The Big Comfy Couch

The Big Comfy Couch
Created by Cheryl Wagner
Directed by Wayne Moss
Presented by Alyson Court (1992–2002)
Ramona Gilmour-Darling (2006)
Starring Bob Stutt
Fred Stinson
Grindl Kuchirka
Edward Knuckles
Robert Mills
Taborah Johnson
Jani Lauzon
Jackie Harris
Theme music composer JP Houston
Composer(s) JP Houston
Country of origin Canada
Original language(s) English
No. of seasons 7
No. of episodes 100
Production
Executive producer(s) Annabel Slaight
Producer(s) Cheryl Wagner
Robert Mills
Editor(s) Steven B. Pinchuk
Location(s)

Wallace Avenue Studios
Toronto, Ontario (1992–2002)

Studio City
Toronto, Ontario (2006)
Camera setup Multi-camera
Running time 25 minutes
Production company(s) Radical Sheep Productions
Owl Television/Communications
YTV
Amity Entertainment
Tadpole Kids
Nashville Public Television
Benny Smart Productions
American Public Television
Release
Original network YTV
Non-commercial syndication (US)
Original release January 3, 1992 (1992-01-03) – December 29, 2006 (2006-12-29)

The Big Comfy Couch is a Canadian preschool television series about Loonette the Clown and her doll Molly, who solve everyday problems on their "Big Comfy Couch". It aired from 1992 until 2006. It was produced by Cheryl Wagner and Robert Mills, directed by Wayne Moss and Mills. It premiered on March 2, 1992 in Canada and in 1995 in the USA on public television stations across the country.

The show's format revolves around Loonette the Clown, who lives with her dolly Molly on the eponymous Big Comfy Couch. Episodes are generally focused on a theme or a lesson. For example, Season 3's episode "Full of Life" explored the concepts of "full" and "empty", while another episode, "Sticks and Stones" dealt with name-calling and teasing.

Synopsis

Each episode contains several common elements that take place throughout the episode. Early in each show, Loonette performs an exercise routine she calls the "Clock Rug Stretch", often extended, sometimes short to save time for other surprises, fast if she's in a hurry and normal when she comes back, or is in a floppy mood; and toward the end, she performs a high-speed clean-up routine called the "Ten-Second Tidy". If, however, there is no mess made, then it is called the "Ten-Second Untidy, Tidy" (where Loonette has to make a mess and then clean up afterward). If the mess was already cleaned up, then it is called the "Ten-Second Silly" (where Loonette has to be silly for 10 seconds). If Loonette did not make a mess but Molly did, then Molly has to do the "Ten-Second Tidy" with Loonette's help.

Other oft-repeated elements include reading a story to Molly, who sometimes either chooses a story to hear, gives Loonette a book and oversized glasses (often by holding the book and wearing reading glasses), or turning on the lights for Loonette (half episodes of Season 7 did not feature Loonette and Molly reading a story); encounters with the dust bunnies who live under the couch; visits to various places in "Clowntown", songs that emphasize the episode's lessons or themes, and a trip to Granny Garbanzo's garden and house. Here she encounters Snicklefritz (full name being Snickle-Gustav-Amadeus-Fritz), Granny Garbanzo's cat; Major Bedhead, the local mail-delivery clown, who travels on a unicycle; and of course, Granny Garbanzo herself. The conversation with Granny Garbanzo is often used as the episode's "teachable moment", where Granny offers Loonette advice or lessons, often with the help of Major Bedhead, who delivers gifts and messages from Auntie Macassar or Uncle Chester. All episodes end with Loonette and Molly having a nap and sometimes reminding the viewers to remember the rules on today's episode.

In season 7, Loonette and Molly play the Dream Game and Molly gives out the letter that the dream starts with and provide what they will be dreaming about. In season 6, Loonette and Molly play the Doll School Game where Molly learns the alphabet as well as numbers (mainly 1–10). A similar element used in seasons 1–5 is the Alphabet Game, where a certain letter is shown on a giant alphabet block and Loonette uses certain words beginning with that letter and also makes the letter's shape with her body to get the viewers to guess the letter.

