On Thanksgiving Day 2002, a special hosted by Paula and Carole aired on WPIX, reminiscing about the show. The program received a citation from Actions for Children's Television, and from the Children's Television Workshop for its creative efforts. Three record albums were released due to a high demand, one of which received a Grammy nomination. The hosts, Carole Demas and Paula Janis, who had met as students at Brooklyn's Midwood High School, and later became New York City school teachers, helped to develop the show.Īccording to Carole and Paula's website, local ratings were equal to or exceeded those of other shows in its genre such as Sesame Street. ![]() Hello Jeffrey."įifty-two half-hour episodes and a one hour holiday special were produced to meet the FCC requirements set forth in the Children's Television Act. ![]() In addition to songs, games, and jokes, the characters provide life lessons for viewers, and extend personal greetings to members of their television audience – for example: "Hello Judy. Stories are often acted out using costumes and props provided by the Story Box. Many conversations take place at a low stone wall with Sherlock, a mischievous squirrel puppet with a love for peanuts, and Flapper, a colorful bird who was a later addition to the characters in the garden. Also found throughout the garden are swings, a stone path, a shed, and the Chuckle Patch, a giggling bed of flowers that grows leaves with jokes on one side and the punch line on the other. The show takes place entirely within the Magic Garden, a colorful set that includes the Magic Tree, which lowers various objects from its branches. Produced and broadcast in the largest television market in the world, the show became popular with millions of children.Ĭarole and Paula, the main characters and hosts of the show, sing several songs thoughout each episode, often accompanied by Paula's acoustic guitar. I love that! Thanks so much, I’m glad you enjoyed.The Magic Garden is a 30-minute children's show which aired Mondays through Thursdays from March 1972 to September 1984 on the independent television channel WPIX-11 in New York City. And ahhh, now I am singing The Magic Garden theme song in my head…. =)Īs always, a descriptive and lovely read! Thanks for this sweet post. Thank you, Beth! I’m so glad you enjoyed. Thank you for bringing woman of a certain age back to the Magic Garden and reminding all of us about trees either featured or in the setting of our lives (if we’re lucky enough to be surrounded) Be sure to download your free Tu B’Shevat Text Set and Gardening Text Set for Until the Blueberries Grow!Ĥ Responses to “Tu B’Shevat and the Magic of Trees” Want to learn more about why trees are magical? Stop by here. And, if you’re lucky enough to find it, enjoy some cherry borscht on me.Ĭue windchimes For all things Tu B’Shevat, visit PJ Library’s hub. Plant a tree if you can-or just enjoy one nearby. So happy New Year to the trees, and Chag sameach! It’s been a long two years by anyone’s measure, and Tu B’Shevet is a celebration of renewal. UNTIL THE BLUEBERRIES GROW, by Jennifer Wolf Kam, illus. I had all the magic I needed, sheltered within the majestic leaves. That no enchanted gift bags appeared bearing roller skates or maracas seemed beside the point. I’d linger in my perch, surveying the land, the fragrant spring breeze grazing my cheek. I’d already realized this of course, as an avid young climber of trees-starting with the small pink-petaled magnolia in front of my house, then gradually moving to the larger, branchy crabapple tree, and finally reaching mid-height (as far as I was allowed to go) into the giant oak that bordered my grandparent’s yard, from which one of its branches still dangled a charming old tire swing. But really, it was more the idea that trees provide and delight and surprise. What was in the bag was almost irrelevant, although it could be anything from a babushka to a sock puppet to a glockenspiel-some kind of prop to add to the imaginative play in the garden. ![]() Each episode, the tree would suddenly play a mystical windchime-y tune, and a gift bag would slowly descend from its branches. The garden offered a treasure chest of dress-up clothes (The Story Box), giggling flowers who told corny dad jokes (the Chuckle Patch), and, at its center, the Magic Tree. When I was very young, one of my favorite television programs was The Magic Garden, a delightful, low-budget, subtly psychedelic, locally aired show that featured adorably pig-tailed songstresses, Carol and Paula, singing, dancing, and playing make-believe in the titular Magic Garden. It’s Tu B’Shevat, the Jewish New Year of the trees, which understandably has me thinking about, well…trees. Posted Januby Jennifer & filed under Mining Memories.
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