The Elephant Show

The Elephant Show (from the second season onward, Sharon, Lois & Bram's Elephant Show) is a Canadian preschool television show. It premiered on CBC on October 8, 1984, and ended on February 26, 1989, after 65 episodes over five seasons.

Summary
The Elephant Show features the adventures of the Canadian singing trio Sharon, Lois & Bram and Elephant (Paula Gallivan in an elephant costume). Elephant doesn't speak but is voiced by a tuba (played by Scott Irvine), which conveys thoughts and mood by its pitch and inflection. The four are usually accompanied by a group of children and a sidekick, family entertainer Eric Nagler.

Every week Sharon, Lois & Bram, along with Eric Nagler, are joined by the curious and fun-loving antics of their pachyderm pal Elephant and such guest artists as Toller Cranston, Louis Del Grande, Jayne Eastwood, Murray McLauchlan, Chuck Mangione, Andrea Martin, Mendelson Joe and Jan Rubeš.

Almost every episode contains a concert segment, featuring Sharon, Lois & Bram, Eric and the Mammoth Band. They sing songs and help children with their problems (including arguments, fear and the failure of plans). In most episodes, the group travels to a new location (such as school, museum or zoo). They occasionally stay home and have an adventure in their yard (like building a tree fort or encountering a grumpy neighbour). The show occasionally includes a social lesson (such as a pro UNICEF discussion). Sharon, Lois and Bram appeared in advertisements during the show's original run, encouraging parents to vaccinate their children against polio, mumps and rubella. Each episode concludes with the song "Skinnamarink", which was often performed twice.

The show enjoyed top ratings in Canada and had consistently been rated one of the top three programs on Nickelodeon in the United States. In 1993, a panel of experts at TV Guide rated The Elephant Show the #2 program for preschoolers, beating Sesame Street (#5) and Barney & Friends (#9). In the years following the final season, the show remained on Nickelodeon until it aired for the last time on October 21, 1994. By that time, The Elephant Show had aired 65 episodes in five seasons (plus the specials Live in Your Living Room and Back by Popular Demand, which compiled concert performances from the show with some new narration) and had been viewed in Canada and the United States, reaching over 100 million viewers. After the series ended, Eric Nagler starred in his own series, Eric's World, produced by The Elephant Show's producer, Cambium Productions. Reruns of the series aired throughout the 1990s on networks such as TVOntario, Knowledge Network, YTV, Access, and Global.

Credits

 * Directed by: George Bloomfield, Michael McNarama
 * Produced by: Arnie Zipursky, Bruce Glawson
 * Associate producer & production manager: Charles Zamaria
 * Concert directed by: Stan Swan
 * Music directors: Joe Hampson, Ray Parker, Paul Mills
 * Choreographers: Don Calderwood, Paula Gallivan
 * Art director: Susan Longmire
 * Property masters: Ray Lorenz
 * Set dresser: Ane Christensen
 * On-line editor: Bob Doughty
 * 1st camera: Simon Darylmple
 * Lighting director: Roger Bate
 * Best boy: Thomas Bate
 * Key grips: Cynthia Darlow
 * Music production assistant: Randi Hampson
 * Animation: Trickett Productions, Inc.
 * Multi-track remote: Comfort Sound

Home video
The show has not been released on DVD in its original form as of yet, although there is a compilation video (along with Treetown) titled Nursery Rhymes and Bedtime Songs, which was also released as part of the Kids Learn to 6 Pack DVD under the name Stories, Rhymes and Lullabies.