Mr. Dressup to Degrassi
Mr. Dressup to Degrassi: 42 Years of Legendary Toronto Kids TV
The TV shows of your childhood hit closer to home than you might think.
From 1952 to 1994, Toronto was a global player in a golden era of children’s television programming. For over four decades, our city brought together innovative thought leaders, passionate creators and unexpected collaborations – forming a corner of the television industry unlike any other in the world.
Toronto etched itself into our collective consciousness with shows like Mr. Dressup, Today’s Special, The Friendly Giant, Polka Dot Door, Degrassi, and more.
This past exhibition invited attendees to journey through Toronto’s heyday of children’s TV shows.
Acknowledgements
Mr. Dressup to Degrassi was curated by Ed Conroy.
Museum of Toronto is made possible with the generous support of Diane Blake and Stephen Smith.
elsonstudio
elsonstudio is the design practice of Christine Elson. Trained as an architect, Christine has been working with museums, galleries and other cultural clients for over 10 years, developing engaging exhibitions, installations and activations. Her studies in literature, as well as her experience working in the theatre world and film industry, have contributed to a deep understanding of the design of narrative spaces.
Special thanks to Phil Guerrero, Gillian Hazan, Jason Hopley, Brenda Kamino, Nina Koegh, Peter Pavement of Surface Impressions, Puppetry Stuff Canada, Jamie Shannon, and Nerene Virgin.
Myseum would like to acknowledge Judith Lawrence as the original creator and puppeteer of Mr. Dressup’s Casey and Finnegan, whose likenesses are featured in the exhibit.
