CBC Kids
Kids' CBC is a preschool commercial-free programming block aired mornings on CBC Television.
The lead hosts of the block are Patty Sullivan and Sid Bobb.
History
Children's programming has always been part of CBC's weekday lineup since the 1950s.
Hodge Podge Lodge
From the 1980s to the early 1990s, the lineup was called Hodge Podge Lodge (not to be confused with the American series of the same name), with interstitals featuring animated multi-coloured geometric shapes.
CBC Playground
In the early 1990s, the lineup was relaunched as CBC Playground, featuring some of the most famous shows ever to air on CBC. Among these shows were Mr. Dressup, Theodore Tugboat, Dig and Dug, Old Bear Stories, Fred Penner's Place, and Guess What?. In the late 1990s, two human hosts, Lisa and Drew, were added to the block along with Polka Dot Shorts, Rolie Polie Olie, and (for a short time) The Busy World of Richard Scarry.
Get Set for Life
In 2000, CBC Playground was replaced with Get Set for Life, a block named after a partnership between non-profit parenting organization Invest in Kids, Canadian Living magazine [citation needed] and the CBC Children's Programming Department. It featured Alyson Court and Michael Clark as hosts.
Get Set for Life saw the departure of Theodore Tugboat, Guess What?, Fred Penner's Place, and Polka Dot Shorts. In their places, Dragon Tales, Clifford the Big Red Dog, and Zoboomafoo started airing daily on the GSFL block.
Kids' CBC
Kids' CBC started in 2003, taking the place of Get Set for Life on CBC. Alyson and Michael still appeared from time to time, but the look and the studio sets had been drastically changed. The little child seen in the GSFL logo was slightly redesigned and turned into a separate animated character called Dot, and the GSFL theme song and opening sequence were rewritten and reshot. Five regional hosts appeared, providing links from all over Canada. The hosts were Patty Sullivan (Ontario), Joyce Quansah (Quebec), Kush Uppal (Western Canada), Hayley Gene (the Prairies) and Dashi Malone (Atlantic Canada).
In December 2005, the first season of Kids' CBC was deemed a success. There was only one major change, which was changing the set from a colourful fantasy world to a garden in a geometric type dome. Dashi and Hayley both moved on to other things and were replaced by Mark O'Brien and Holly Bernier.
This edition of the block also saw one of CBC's most cherished programs, Mr. Dressup, finally removed from syndication after 10 years of reruns and five years after the death of Ernie Coombs, who played the role of the title character.
Kids' Canada
In September 2007, the hosted interstitial segments on Kids' CBC became Kids' Canada. For these segments, everything had changed except for Patty. The garden was replaced by a Canadian village-type setting. The regional hosts moved on and Sid Bobb came in as co-host. New puppets arrived to feature various parts of Canadian culture. Mamma Yamma (Kensington Market), Drumheller Dinosaur(Alberta), Saumon de Champlain (Chateau Frontenac) and Captain Claw (Peggys Cove). A new character appeared named Canada, a green, abstract representation of the map of Canada. The Kids' CBC branding and logo remain, to represent the block as a whole.
Current Kids' CBC shows include Curious George, Lunar Jim, Poko, Pinky Dinky Doo, Arthur, The Save-Ums!, Bruno and the Banana Bunch, Bo on the Go, Wilbur and The Doodlebops.