Underplayed Gems

Polka Dot Door (1971)

Polka Dot Door poster
Genre
children's television series
Country
Canada
Length
22 seasons, 383 episodes
Rating
7.5 of 10 from 2 voters
Elsewhere
IMDb
The 3D catalogue: film cases on wooden shelves, with the cat sitting at the counter next to its greeting.

The catalogue in 3D

The film shelves have a room of their own that you can walk around in. The cat behind the counter is the AI Catbot, and they pick real films from the same catalogue when you tell them what you feel like watching. Nothing is for sale, here or in there. Go in from here and this series is already out on the counter, with more like it waiting on the shelf next to it.

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How it feels

Two hosts speak directly to children and guide them through themed activities each week. There is a mythical kangaroo-like character named Polkaroo who appears in mime segments. The show focuses on creativity and education.

educationalplayfulgentleinteractivewhimsicalrepetitivenostalgicslow-paced

What happens

Polka Dot Door is a Canadian children's television series which was produced by the Ontario Educational Communications Authority (later known as TVOntario) from 1971 to 1993. The series features two hosts who speak directly to the home viewing audience. The content of the shows was generally geared towards education and creativity. Each week of episodes focused on a single theme with each weekday assigned a different "motif" in which the theme was explored in different ways (For example, Tuesdays were "Dress-Up Day" in which the hosts would use costumes to explore the theme). One of the most well-known elements of the series was the "Polkaroo", a mythical character whose name combines the words "polka dot" and "kangaroo". Normally played by the male host in costume, the Polkaroo would appear to the female host to perform a mime; upon the second host's return, he would typically express disappointment when informed that he had once again missed the Polkaroo. In earlier years, the Polkaroo appeared just once per week on "Imagination Day", but due to the character's popularity, additional appearances were added later in the show's run. Another feature of the show was "looking through the polka-dot-door", usually on "Finding-Out Day", when the camera would zoom in to a special dot on the door, which would open up to reveal a short educational film. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

More like this

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