Along with the lessons and problem solving sequences, the show also emphasized imaginative play. These episodes often take place in the context of a "visit to Clowntown", with sites such as Granny Garbanzo's "Cabbage Club Cooking School", and Major Bedhead's "Clown Chi Mojo Dojo and Dancing School". Additionally, Loonette is gifted in the art of classical dance and runs "Miss Loonette's Dance Academy". In early episodes, Loonette was too young to visit Clowntown alone, but in later seasons, she makes frequent trips to Clowntown, and volunteers at the "Clowndergarten", where she teaches "little clowns" (played by young children) games, songs, and stories. This imaginative play was also demonstrated through dress-up games and through Loonette's dollhouse, in which she imagined the adventures of "The Foley Family". Shown first as a doll-sized family, in Loonette's imagination they would become a family of regular-sized clowns, whose actions were shown in high speed and with a musical background in the style of old silent movies. The Foleys (a mother, father and son) did not speak. Early in the first season, Molly had discovered "The Dust Bunnies". However, Loonette didn't believe that there are dust bunnies under the couch.

The two lounge around the couch all day, with the exception of the "Clock Rug Stretch" and daily adventure, sometimes involving Granny or Major Bedhead, a postal service employee who also plays bit parts. Each day includes a few songs and a story (which, when told by Loonette, involves her wearing huge yellow reading glasses and holding a blue storybook); and is concluded with "The Ten-Second Tidy", and a nice nap.

Production

The show was originally produced by Radical Sheep Productions and Owl Television, then Canadian children's television network YTV and WITF-TV Harrisburg, with a run of 65 episodes. In 2002, 13 new episodes were produced with Benny Smart, an American children's television production company, Tadpole TV and Treehouse TV, a companion channel of YTV, and Nashville Public Television.

From 1992 to 2002, the show was filmed at Wallace Avenue Studios in Toronto, and from 2006 onward, it has been filmed at Toronto's Studio City.

Radical Sheep Productions and Amity Entertainment, in association with Treehouse TV and Nashville Public Television, produced 22 additional episodes, which debuted on American Public Television in 2006.

Characters

Loonette

Loonette the Clown is the lead character, portrayed by Alyson Court from 1992 to 2002 and Ramona Gilmour-Darling from 2006 onward. She is a young clown living with her doll, Molly, on the eponymous Big Comfy Couch, an over-sized couch.

She frequently reads stories to Molly, always performs a Clock Rug Stretch, and likes to visit her Granny Garbanzo. Auntie Macassar (or more recently, her Uncle Chester) frequently sends Loonette postcards which Major Bedhead delivers on his unicycle (similar to Reba the Mail Lady from Pee-wee's Playhouse). Her Parents are never seen or mentioned. Loonette is gifted in the art of classical dance and runs "Miss Loonette's Dance Academy". Another gift she possesses is the unusual ability to clean just about any mess up in ten seconds, which she calls the "Ten Second Tidy". (In reality, the video's action was sped up during post-production of an episode.)

Originally, Loonette was too young to visit Clowntown, but starting from 2006, Loonette makes frequent (adult supervised) trips to Clowntown to visit Granny Garbanzo's "Cabbage Club Cooking School" and Major Bedhead's "Clown Chi Mojo Dojo and Dancing School". The trips to this second location indicates that she practices martial arts. Loonette also takes Molly to "Clowndergarten" and helps out with the other little clowns. This third location is similar to a preschool.

Molly

Molly is Loonette's dolly. Loonette found her in a barrel with a sign marked "Free to a good home", and adopted her. She is puppetered by Bob Stutt.

Molly wears a blue dress (sometimes a yellow one, an orange one in a couple of episodes and a light green one in the books), and occasionally bunny pajamas. She believes that dust bunnies really exist, despite Loonette's disbelief. Her favorite food is doughnuts. She only speaks by cartoon bubbles, and usually answers Loonette's yes–no questions by either nodding or shaking her head.

Additional characters

Note: One of the dust bunnies appeared inside the dollhouse in an episode.

Reruns and other original channels

In the United States, the series was syndicated by American Public Television to public television stations in that country, most of which were affiliated with PBS, starting in February 1995 and ending in May 2009.

