby Dick | May 8, 1988 | |
| The Contest | May 8, 1988 | |
| Dynaman | May 14, 1988 | |
| Sara's Summer of the Swans | May 15, 1988 | |
| Cuckoo Land | June 5, 1988 | |
| Hewitt's Just Different | July 3, 1988 | |
| Theresa at the Palace | July 10, 1988 | |
| The Secret Life of T. K. Dearing | July 16, 1988 | |
| Fat Chance | July 17, 1988 | |
| The Amazing Cosmic Awareness of Duffy Moon | July 30, 1988 | |
| Me and Dad's New Wife | August 7, 1988 | |
| The Red Balloon | August 13, 1988 | |
| The Horrible Honchos | August 20, 1988 | |
| The Electric Grandmother | September 3, 1988 | |
| The Hand-Me-Down Kid | September 3, 1988 | |
| The Fabulous Adventures of Baron Von Munchausen | September 11, 1988 | |
| Animal Talk | October 2, 1988 | |
| The Story of Heidi | October 8, 1988 | |
| The Crown of Bogg | October 15, 1988 | |
| A Family of Strangers | November 6, 1988 | |
| Luke Was There | November 6, 1988 | |
| The Gnomes' Great Adventure | December 3, 1988 | |
| A Very Merry Cricket | December 10, 1988 | |
| The Snow Queen (1981) | December 10, 1988 | |
| The Box of Delights | December 11, 1988 | |
| Grimm's Fairy Tale Classics | January 7, 1989 | |
| A Cricket in Times Square | February 11, 1989 | |
| The Three Musketeers | March 5, 1989 | |
| An Easter Story | March 11, 1989 | |
| The Great Gilly Hopkins | April 9, 1989 | |
| 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea | May 6, 1989 | |
| The Train Mice | May 6, 1989 | |
| Davy Crockett on the Mississippi | June 10, 1989 | |
| Yankee Doodle Cricket | July 1, 1989 | |
| A Far Out Fourth | July 2, 1989 | |
| Mirthworms on Stage | July 22, 1989 | |
| The Zertigo Diamond Caper | August 6, 1989 | |
| Have You Ever Been Ashamed of Your Parents? | August 6, 1989 | |
| It Isn't Easy Being a Teenage Millionaire | August 12, 1989 | |
| Eureeka's Castle | August 27, 1989 | |
| The Count of Monte Cristo | September 2, 1989 | |
| Black Beauty | September 9, 1989 | |
| Young American Bowling Alliance Championship Tournament | September 17, 1989 | |
| Lisa Gets the Picture | October 1, 1989 | |
| A Thanksgiving Tale | November 12, 1989 | |
| All-American Soap Box Derby | November 12, 1989 November 4, 1990 |
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| Santa's Magic Toy Bag | December 9, 1989 | |
| The Kids of Degrassi Street | December 10, 1989 | |
| Mowgli's Brothers | January 6, 1990 | |
| The White Seal | January 6, 1990 | |
| Rikki-Tikki-Tavi | February 10, 1990 | |
| Night of the Red Hunter | March 10, 1990 | |
| Peter Pan | March 17, 1990 | |
| Around the World in 80 Days | April 1, 1990 | |
| Wind in the Willows | April 14, 1990 | |
| Friendliest and Funniest Fish in the Sea | May 5, 1990 | |
| Sharon, Lois & Bram: Live in Your Living Room | June 2, 1990 | |
| Sharon, Lois & Bram: Back by Popular Demand | June 2, 1990 | |
| AYSO Championships | September 2, 1990 | |
| Manxmouse | September 9, 1990 | |
| Peter of Placid Forest | September 15, 1990 | |
| Junior Olympics | October 7, 1990 | |
| Pardon Me for Living | October 13, 1990 | |
| Babe Ruth Baseball Championships | October 13, 1990 | |
| The Adventures of Tom Sawyer | December 1, 1990 | |
| The Light Brigade | December 1, 1990 | |
| Treasure Island | January 5, 1991 | |
| Lady and the Lion | February 3, 1991 | |
| Ivanhoe | February 10, 1991 | |
| The Nightingale | March 2, 1991 | |
| The Tin Soldier | March 2, 1991 | |
| The Disappearance | March 3, 1991 | |
| The Wilder Summer | March 10, 1991 | |
| Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde | March 17, 1991 | |
| Drawing a Blank | April 13, 1991 | |
| The Velveteen Rabbit (Atkinson Film-Arts) | May 11, 1991 | |
| The Moonstone Gem | May 12, 1991 | |
| The Day My Kid Went Punk | June 8, 1991 | |
| The Hunchback of Notre Dame | June 9, 1991 | |
| Lassie's Great Adventure | August 3, 1991 | |
| The Jungle Book (Saban) | August 18, 1991 | |
| The Dog Days of Arthur Cane | September 8, 1991 | |
| The New Misadventures of Ichabod Crane | October 5, 1991 | |
