The Friendly Giant facts for kids

The Friendly Giant was a much-loved children's television show from North America. It aired on CBC Television from September 30, 1958, until March 1985. The show featured three main characters. There was Friendly, a kind giant played by Bob Homme, who lived in a huge castle. His puppet animal friends were Rusty, a rooster who played music, and Jerome, a giraffe with purple spots. Rusty lived in a book bag by the castle window. Jerome would poke his head through a high window. Rod Coneybeare was the puppeteer who brought Rusty and Jerome to life in the Canadian version of the show.

How the Show Started

The idea for The Friendly Giant began in 1953. It started as a radio show in Madison, Wisconsin, on a station called WHA-AM. Soon after, in 1954, it moved to television on WHA-TV. Some recordings of these early TV shows were sent to other stations. A few even reached the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) in Toronto, Ontario.

In 1958, the head of Children's Television at the CBC, Fred Rainsberry, invited Bob Homme to move the show to Canada. This is where The Friendly Giant became a very important show for many generations of young viewers. In the United States, National Educational Television (NET) showed both the Wisconsin and Canadian versions until 1970. The show was produced by Daniel McCarthy, who later became a leader in children's programming at the CBC.

What Happened in the Show

The Friendly Giant's model castle, used during the opening sequence.

Each episode of the 15-minute show had a famous beginning. The camera would move across a detailed model of a village or city. Friendly's voice would describe what was happening below. The camera would then stop at the Giant's big boot. Friendly would ask viewers to "Look up… waaaaay up!" He would then invite everyone to his castle. He promised to let down the drawbridge and open the front doors.

Inside the Castle

The traditional song "Early One Morning" would play on a harp and recorder. The camera would slowly zoom into a model of the Giant's castle. The drawbridge would lower, and the medieval doors, which said "Friendly Giant," would open. Once inside, Friendly would place small furniture for his guests near his feet. He would say, "Here's one little chair for one of you, and a bigger chair for two more to curl up in, and someone who likes to rock, a rocking chair in the middle."

Then, the camera would move up to show Friendly's face. He would give his famous invitation: "Now, look up, waaaaaay up, and I'll call Rusty... Rusty?" He would then call for Rusty the Rooster. Jerome the Giraffe would usually visit too. He would poke his head through a high window after Friendly whistled for him. Rusty, who lived in a book bag on the wall, would pull out books to read and other items. Some of these items seemed too big to fit in the bag!

Music and Stories

The rest of the show involved gentle, funny conversations between Friendly, Rusty, and Jerome. This was often followed by a story or a musical performance. Sometimes, other puppet animals would join in for music. These included Angie and Fiddle, the Jazz Cats, and Patty and Polly, the Raccoons. Buster, a Rooster, also played the electric bass guitar. The show's harpist, John Duncan, composed the music.

Saying Goodbye

At the end of a typical show, Friendly would play "Early One Morning" on his recorder. He would say goodbye to his friends and viewers. He would put his miniature furniture away, saying, "It's late. This little chair will be waiting for one of you, and a rocking chair for another who likes to rock, and a big armchair for two more to curl up in when you come again to our castle. I'll close the big front doors and pull up the drawbridge after you're gone. Goodbye. Goodbye." His hand would wave goodbye as the camera zoomed out. The castle's doors would close, and the drawbridge would rise. A smiling moon would rise into the sky, and a cow would jump over it, like in the nursery rhyme "Hey Diddle Diddle".

The shows were often made up as they went along, based on a short plan for each episode. This made the show feel natural and spontaneous. The simple, calm nature of the show was different from faster-paced shows like Sesame Street. However, it was similar to Mr. Dressup, another gentle children's series. Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, The Friendly Giant often started the CBC's weekday morning children's programming.

Why the Show Ended

In 1984, the Canadian government made big cuts to the CBC's budget. The Friendly Giant was cancelled soon after. Even though CBC leaders said the show's ending was not because of the cuts, many believed it was meant to cause public anger. The idea was that this anger might make the government give more money back to the CBC. While many people wanted the show to stay on air, the funding cuts were not changed. No new shows were made, but repeats aired for many years.

More than 3,000 episodes of The Friendly Giant were made by the time it ended. The show that replaced it, Fred Penner's Place, was sometimes called "the Giant Killer" by some people.

After the Show Ended

After the show was cancelled in 1985, reruns continued until September 1987. At that point, the show was completely removed from the schedule to make room for new children's programs.

Bob Homme, the star of the show, was made a member of the Order of Canada in 1998. This is a very high honor in Canada. He passed away on May 2, 2000, at the age of 81.

About 850 episodes of the show are kept in the CBC's archives. This includes early recordings. In 2005, The Friendly Giant was honored as a Masterwork by the Audio-Visual Preservation Trust of Canada. An official book about Bob Homme, called Look Up — Way Up, was written based on interviews with him after he retired. Rod Coneybeare, the puppeteer for Jerome and Rusty, passed away on September 5, 2019.