History
Hodge Podge Lodge (1987–1994)
From 1987 to 1992, the CBC's two-hour morning block of children's programs was called Hodge Podge Lodge (not to be confused with the earlier American series of the same name). The CBC's afternoon children's programs during this time were presented under generic CBC branding instead. CBC Children's Publicist Barbara Chernin and Producer Stephen Wrigh came up with the "Hodge Podge Lodge" moniker. Angela Bruce, Head of CBC Children's Programming, consented to the name for the lineup.[citation needed] The Hodge Podge Lodge interstitials featured animated multi-coloured geometric shapes, art supplies, and blocks moving around to music.
Following the CBC's rebrand in November 1992, the Hodge Podge Lodge interstitials were replaced with new ones featuring a group of animated animals. A new character was introduced and a contest was held to name the character.
CBC Playground (1994–2000)
Former theatre director Peter Moss became the CBC's head of children's programming in 1993, and the following winter, the CRTC complained about the CBC's lack of children's programming and presence of U.S. shows on weekday afternoons. On October 24, 1994, the lineup was renamed CBC Playground; the block expanded to 9:30 a.m. with a half-hour block of children's series from around the world. European series requiring narration were recorded in Toronto with the voices of Martha Henry, Colm Feore and Albert Schultz. The CBC said all programs between 9:30 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. will be Canadian within two years, as twelve shows for the block's first half-hour went into development.
In 1998, Adrian Mills became the CBC's new head of daytime programming, and CBC Playground was relaunched and expanded by an hour. Two presenters, Lisa Richardson and Drew Carnwath, were added to the block, and virtual sets began to be used. The CBC became a partner in the Get Set For Life campaign, which aimed to share information on development in preschoolers, alongside non-profit parenting organization Invest in Kids and Canadian Living magazine. CBC Playground's "Parenting with the Zap Family" interstitials were produced as part of the campaign.
Get Set For Life (2000–2003)
In 2000, CBC Playground was replaced with Get Set For Life, a block named after the campaign of the same name. This iteration had Alyson Court and Michael Clarke as its hosts.
By 2002, Cheryl Hassen had replaced Mills as the CBC's head of children's programming.
Kids' CBC (2003–2016)
Kids' CBC started in 2003, replacing Get Set For Life. Previous hosts Court and Clarke continued to appear until December 2005, but the main focus was on five regional hosts from various parts of Canada. The hosts were Patty Sullivan (Ontario), Joyce Quansah (Quebec), Kush Uppal (British Columbia/Western Canada), Hayley Gene (Manitoba/Prairies), and Dashi Malone (Newfoundland and Labrador/Atlantic Canada). The look and the studio sets had also been drastically changed. The girl seen in the Get Set For Life logo was redesigned into an animated girl named Dot.
Kim Wilson took over from Hassen as the CBC's children's programming head in 2005.
On December 24, 2005, a set consisting of a garden in a geometric type dome was added to the block (the block previously featured animated interstitials in which the presenters would appear). Malone and Gene were replaced by Mark O'Brien and Holly Bernier.
On September 3, 2007, the garden was removed. The set was changed to a Canadian village-type setting that had a circle floor and a treehouse was added. Due to the CBC's budget restrictions, the show was restricted to being hosted from Toronto by Sullivan, with Sid Bobb coming in as a co-host.[citation needed]
New characters arrived to feature various parts of Canadian culture, each representing a different Canadian region:
- Mamma Yamma is a yam that represents Ontario. She is the owner of a fruit and vegetable stand in Toronto's Kensington Market.
- Drumheller is a skeleton dinosaur that represents Western Canada. He is from the archaeological site near Drumheller, Alberta.
- Saumon de Champlain is a fictionalized salmon version of Samuel de Champlain that represents Quebec, who lives at the Château Frontenac in Quebec City.
- Captain Claw is a lobster that represents Atlantic Canada. He is a lighthouse keeper in Peggy's Cove, Nova Scotia.
- Canada is a green, abstract animated representation of the map of the eponymous country.
Each of the puppets were used in a variety of scenes in their local setting, typically educational in nature. Mamma Yamma would frequently host cameos by visiting celebrities such as musicians or Canadian television personalities; a compilation album of live performances, Mamma Yamma and Friends, was released in 2008.
In 2013, the Kids' CBC style was changed. Drumheller, Saumon, Captain Claw, and Canada were removed. A new theme song titled "You and Me and Kids' CBC" was added. New segments were also added.
CBC Kids (2017–present)
On June 23, 2016, the CBC announced that Kids' CBC would be rebranded as CBC Kids the following winter. Presenters Sullivan and Bobb were removed. Mamma Yamma was also removed.[1] CBC Kids replaced Kids' CBC on January 2, 2017. The current hosts of this block are Janaye Upshaw and Tony Kim. Victor Verbitsky was a host until 2018. The current puppets are Gary the Unicorn, Cottonball the Cat, Mr. Orlando the Moose, Makeup Monster, and Putter the Computer.
The block's current format blends scripted children's programming with live-action segments featuring Upshaw, Kim and the puppet characters, called The Studio K Show.
Currently, Marie McCann is the head of children's content at CBC.