Merchandise

Additional items for kids, like coloring pages, could be found on the Big Comfy Couch website. Other merchandise include VHS tapes, DVDs, coloring books, stuffed plush dolls, puzzles, and life size dolls (example: Molly).

Episodes

Season 1: 1992

Season 2: 1993

Miss Loonette's Dance Academy set is redesigned with a door that opens forwards and all shows are announced by an unknown announcer, all 10 second tidies have the standard music cue, Snicklefritz also debuts in this season.

Season 3: 1994

The opening scene is redesigned, The clock rug is also redesigned with a slightly smaller clock face, a dark sky blue color scheme and bolder print numbers, also the cuckoo theme is no longer used in the clock rug stretches, Auntie Massacar now speaks in the postcards sent to Loonette.

Season 4: 1995

Season 5: 1996

A faster version of the clock rug stretch theme is occasionally used. This was the last season of The Foley Family, Miss Loonette's Dance Academy, The Alphabet Game, and Auntie Macassar. This was also the last season that the stories Loonette read were illustrated.

Season 6: 2002

The opening is redesigned again, The couch is also redesigned and Uncle Chester now sends the postcards to Loonette. The dustbunny music and the ending music has been changed in this season as well. Each episode features Molly attending Doll School (which features her either counting to 10 or reciting the alphabet) with Loonette accompanying her. The stories that Loonette reads are now in live action. Even though the Foley Family segments were discontinued in Season 5, the miniature dollhouse was still seen on the set next to the couch. In Season 7, the dollhouse was removed.

Season 7: 2006

The clock is redesigned again with an even smaller clock face and even darker shade of blue, Ramona Gilmour-Darling replaces Alyson Court in the role of Loonette. Also in this season, Loonette and Molly visit places in Clowntown such as Granny's Cooking School, Major Bedhead's Dojo and Dancing School, and Clowndergarten. About half the episodes from this season did not feature Loonette reading Molly a story. Additionally in Season 7, while Molly and Loonette are sleeping at the end of each episode prior to the credit crawl, they play the dream game, usually dreaming about letters of the alphabet and what starts with that letter. Sometimes Molly dreams about donuts.

Media

Time-Life Video was the main distributor for releasing the Big Comfy Couch series under Time-Life Video's children's label Time-Life Kids. VHS releases are also released by Goldhil Video.

DVD releases

The Big Comfy Couch has 5 DVDs featuring the new season starring Ramona Gilmour-Darling. The DVDs and VHS tapes that feature Alyson Court are now out of print, but can be found in certain websites such as Amazon.com.

On July 30, 2013, TGG Direct released the first two seasons on DVD in Region 1 for the very first time.[1][2] Seasons 3–7 will be released on August 6, 2013.[3][4][5][6][7]

Album releases

Several albums of the original songs written by JP Houston and performed by the cast were released by Time-Life, as well as Naxos Music.

App releases

In 2015, Radical Sheep, in association with Sticky Brain Studios, released some apps based on the series.

Tours

The Big Comfy Couch has had a few live shows at Londonderry Mall in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada and sometimes in Calgary and rarely in Regina, Saskatchewan.

Loonette and Molly Live Theatrical Tour

In 2007, a live theatrical production entitled Molly's Fool Moon Festival toured in Canada. The show included Loonette the Clown, Molly, Granny Garbanzo, Major Bedhead and others.

The production was produced by Koba Entertainment, and presented by Paquin Entertainment Group.

References

  1. Big Comfy Couch: Complete Season One
  2. Big Comfy Couch: Complete Season Two
  3. http://www.amazon.com/Big-Comfy-Couch-Season-3/dp/B00CMQIDZE
  4. http://www.amazon.com/Big-Comfy-Couch-Season-4/dp/B00CMQIE62
  5. http://www.amazon.com/Big-Comfy-Couch-Season-5/dp/B00CMQIDGI
  6. http://www.amazon.com/Big-Comfy-Couch-Season-6/dp/B00CMQIDCW
  7. http://www.amazon.com/Big-Comfy-Couch-Season-7/dp/B00CMQIDU4
  8. Just Ask Molly! Accessed May 2, 2015.
  9. Fuzzy Wuzzy Fun! Accessed May 2, 2015.
  10. Clock Rug Time Accessed May 28, 2015.

External links

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