Mr. Dressup

CBC turned 75 years old this week. They’ve been playing bits of archival material, and because its one of the stations I listen to when I’m in the car, I’ve been catching bits of them…like pieces of “As it Happens” interviewing a hostage taker in the middle of Washington’s hostage crisis years ago, or the “Dead Dog Caf ” with Jasper Friendly Bear and Edna Heavy Hand, or of Peter Gzoski on Morningside. Loving the nostalgia.

But one bit of it caught me and took me away like none other. I was watching Dragon’s Den to see Winnipegger Carolyne Braid face the Dragons as she was seeking funding to expand her pole dancing business (real guts, that woman had, to so confidently face their questions)…and during a commercial, as I was fiddling with email in a vain effort to clean out my inbox…suddenly I was shook by a familiar voice. I didn’t have my eye on the screen, but I’d know that voice anywhere! Some vintage footage of Mr. Dressup came on, and we got to see him draw a ladybug as if she was a real lady…with a fancy hat. And there were voice overs of people probably similar to me in age talk about their fascination with Mr. Dressup and how he empowered them in cool ways.

And the sound of his voice took me baaaaack, way back. And I remembered:

• How respectfully and kindly he spoke to puppets and children, taking their concerns seriously, and working through the situations that troubled them respectfully.
• How he loved to play with children doing what children would like to do, asking what they wanted to do, and following them in their play in a way that made the children be important. They would co-create stories to act out, and played out adventures the children wanted to explore.
• The soothing sound of his voice as he would sing a song, or comfort Casey when Casey was upset about something. It was something to spend time in the same space as this calm, soothing presence.
• How, even as a grown man, he would wake up “Wise Old Owl” in the picture on the wall, and ask him questions and be open to his wisdom. I loved it that a grown-up man admitted he could learn things and asked questions.
• How he engaged the puppets and children at their level, involving himself in what they expressed an interest in, without ever becoming a child himself. He stayed a grownup, he stayed himself, but he was intensely interested in engaging with a child in a way that created a solid connection.
• How well he drew simple things, that encouraged me to try to draw too. I could never draw as well as he could, but somehow I knew, that if he saw my drawing, he would still like it.
• How exactly the right costume was always there and neatly folded at the very top of the “Tickle Trunk”, ready for whatever play he and the children or puppets were about to engage in. Never ceased to amaze me.

But most of all, I remember his kind gentleness…the way he stayed calm even when a child or puppet was upset, his gentle giggle about something, the way he was patient with a puppet who could worry about things, the way he petted Finnegan the dog puppet kindly and consistently. Mr. Dressup meant a lot to me…it was hard for me to go to Grade 1, because it meant that I wasn’t home at 10:30 in the morning when Mr. Dressup was on TV at my house.

I remember watching Mr. Dressup well into junior high…not because I was terribly interested in his stories (and by then Casey and Finnegan weren’t around anymore), and I’d long figured out the mystery of the right costumes being in the Tickle Trunk, even that he was actor who had a real name, Ernie Coombs. In many ways I was past the show, it wasn’t age appropriate, the was targeted towards young children…but I wasn’t past Mr. Dressup. The person of who he was stayed very important to me, long after an age when you’d think I’d be past “baby shows”.

I watched Mr. Dressup into junior high in the summer or on days when I was at home sick from school, because Mr. Dressup made me feel good inside as I watched…and knowing I would get to watch him…well, the anticipation was good, too.

I felt calm and soothed…Mr. Dressup didn’t get angry, he was consistent and reliable (well, I didn’t like it when Casey and Finnegan left, and thought the show was never the same)…he cared about children and puppets, and enjoyed them. I liked that.

Perhaps that’s it…an adult who enjoyed being with the little ones…and I got to spend time with him.

Thanx CBC, for all the shows I’ve enjoyed of yours over the years…but most especially, thanx for Mr. Dressup.