Distinctly Canadian Content from My Childhood
July 14th, 2011 by Michael Kwan
Growing up, I watched a lot of television. A good deal of it was American, but I was also exposed to a lot of Canadian content too. My Asian heritage certainly influenced by childhood too, but Canadian TV may have had an even bigger impact. And here are five of the most important pieces of Canadian heritage that I can remember.
The Cat Came Back
I’m not entirely sure what makes this distinctly Canadian, but it was certainly memorable. A tip of my hat to Russ for reminding me about this classic on Facebook.
Log Driver’s Waltz
This is another fantastic animated short that every Canadian kid will remember. It plays up on the stereotypes of plaid and moose, but that’s okay. That’s part of what makes us Canadian, even if I never chopped down a tree in my life or rode a log down the river. It may not be one of my all-time favorite cartoons, but I still look back at it with fond memories.
The Littlest Hobo
Speaking of fond memories, The Littlest Hobo had to be one of the greatest. The stories were very formulaic and ultimately predictable, but we just couldn’t help but to fall in love with the wandering pooch who had a knack for helping everyone. I even had this theme song as my cell phone ringtone for a while.
Mr. Dressup
If nothing else, Ernie “Mr. Dressup” Coombs taught me about the power and value of the imagination. From the Tickle Trunk to his time at the drawing board, he reminded us that we can be anyone we want and do anything we want if we set our minds to it.
The Sweater
And what list would be complete without this classic. Maurice “Rocket” Richard was before my time, but I still agree that I’d never want a Leafs jersey.
Tags: canada, culture, television
Filed under Arts and Entertainment.
I loved the Cat came back when I was little. They used to play it on Nickolodian. I didn’t know it was Canadian. Thats really cool.
The Littlest Hobo looks like a great show! I grew up in Brazil, so we did not have any of these shows.
-Jean
Nice to see what you liked and sawas you grew up Michael. It differs from my Looney Tunes, Felix the Cat, Top Cat and the Bowery Boys.
I guess I should share some of the shows that I watched in Brazil…. I used to watch shows like Kamen Rider Black, Saint Seiya or as it is known in the USA “Knights of the Zodaic” which was an original anime from the late 80s, that finally came to the USA around 2003.
-Jean