| The Witch Who Turned Pink | October 5, 1991 | |
| Lassie the Voyager | October 13, 1991 | |
| Prisoner of Zenda | November 10, 1991 | |
| Ziggy's Gift | December 1, 1991 | |
| The Wizard of Oz | January 11, 1992 | |
| Jack and the Beanstalk | January 11, 1992 | |
| Snow White | February 8, 1992 | |
| Sleeping Beauty | April 4, 1992 | |
| Busch Gardens/SeaWorld Summer Safari | June 13, 1992 | |
| Molly's Pilgrim | June 14, 1992 | |
| The Greatest Little Show on Earth | July 5, 1992 | |
| Harry the Dirty Dog | July 6, 1992 | Originally aired on April 2, 1991. |
| Tales From The Whoop: Hot Rod Brown, Class Clown | July 7, 1992 | Originally aired on October 20, 1990. |
| The Adventures of Pete & Pete: Space, Geeks, and Johnny Unitas | July 8, 1992 | Originally aired on June 16, 1992. |
| Stories from Growing Up | July 9, 1992 | Originally aired on February 23, 1991. |
| Cinderella | August 2, 1992 | |
| Jungle Book | August 2, 1992 | |
| Fair Game | August 2, 1992 | |
| The Garden | October 4, 1992 | |
| Johann's Gift to Christmas | December 5, 1992 | |
| Gallavants | January 2, 1993 | |
| His Master's Ghost | January 3, 1993 | |
| Paper Camera | June 8, 1993 | |
| Moccasin Flats | June 8, 1993 | |
| Double Daniel | June 11, 1993 | |
| Cutaway | June 11, 1993 | |
| Thinking Big | July 12, 1993 | |
| The Great Cheese Conspiracy | July 15, 1993 | |
| Bill Body I | September 13, 1993 | |
| Bill Body II | September 13, 1993 |
16 Cinema
| Title | Airdate | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Between Two Loves | October 11, 1987 | Reran on Special Delivery on June 18, 1993. |
| She Drinks A Little | October 18, 1987 | |
| Tough Girl | October 25, 1987 | |
| It's a Mile From Here To Glory | November 1, 1987 | Reran on Special Delivery on September 5, 1992. |
| A Matter of Time | November 8, 1987 | |
| Introducing Janet | November 15, 1987 | |
| Daddy, I'm Their Mama Now | November 22, 1987 | Reran on Special Delivery on February 13, 1993. |
| Francesca, Baby | November 29, 1987 | |
| The Heartbreak Winner: One Girl's Struggle For Olympic Gold | December 6, 1987 | |
| Very Good Friends | December 13, 1987 | |
| Dear Lovey Hart: I Am Desperate | December 20, 1987 | Reran on Special Delivery on April 23, 1993. |
| A Special Gift | December 27, 1987 | |
| The Skating Rink | January 3, 1988 | Reran on Special Delivery on July 6, 1993. |
| The House at 12 Rose Street | May 8, 1988 | |
| Mom and Dad Can't Hear Me | June 5, 1988 | |
| Blind Sunday | July 3, 1988 | |
| I Don't Know Who I Am | August 7, 1988 | |
| The Alfred Graebner Memorial High School Handbook of Rules and Regulations | September 11, 1988 | |
| Amy and the Angel | September 18, 1988 | |
| It's No Crush, I'm In Love | October 2, 1988 | |
| The Color of Friendship | October 16, 1988 | |
| Out of Step | November 6, 1988 | |
| A Very Delicate Matter | December 4, 1988 | |
| Revenge of the Nerd | December 25, 1988 | |
| The Terrible Secret | April 16, 1989 | |
| Buchanan High School | May 7, 1989 | Two episodes |
Nickelodeon/Nick Jr. Lunchbreak Theater/Nick Jr. Storytime
| Title | Airdate | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Nickelodeon Wild Side Show | June 30, 1992 | Pilot episode; aired on Special Delivery on July 10, 1992. |
| Little Sister Rabbit | July 2, 1992 | |
| Nick's Thanksgiving Fest | November 26, 1992 | Originally aired on November 22, 1989. |
| Nonsense and Lullabyes: Nursery Rhymes | January 5, 1993 | |
| Rooster's Hamlet | January 6, 1993 | |
| Anytime Tales | January 13, 1993 | |
| Nonsense and Lullabyes: Poems | January 14, 1993 | |
| Trollies Radio Show | February 3, 1993 | |
| Lighthouse Island | April 26, 1993 | |
| Making Music With Eric Nagler | June 7, 1993 | |
| Oddlee | July 15, 1993 | |
| Just So Stories | July 21, 1993 | |
| Papa Beaver's Storytime | March 2, 1994 | |
| Billy Bunny's Animal Songs | April 14, 1995 |
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Special Delivery (TV series) Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.