From the Amazon.ca website, comes this description:

"Featuring over one hundred children’s programs broadcast between 1950 and 2000, ImagiNation is a memory-filled trip for anyone who spent their weekdays after school or Saturday mornings staring at the idiot box. The story of each Toronto-produced series is covered — from inception through production to broadcast — along with the tales of local stations and the people who made it all happen.

"Fans of The Friendly Giant, Degrassi Junior High, Readalong, YTV, Uncle Bobby, Aunt Agnes, and much more will find their favourites — plus shows they’ve forgotten they loved (or loathed). Whether you adored Pearl Van Oyster, Hammy Hamster, the Fraggles, or the Grogs, ImagiNation is a trip you won’t want to miss."

Looking forward to reading this!

Mr. Conroy also has a radio connection, appearing on one of Shane Hewitt's "Throwback Thursday" segments on CFRB every week. I generally find it very entertaining.

Capricasix wrote:

Retrontario wrote:

Publication date is now October 14th. We have a micro site that will soon have much more information, but it is a good place to pre-order (if you haven't already): https://imagination.retrontario.com/

 

Was it you who put on the exhibition about Toronto kids’ TV last year? I went to see it with my kid and we loved it!

It was indeed, thank you for visiting, and for the kind words. During the run of the exhibit I learned so much more about the subject matter, and the book really blossomed out of that. 

Last edited by Retrontario (August 14, 2025 5:12 pm)

Looks great! Too bad you can't release an accompanying DVD with it, but I'm guessing the rights and clearances for that would have been impossible to get. I recognize a lot of those shows, but some of the more "recent" one (recent being the 70s, because I was older by then) are not in my memory bank. 

I noticed Howdy Doody in there. Yes, the CBC did their own version, with "Timber Tom" instead of "Buffalo Bob." But i remember even as a kid hating the Canadian version (some things never change!) I did like "Razzle Dazzle," though, so I wasn't completely against all local kid shows. 

But I have to say, it was those Buffalo kid shows that used to command a lot of my attention way back when. Sad no TV station does them anymore, another sign of how the economy of TV and the focus of kids have changed.

Looking forward to "watching" the book!