Mr. Dressup

Mr. Dressup was and continues to be a wonderful educational show for young children. It is timeless, teaching the basics such as manners, courtesy and encouraging imagination and creativity.

There is so much junk on television for kids these days, with the focus more on entertainment and ratings and $$$. Mr Dressup is definitely recommended and refreshing watching. Children will find that he talks to them, not AT them - that he is not interested in the 25 second sound bite or being "popular".

And on a personal note - I will miss him greatly. He was inspirational and made generations of Canadians better people. A hero...

Ernie Coombs was an American cartoonist cum television personality who was hired by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation to appear as a character named Mr. Dressup in a children's program, "Butternut Square". While the show became popular, Mr. Dressup had the most appeal and got his own series within a few years. The opening animation was always interesting - this was animated for many years by crack CBC staffer Gary Pearson, who did a great job of duplicating Coombs drawing style and putting it in motion.

The two puppets Casey and Finnegan were great characters for Mr. Dressup to play off. Casey, the naive little boy with a slight British accent and his silly dog Finnegan, who made us all laugh. Coombs style was simple, tasteful and respectful. It wasn't the zany, condescending, almost lewd style some kid's programs, like "Tree House", "Soupy Sales", "Uncle Floyd" and others embraced. He, Casey and Finnegan would have a challenging craft, or dress up for a fun little skit, but it never got lascivious, or offensive. I have to take my Napoleon hat off to him for that!

CBC always recognized the importance of quality children's programming, with shows like "Chez Helene", "Friendly Giant", the first incarnation of "Mister Rogers" and later on "Sesame Street", "Fred Penner" and so on. Puppeteer Judith Lawrence retired and Coombs died in the mid-1990s, effectively ending production. However, the show remains extremely popular with kids in reruns, as CBC occasionally shows them today.

One of the great Canadian icons of my youth was Mr. Dressup. I forgot all about Mr. Rodgers and Captain Kangaroo and Uncle Bobby. Mr. Dressup was where it was at when I was a kid. Ernie Combs was truly a gem to kids who were born between 1967-1996. He seemed to know exactly what kids would relate to. I always related to Casey and Finnigan. I was quite upset when the puppeteer who voiced Casey and Finnigan retired but I knew that everyone, no matter what the profession, retires when the time comes. The thing that I'll miss the most about Mr. Dressup is his smile and the way that he made me feel everytime I watched the show. I'll miss you Mr. Dressup and I hope that you'll still be doing your show in heaven. :)

Mr dressup is the greatest guy I know. when he died in 2001, I may not have been crying on the outside, but on the inside, i was bawling like a 3 year old.

So, Mr. dressup is your average neighbor who loves children (And not in the way we automatically assume today) he lives in a house, and he knows tons of people, including puppets, children, and other people. He usually invites them over (or they just pop up in his house) and they make crafts, dress up in costumes from the tickle trunk, or sing. and even sometimes watch a short video that was filmed in the 70's. all in all, Mr dressup ends the show with the legendary line, "till next time, bye-bye, from, whoever is with him, and me, Mr. dressup! bye. then we get to hear a jaunty piano tune which fills any Canadian with joy.

10/10

When I was a wee lass living in the sunny tropical city of Ottawa Canada, I waited until 9:30 in the morning with bated breath. You see that was the time that Mr Dressup aired. He was always there with a new story or a new idea, or just all around fun. It inspired me to be imaginative. It inspired me to be creative and not just plod through life. It taught me that you can make up your own friends and have them live in trees. It taught me everything.

I will miss him very much. Everyone in Canada, who grew up with a TV will. I am glad that CBC still shows it, so I can hopefully show my Children this show.

RIP Mr Dressup.