Mr Dressup

**Mr. Dressup** was a Canadian children's television show that ran on CBC from 1967 to 1996. Ernie Coombs starred as Mr. Dressup. A gentleman who was a child at heart. He loved using his and teaching children to use their imaginations. The character began on Children's television show Butternut Square 1964 to 1967.

Judith Lawrence performed puppets Casey and Finnegan until her retirement in 1990. As well as occasional puppet friends Miss Biz, Aunt Bird and Alligator Al. Alligator Al ran the local trading post. Rather than replace Judith Lawrence, Casey and Finnegan appeared less and less on the show until they were rarely seen. After Lawrence's retirement new puppet characters were added including, Truffles, Chester the Crow who took over the trading post, Annie and her Granny who ran the local community center, Alex and Lorenzo the Raccoon. Human friends included Alyson (1984-1994), Hisani, Jim, Bev, Beth Ann, Susan and Mark the Repairman.

The most famous segment was when Mr. Dressup would reach into the Tickle Trunk and pull out a costume for a skit or play. It might be an animal costume, or a policeman's, or fireman's uniform, or some other outfit in which he could dress up and play whatever role the costume suggested. Also, there was an amazing drawing board, where Mr. Dressup's drawings/paintings would tell a story.

## Main Characters

* Mr. Dressup
* Casey performed by Judith Lawrence
* Finnegan performed by Judith Lawrence
* Truffles performed by Nina Keough
* Chester the Crow performed by Karen Valleau
* Annie performed by Ruth Danziger

## Recurring Characters

Puppets:

* Alligator Al performed by Judith Lawrence
* Aunt Bird performed by Judith Lawrence
* Miss Biz performed by Judith Lawrence
* Granny performed by Jani Lauzon
* Alex performed by Jim Parker
* Lorenzo performed by Bob Dermer
* Wise Owl voiced by Ernie Coombs

Humans:

* Beth Anne played by Beth Anne Cole
* Susan played by Susan Marcus
* Bev played by Glenn Copeland (as Beverly Glenn-Copeland)
* Alyson played by Alyson Court
* Hisani played by Hisani Clarke
* Jim played by Jim Parker
* Caterina played by Caterina Scorsone
* Mark the Repairman played by Mark Kersey

## Crew Members

* Daniel McCarthy - creator/producer
* Lilly Barnes - series writer
* Susan Marcus - writer
* Jim Parker - writer
* Stu Gilchrist - producer of Butternut Square/Mr. Dressup
* Susan Sheehan - producer
* Donald Hines - Musician
* Hank Monis - Musician

## Appearances On Other Shows

* As Mr. Dressup, Ernie Coombs appeared on Fred Penner's Place and in the TVO Kids studio.
* As Mr. Dressup, Ernie Coombs appeared on Jonovision with other children's performers including Sharon, Lois and Bram and Stefan Brogren from Degrassi Jr High.

## Legacy & Links

Both Mr. Dressup and Ernie Coombs were celebrated over the years which included a 25th Anniversary episode (with some famous Canadian cameos), a featured Google Doodle to celebrate Ernie's 85th birthday, an Order of Canada honoree, an Earle Grey Award for excellence in Canadian television, a Gemini award for best performance in Children's program, a star on Canada's Walk of Fame, and a 2023 documentary by Robert McCallum titled: Mr. Dressup: The Magic of Make-Believe premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival. More information on the Documentary can be found here: https://www.facebook.com/MrDressupDocumentary

* Official Wikipedia Page: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mr.\_Dressup
* Canadian History Ehx podcast episode on Spotify or Apple Podcast
* Jonovision episode with Ernie Coombs: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TX4hoGdzaQg&t=41s
* Tiff 2023 Documentary Review from The Shelf Sep 11, 2023: https://thatshelf.com/tiff-2023-mr-dressup-the-magic-of-make-believe-review/
* Alyson Court Official Twitter Page: https://twitter.com/alysontheother?lang=en
* Youtube page of Mark Kersey: https://www.youtube.com/@MarkKersey/videos
* Facebook page of Nina Keough: https://www.facebook.com/NINAKEOGH