Join In!

Last updated
Join In!
Created byJed MacKay
Directed byDoug Williams (seasons 1-2)
Wayne Moss (seasons 3-6)
StarringMarty Brier
Pamela Sinha
Rudy Webb
Mishu Vellani
Voices ofRob Cowan
Maxine Miller
Billy Van
ComposerJed MacKay
Country of originCanada
No. of seasons6
Production
ProducerJed MacKay
Production location Lindsay, Ontario
Running time28:50 minutes
Production company TVOntario
Original release
Network TVOntario
ReleaseNovember 1, 1989 (1989-11-01) 
1995 (1995)

Join In! was a Canadian educational children's television show which aired on TVOntario between 1989 and 1995. It was created and produced by Jed MacKay, who also wrote all of the show's original songs.

Contents

It won the Alliance for Children and Television's Best Pre-school Program Award and was also a finalist three times for the Gemini Award for Best Pre-school Program[ citation needed ].

Every program had a number of elements woven into the plot line that invited its audience to "Join In!"; in games, songs, puzzles, or stories. The cast also broke the fourth wall, talking to the camera, and thus the audience, as if they were right there on set. The songs broke away from the usual children's format, offering a wide variety of rhythm and styles. The cast also sang live on each show.

The first two seasons were directed by Doug Williams. The next four seasons were directed by Wayne Moss.

The cast was multi-racial, with two "minority" cast members.

The show was filmed in Lindsay, Ontario.

In the United States, Join In! aired on the Vision Interfaith Satellite Network from 1990 to 1993 and TLC's Ready Set Learn block from 1992 to 1995.

Characters

The series revolved around three adults named Jacob Bennett, Nikki, and Zack, who shared a studio loft together. After the second season, Nikki moved away and was replaced by Kia.

In a typical episode, the three would be planning for some kind of play or production that would usually involve Nikki being in charge of music and sound, and Jacob and Zack would be in charge of the set, lighting, costumes, etc. when some form of problem would arise.

The show also featured a toy wizard named Winston, his wife Emmelina, and their dog Abra, who lived on a windowsill in the loft.

Cast

Crew

Related Research Articles

<i>The Mickey Mouse Club</i> American variety television show

The Mickey Mouse Club is an American variety television show that aired intermittently from 1955 to 1996 and returned to social media in 2017. Created by Walt Disney and produced by Walt Disney Productions, the program was first televised for four seasons, from 1955 to 1959, by ABC. This original run featured a regular, but ever-changing cast of mostly teen performers. ABC broadcast reruns weekday afternoons during the 1958–1959 season, airing right after American Bandstand. The show was revived three times after its initial 1955–1959 run on ABC, first from 1977 to 1979 for first-run syndication as The New Mickey Mouse Club, then from 1989 to 1996 as The All-New Mickey Mouse Club airing on The Disney Channel, and again from 2017 to 2018 with the moniker Club Mickey Mouse airing on internet social media.

<i>Doctor Dolittle</i> (1967 film) 1967 American musical film directed by Richard Fleischer

Doctor Dolittle is a 1967 American musical comedy film directed by Richard Fleischer and starring Rex Harrison, Samantha Eggar, Anthony Newley, and Richard Attenborough. It was adapted by Leslie Bricusse from the Doctor Dolittle novel series by Hugh Lofting, primarily The Story of Doctor Dolittle (1920), The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle (1922), and Doctor Dolittle's Circus (1924).

<i>Polka Dot Door</i> Canadian childrens television series

Polka Dot Door is a Canadian children's television series which was produced by the Ontario Education Communications Authority from 1971 to 1993. The series features two hosts who speak directly to the home viewing audience.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Rappaport</span> Actor, musician, writer, director, teacher (1951–1990)

David Stephen Rappaport was an English actor with achondroplasia. He appeared in the films Time Bandits and The Bride, and television series L.A. Law, The Wizard and Captain Planet and the Planeteers. He was 3' 11" in height.

A recurring character is a fictional character, usually in a prime time TV series, who frequently appears from time to time during the series' run. Recurring characters often play major roles in more than one episode, sometimes being the main focus. They may be contrasted with "regular" characters, who typically appear in every or almost every episode of a series. Recurring characters appear less frequently than regulars, but more frequently than guest star characters, who may appear in only one, two or more episodes without being expected to return.

<i>Babes in Toyland</i> (operetta) Operetta by Victor Herbert and Glen MacDonough

Babes in Toyland is an operetta composed by Victor Herbert with a libretto by Glen MacDonough, which wove together various characters from Mother Goose nursery rhymes into a musical extravaganza. Following the extraordinary success of their stage musical The Wizard of Oz, which was produced in New York beginning in January 1903, producer Fred R. Hamlin and director Julian Mitchell hoped to create more family musicals. MacDonough had helped Mitchell with revisions to the Oz libretto by L. Frank Baum. Mitchell and MacDonough persuaded Victor Herbert to join the production. Babes in Toyland features some of Herbert's most famous songs – among them "Toyland", "March of the Toys", "Go to Sleep, Slumber Deep", and "I Can't Do the Sum". The theme song "Toyland", and the most famous instrumental piece from the operetta, "March of the Toys", occasionally show up on Christmas compilations.

<i>Summerland</i> (TV series) American drama television series

Summerland is an American drama television series created by Stephen Tolkin and Lori Loughlin. It is centered on a clothing designer in her 30s, Ava Gregory (Loughlin), raising her niece and nephews after their parents die in a tragic accident. They live with three of Ava's friends who also help raise the kids in the fictional city of Playa Linda, California.

