The Magic Garden (TV)
Encyclopedia
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 world. The show became popular with millions of children who came of age in the 1970s, and aired from March 1972 to September 1984.
, and later became New York City school teachers. Cary Antebi was the show's puppeteer.
Carole and Paula shared the Garden with Sherlock, a mischievous pink squirrel with a love for peanuts. A colorful and happy puppet bird which resembled a duck named Flapper was a later addition to the inhabitants of the magic garden.
The characters spent all of their time within the Magic Garden, a colorful, if static, setting whose primary locations were "The Magic Tree", a tree swing, and a barn. Carole and Paula also interacted with a giggling bed of flowers known as "The Chuckle Patch" that grew beneath the Magic Tree. The Chuckle Patch flowers grew leaves that had mild jokes on one side of the leaf and the punch line on the other side.
A typical show included songs, games, jokes, stories (regularly acted out using costumes and props from "The Story Box"), and life lessons for their viewers. The hostesses would regularly express personal greetings to members of their young television audience, saying "hello ___, hello ___" and inserting various first names.
On January 3, 1994, the show started showing reruns on Nick Jr.
.
On Thanksgiving Day in 2002, a special hosted by Paula and Carole aired, reminiscing about the show. Afterwards, two episodes were rerun for the first time in 18 years.
A DVD/CD set was released on October 14, 2008, including ten episodes of the series and 6 songs.
WPIX
WPIX, channel 11, is a television station in New York City built, signed on, and owned by the Tribune Company. WPIX also serves as the flagship station of The CW Television Network...
in New York City
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...
. Despite being a locally produced program, the show aired on channel 11 in the largest television market in the world. The show became popular with millions of children who came of age in the 1970s, and aired from March 1972 to September 1984.
The Show
The show featured two women, Carole Demas and Paula Janis, who punctuated each episode with several acoustic songs. The pair first met while they were teenage students at Brooklyn's Midwood High SchoolMidwood High School
Midwood High School, at Brooklyn College, is a public, urban, co-ed high school located on Bedford Avenue in Brooklyn, New York City.Midwood High School was for many years the recipient of multiple accolades because of its competitive educational programs and for the achievements of its students...
, and later became New York City school teachers. Cary Antebi was the show's puppeteer.
Carole and Paula shared the Garden with Sherlock, a mischievous pink squirrel with a love for peanuts. A colorful and happy puppet bird which resembled a duck named Flapper was a later addition to the inhabitants of the magic garden.
The characters spent all of their time within the Magic Garden, a colorful, if static, setting whose primary locations were "The Magic Tree", a tree swing, and a barn. Carole and Paula also interacted with a giggling bed of flowers known as "The Chuckle Patch" that grew beneath the Magic Tree. The Chuckle Patch flowers grew leaves that had mild jokes on one side of the leaf and the punch line on the other side.
A typical show included songs, games, jokes, stories (regularly acted out using costumes and props from "The Story Box"), and life lessons for their viewers. The hostesses would regularly express personal greetings to members of their young television audience, saying "hello ___, hello ___" and inserting various first names.
Show run
A total of 52 half-hour episodes and a one hour holiday special were produced, meeting the FCC requirements set forth in the Children's Television Act of that time. Three record albums were also released, one of which received a Grammy nomination. Additionally, the program received a citation from Actions for Children's Television, and also from the Children's Television Workshop for its creative efforts. Ratings were equal to or exceeded those of other shows on its genre.On January 3, 1994, the show started showing reruns on Nick Jr.
Nick Jr.
Nick Jr. was a programming block on the Nickelodeon television channel, seen on Nickelodeon weekday mornings. It was aimed at a preschool-age audience ages 6 and under. On September 28, 2009, Nick Jr. became its own official channel, replacing Noggin...
.
On Thanksgiving Day in 2002, a special hosted by Paula and Carole aired, reminiscing about the show. Afterwards, two episodes were rerun for the first time in 18 years.
A DVD/CD set was released on October 14, 2008, including ten episodes of the series and 6 songs.
Cast
- Cary Antebi - Sherlock
- Carol Demas - Herself / Carole (as Carole Demas)
- Paula Janis - Herself / Paula