Joya's Fun School
Encyclopedia
Joya's Fun School was a children's series that was produced and broadcast by WPIX-TV in New York City
from March 1970 to December 1982. The cast included the host Joya (Joya Sherrill
), The Professor (Luther Henderson
), Mr. BB (Brumsic Brandon Jr.) and a bookworm
puppet
named Seymour. The series aired on Fridays in the same time-slot as The Magic Garden
, another popular children's series that was produced by WPIX-TV but run only Monday through Thursday. Joya's Fun School featured stories, songs, and activities.
A former vocalist with Duke Ellington's
Jazz Band, Sherrill was originally slated to host an adult talk show at WPIX-TV, but viewers wanted more diversity in the types of children's TV programs that were being aired - something for kids of different races.
The station executives decided to have Sherrill host a show that would appeal to the needs of kids from many ethnic backgrounds. She liked the idea, and "Time For Joya" was seen on Sunday mornings beginning Sunday, March 29, 1970.
Joya Sherrill would engage her studio audiences and viewers in games, songs (with musical accompaniment provided by the show's musical director, Luther Henderson aka The Professor), stories, craftmaking, hobbies and comedy skits with her puppet pal, Seymore, the Bookworm (created and manipulated by the show's resident cartoonist Brumsic Brandon, AKA Mr. BB). Informational segments and interviews with guest personalities were also regularly seen.
The show was successful with New York City children, and it received praise from critics and educators alike. "Time For Joya" remained on the air until Sunday, October 3, 1971.
By this time, TV censor groups like Peggy Charren's Action For Children's Television wanted television stations to create and produce what they considered to be better quality educational kiddie shows. As a result, "Time For Joya" was moved to a weekday morning timeslot, and the format was revamped from a kid's variety show to a half-hour educational series - which Sherrill hosted without a studio audience.
The series was seen weekday mornings under its new title, "Joya's Fun School," from Monday, January 2, 1972 to Friday, March 27, 1972.
After its short time on the air, the station executives at WPIX-TV decided not to tape any new episodes of "Time For Joya" and they simply re-ran the existing shows only on Friday afternoons from Friday, April 7, 1972 until some time in 1982. The "Magic Garden" ran in the same time slot from April 3, 1972 to some time in 1984. After Joya's Fun School was dropped, Magic Garden ran Fridays as well.
After Sherrill left WPIX, she went on to work on other projects. She hosted another kid's TV show in the Middle East
during the 1980s - until military and political situations there became too dangerous, and she and her family were forced to leave.
Sadly, video tapes of "Time For Joya" and "Joya's Fun School" are lost to history.
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
from March 1970 to December 1982. The cast included the host Joya (Joya Sherrill
Joya Sherrill
Joya Sherrill was an American jazz vocalist and children's television show host....
), The Professor (Luther Henderson
Luther Henderson
Luther Henderson was an African American arranger, composer, orchestrator, and pianist.Born in Kansas City, Missouri, he was educated at the Juilliard School of Music where he received a B.S. in 1942...
), Mr. BB (Brumsic Brandon Jr.) and a bookworm
Bookworm
Bookworm may refer to:* Bibliophile or bookworm, an avid reader and lover of books* Bookworm , a popular generalization for any insect which supposedly bores through books...
puppet
Puppet
A puppet is an inanimate object or representational figure animated or manipulated by an entertainer, who is called a puppeteer. It is used in puppetry, a play or a presentation that is a very ancient form of theatre....
named Seymour. The series aired on Fridays in the same time-slot as The Magic Garden
The Magic Garden (TV)
The Magic Garden is a 30-minute children's show which aired Mondays through Thursdays. The show was locally produced in studios for independent television channel WPIX in New York City. Despite being a locally produced program, the show aired on channel 11 in the largest television market in the...
, another popular children's series that was produced by WPIX-TV but run only Monday through Thursday. Joya's Fun School featured stories, songs, and activities.
Facts About "Time For Joya" & "Joya's Fun School"
In the spring of 1970, Joya Sherrill became the second African/American New York City-based entertainer to host a children's TV show, and the first African-American woman to do so.A former vocalist with Duke Ellington's
Duke Ellington
Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington was an American composer, pianist, and big band leader. Ellington wrote over 1,000 compositions...
Jazz Band, Sherrill was originally slated to host an adult talk show at WPIX-TV, but viewers wanted more diversity in the types of children's TV programs that were being aired - something for kids of different races.
The station executives decided to have Sherrill host a show that would appeal to the needs of kids from many ethnic backgrounds. She liked the idea, and "Time For Joya" was seen on Sunday mornings beginning Sunday, March 29, 1970.
Joya Sherrill would engage her studio audiences and viewers in games, songs (with musical accompaniment provided by the show's musical director, Luther Henderson aka The Professor), stories, craftmaking, hobbies and comedy skits with her puppet pal, Seymore, the Bookworm (created and manipulated by the show's resident cartoonist Brumsic Brandon, AKA Mr. BB). Informational segments and interviews with guest personalities were also regularly seen.
The show was successful with New York City children, and it received praise from critics and educators alike. "Time For Joya" remained on the air until Sunday, October 3, 1971.
By this time, TV censor groups like Peggy Charren's Action For Children's Television wanted television stations to create and produce what they considered to be better quality educational kiddie shows. As a result, "Time For Joya" was moved to a weekday morning timeslot, and the format was revamped from a kid's variety show to a half-hour educational series - which Sherrill hosted without a studio audience.
The series was seen weekday mornings under its new title, "Joya's Fun School," from Monday, January 2, 1972 to Friday, March 27, 1972.
After its short time on the air, the station executives at WPIX-TV decided not to tape any new episodes of "Time For Joya" and they simply re-ran the existing shows only on Friday afternoons from Friday, April 7, 1972 until some time in 1982. The "Magic Garden" ran in the same time slot from April 3, 1972 to some time in 1984. After Joya's Fun School was dropped, Magic Garden ran Fridays as well.
After Sherrill left WPIX, she went on to work on other projects. She hosted another kid's TV show in the Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
during the 1980s - until military and political situations there became too dangerous, and she and her family were forced to leave.
Sadly, video tapes of "Time For Joya" and "Joya's Fun School" are lost to history.