Monday, July 20, 2009

Random Monday Memories


I grew up in the city of Detroit, right across the river from Windsor,Ontario Canada. We made a lot of trips into Canada by way of the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel and the Ambassador Bridge. But we didn't have to leave Detroit to get a lot of Canadian TV.


A favorite show (only 15 minutes in length) was "The Friendly Giant". I can picture it in my mind so clearly.

Each episode would begin with the camera panning over a detailed model of part of a village as Friendly could be heard observing the goings on in the town below. Suddenly, his giant boot would come into view and Friendly would ask the viewers to "Look up, look waaaaay up!" and the Giant would invite everyone to come visit his castle.

Then we'd see the Giant's castle, and the drawbridge and doors opened wide in welcome. Once inside, The Friendly Giant would put out miniature furniture for his viewers (with only his feet and hands visible), saying, "One little chair for one of you, and a bigger chair for two more to curl up in, and for someone who likes to rock, a rocking chair in the middle."
We'd usually see Jerome the Giraffe when he came by to visit by poking his head through a high window, and Rusty the Rooster would emerge from his small bag hanging from the wall adjacent to the window.
At the show's conclusion, Friendly would put his miniature furniture away and his large hand would wave goodbye as the camera would zoom out and the castle's drawbridge would be raised; and a silvery moon rose into the sky a cow would jump over it.
Here's a video of the beginning and ending of an episode...I love the theme music. I've been humming it for days!

"Here's a little chair for one of you, a rocking chair for someone who likes to rock, and a big armchair for 2 more to curl up in..."


I think Elijah, Charlotte and Penelope would love this show ~ maybe it's out on DVD.


This wasn't exactly a random thought ~ more like a prompted thought. I was visiting Kim at Daisy Cottage and she posted about some Little Itty Bitty Chairs and that took my mind straight to Friendly's little fireplace scene and his invite to sit for a bit.
Simpler TV ~ Simpler times!

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Very nice post.

Susan in Mt Pleasant MI

M.L. @ The House of Whimsy said...

That is the coolest memory. I love nostalgic things from our childhood. We really did grow up in a golden era (the childhood part). : )

our shabby cottage said...

Sounds like a great show.