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 was a special TV show on Nickelodeon. It aired on weekend afternoons from 1980 to 1993. This show was an anthology series, which means it showed different movies and specials each time. Nickelodeon bought many of these shows from other companies.
The programs included live-action and animated stories. Many were TV movies made in Canada during the 1970s and 80s. It also showed short films from popular series like ABC Afterschool Special and CBS Schoolbreak Special. Sometimes, it even featured sports events or pilot episodes for new TV shows.
From 1987 to 1989, another show called 16 Cinema aired after Special Delivery on Sundays. 16 Cinema was for teenagers. Some shorter Special Delivery episodes also aired on weekdays. These were part of blocks like Nickelodeon Lunch Break Theater (in summer 1992), Nick Jr. Lunchbreak Theater (late 1992 to April 1993), and Nick Jr. Storytime (April 1993 to June 1995).
Contents
What Was Special Delivery About?
Special Delivery showed many different kinds of programs. A magazine called Boys' Life once described them as "fill-in shows." This meant they filled time between Nickelodeon's main programs. Most shows were for families.
Sometimes, Nickelodeon even aired rock-and-roll concerts. This was to be like its sister channel, MTV. The first known Special Delivery show was a Rick Derringer concert in April 1980. Before choosing a show, Nickelodeon would test it in schools. This helped them pick programs that kids would enjoy.
Featured Episodes and Specials
Special Delivery showed a wide range of movies and specials. Here are some of the programs that aired:
| 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 |
Other Special Showings
Nickelodeon also aired other special programs alongside Special Delivery. These included shows for older kids and shorter weekday specials.
16 Cinema for Teens
16 Cinema was a block of specials aimed at teenagers. It aired on Sundays, usually an hour after Special Delivery. Some of these specials were later shown again on Special Delivery.
Weekday Lunchbreak and Storytime Shows
Shorter versions of Special Delivery episodes and new specials aired during weekdays. These were part of different blocks:
- Nickelodeon Lunch Break Theater (Summer 1992)
- Nick Jr. Lunchbreak Theater (Late 1992 to April 1993)
- Nick Jr. Storytime (April 1993 to June 1995)
These weekday shows often featured shorter stories or pilot episodes. For example, Lighthouse Island and Papa Beaver's Storytime were shown during these times.
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Special Delivery (TV series) Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.