The Magic Garden (TV series)
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The Magic Garden was a 30-minute children's show which aired Mondays through Thursdays on New York City's WPIX Channel 11 from September 1972 to March 1984. It was also syndicated nationally for part of its run.
The show featured two women, Carole Demas and Paula Janis, who punctuated each episode with several acoustic songs. The pair had first met while students at Brooklyn's Midwood High School, and later became New York City school teachers.
There was one other recurring character: a mischievous squirrel puppet named Sherlock. The duo also interacted with a giggling bed of flowers known as the "Chuckle Patch". A puppet bird named Flapper was a later addition.
They all spent their time in the Magic Garden, a colorful if static setting whose primary locations were "The Magic Tree," a tree swing, and a barn. A typical show included songs, games, stories (acted out using costumes and props from "The Story Box"), and lessons for their young audience.
The opening theme song still inspires nostalgia among the show's fans:
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- This is the garden of make-believe,
- A magical garden of make-believe,
- Where flowers chuckle
- And birds play tricks,
- And a magic tree
- Grows lollipop sticks.
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- Here in the garden what we say and do,
- We'd like you to join us and do it too.
- Can you crow like a rooster (cock-a-doodle-doo!)
- And clap your hand and stamp your shoe?
- It's a funny place but it's surely true
- That we'd like to share it all with you.
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- If you sing for me (La la la la la la), I'll sing for you (Loo loo loo loo loo loo).
- If you cry for me (------), I'll cry for you (Boo hoo hoo hoo)
- If you scream for me (Aaaahhh!), I'll scream for you (------).
- If you laugh for me (Hee hee hee hee hee hee), I'll laugh for you (Ho ho ho ho ho ho).
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- So come on in without a fuss,
- 'Cause the magical garden is waiting for us!
52 half-hour episodes and a one hour holiday special were created to meet FCC requirements as set forth in the Children's Television Act of that time. Three record albums were also released, one of which received a Grammy nomination. The program received a citation from the Children's Television Workshop for its creative efforts.
Every episode ended with Demas' and Janis' closing song, "See ya, see ya, hope ya had a good good time...mmm mmm...hope ya had a good good morning too, yeah...hope we get to see ya again! Goodbye!"
On Thanksgiving Day in 2002, a special hosted by Paula and Carole aired, reminiscing about the show. Afterwards, two episodes were rerun for the first time in 18 years.