<i>American Dragon: Jake Long</i> American animated television series (2005–2007)

American Dragon: Jake Long, or simply American Dragon, is an American animated television series. It was produced by Walt Disney Television Animation, created by Jeff Goode and co-developed by Eddie Guzelian and Matt Negrete. It premiered on Disney Channel on January 21, 2005, and ended on September 1, 2007. Fifty-two episodes were produced.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Doug McClure</span> American actor (1935–1995)

Douglas Osborne McClure was an American actor whose career in film and television extended from the 1950s to the 1990s. He is best known for his role as the cowboy Trampas during the entire run from 1962 to 1971 of the series The Virginian and mayor turned police chief Kyle Applegate on Out of This World. From 1961-1963, he was married to actress BarBara Luna.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Hong</span> American actor (born 1929)

James Hong is an American actor, producer and director. Known as one of the most prolific character actors of all time, he has worked in numerous productions in U.S. media since the Golden Age of Hollywood in the 1950s. In 2022, he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his contributions to the American film and television industries.

Jack Angel was an American voice actor and radio personality. He provided voice-overs for animation and video games. Angel had voiced characters in shows by Hasbro and Hanna-Barbera such as Super Friends, The Transformers and G.I. Joe and was involved in numerous productions by Disney and Pixar. Before becoming involved with voiceover work, Angel was initially a disc jockey for radio stations, namely KMPC and KFI. The day of his death, October 18, a piece of lost 1980s paraphernalia that contained his voice as the lead role, being the U.S. dub of TUGS, was discovered.

The 26th Daytime Emmy Awards were held in 1999 to commemorate excellence in daytime television programming from the previous year (1998). The main ceremonies were held May 21, 1999, at The Theater in Madison Square Garden in New York City and were televised live by CBS. Memorable moments that occurred at the ceremonies included the ABC soap opera General Hospital winning a record number of Daytime Emmys with a total of eight, and Susan Lucci's first-ever win in the Outstanding Lead Actress category after losing a total of 18 times. Winners in each category are in bold.

<i>Sing Me a Story with Belle</i> American TV series or program

Disney's Sing Me a Story with Belle is an American live-action/animated television series created by Patrick Davidson and Melissa Gould. The series features Belle from Disney's 1991 animated feature film Beauty and the Beast, who now owns and manages the bookshop in the village. She is usually greeted by children who would like to hear a story. Belle interacts with the children and narrates vintage Disney animated shorts while doing activities around the bookstore. The series premiered on September 8, 1995, on Disney Channel.

<i>Yo Gabba Gabba!</i> American-Canadian childrens musical television series

Yo Gabba Gabba! is a children's musical television series created by Christian Jacobs and Scott Schultz and developed by Kay Wilson Stallings. The series is about five costumed toys come-to-life and their friend DJ Lance Rock. It is co-produced by the Magic Store and Wildbrain Entertainment. Its first episode premiered on Nickelodeon on August 20, 2007, as a part of its Nick Jr. block. Its original run ended on November 12, 2015.

<i>Wizards of Waverly Place</i> American fantasy teen sitcom (2007–2012)

Wizards of Waverly Place is an American fantasy teen sitcom created by Todd J. Greenwald that aired on Disney Channel for four seasons between October 2007 and January 2012. The series centers on Alex Russo, a teenage wizard living on Waverly Place in the Greenwich Village section of New York City, who undertakes training alongside her siblings, Justin and Max, who are also equipped with magical abilities. The siblings are trained knowing that one day they will compete to win sole custody of their family's powers. Episodes focus on Alex's challenges in keeping her secret powers hidden while she deals with the social and personal issues of her youth. She frequently uses magic in her everyday life, sometimes irresponsibly, and develops her supernatural abilities over the course of the series. The main themes depicted include family, friendship, and adolescence; the series also contains fantasy elements.

<i>The Virginity Hit</i> 2010 comedy film by Huck Botko and Andrew Gurland

The Virginity Hit is a 2010 American found-footage comedy film directed by Huck Botko and Andrew Gurland, produced by Adam McKay and Will Ferrell, and starring Matt Bennett, Zack Pearlman, Jacob Davich, Justin Kline and Nicole Weaver. The film itself is a series of videos on a teenager's attempt to lose his virginity, being recorded from cell phones to video cameras. Most of the cast used their own names for their characters.

<i>Doc McStuffins</i> Animated childrens TV series

Doc McStuffins is an American animated children's television series created by Chris Nee. It was produced and released by Brown Bag Films. It was aired on Disney Junior from March 23, 2012, to April 18, 2020. The series centers on a girl who can "fix" toys, with help from her toy friends. It features songs written and composed by Kay Hanley and Michelle Lewis.

The third and final season of The Suite Life of Zack & Cody aired on Disney Channel from June 23, 2007 to September 1, 2008. Zack and Cody Martin are twin brothers who move into the Tipton Hotel in Boston with their mother, Carey, where she sings and performs in the lounge. The show also centers in London Tipton, the daughter of the hotel owner, who is very wealthy and ditzy, the hotel's down-to-earth candy-counter girl, Maddie Fitzpatrick, and Mr. Moseby, the strict, dutiful, and serious manager, who is often the foil to Zack and Cody's schemes and has a liking to the piano, pocket hankies and ballet.

References