Romper Room was a children's television series which ran in the United States from 1953 to 1994 as well as at various times in Canada, Australia, Northern Ireland, Great Britain, Puerto Rico and Japan. The program was targeted at pre-schoolers (children five years of age or younger). The rhyme from the show was the inspiration for the title of the 1992 film Romper Stomper. 1953 (MCMLIII) was a common year starting on Thursday. ... 1994 (MCMXCIV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated as the International Year of the Family and the International Year of the Sport and the Olympic Ideal by United Nations. ... Northern Ireland is a part of the United Kingdom lying in the northeast of the island of Ireland, covering 5,459 square miles (14,139 km², about a sixth of the islands total area). ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Day care. ... Original cinema daybill for Romper Stomper Romper Stomper is a 1992 Australian film by Geoffrey Wright starring Russell Crowe, Daniel Pollock, Jacqueline McKenzie and Tony Lee. ...

Television franchises

Romper Room was a rare case of a series being franchised and syndicated, so local affiliates (Los Angeles and New York City were prime examples) could produce their own versions of Romper Room instead of airing the national telecast. Originally filmed in Baltimore, Romper Room eventually moved its broadcast facilities to Chicago, then moved back to Baltimore in 1981. In Japan, there was an original version(see ja:ロンパールーム). Just before begin the Japanese Romper Room program, first japanese hostess Midori Namiki visited in New York for training course with other hostesses of several countries.([1]) Franchising (from the French for honesty or freedom[1]) is a method of doing business wherein a franchisor licenses trademarks and tried and proven methods of doing business to a franchisee in exchange for a recurring payment, and usually a percentage piece of gross sales or gross profits as well... In the television industry (as in radio), syndication is the sale of the right to broadcast programs to multiple stations, without going through a broadcast network. ... Flag Seal Nickname: City of Angels Location Location within Los Angeles County in the state of California Coordinates , Government State County California Los Angeles County Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa (D) Geographical characteristics Area     City 1,290. ... Nickname: Location in the state of New York Coordinates: Country United States State New York Boroughs The Bronx Brooklyn Manhattan Queens Staten Island Settled 1625 Government  - Mayor Michael Bloomberg (R) Area  - City  468. ... Flag Seal Nickname: Monument City, Charm City, Mob Town, B-more Motto: Get In On It (formerly The City That Reads and The Greatest City in America; BELIEVE is not the official motto but rather a specific campaign) Location Location of Baltimore in Maryland Coordinates , Government Country State County United... Nickname: Motto: Urbs In Horto (Latin: City in a Garden), I Will Location in the Chicago metro area and Illinois Coordinates: Country United States State Illinois County Cook & DuPage Incorporated March 4, 1837 Government  - Mayor Richard M. Daley (D) Area  - City  234. ... 1981 (MCMLXXXI) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

A typical episode

Each program would consist of the hostess and her group of children embarking on an hour of games, songs and moral lessons. The Romper Room tried to teach its young charges to be polite. For instance, the hostess was always addressed as "Miss". Many of the hostesses had prior experience in dealing with small children; in fact, a good many of them were former kindergarten teachers. This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ...

A recurring character was Mr. Do Bee, an oversized bumblebee who came to teach the children how to be well-behaved; he was noted for always starting his sentence with "Do Bee," as in the imperative "Do be"; for example, "Do Bee good boys and girls for your parents!" There was also a Mr. Don't Bee to show children exactly what they should not do. Species more than 250 species and subspecies in 37 subgenera Bumblebees (also spelled bumble bee, also known as humblebee) are flying insects of the genus Bombus in the family Apidae. ...

The show used the then-popular Mattel Jack-in-the-box for its opening and closing titles, with its Pop Goes the Weasel theme song. Mattel Inc. ... For other uses of the term Jack in the Box, see Jack-in-the-Box (disambiguation). ... Pop Goes the Weasel is a nursery rhyme which dates back to 17th century England, and was spread across the Empire by colonists. ...

At the end of each broadcast, the hostess would look through a "magic mirror" (in reality, a face-sized open hoop with a handle) and name the children she saw in "televisionland."

She would begin with the rhyme: "Romper, bomper, stomper boo. Tell me, tell me, tell me, do. Magic mirror, tell me today. Have all my friends had fun at play?" She would then lead into "I can see Scotty and Kimberly and Julie and Jimmy and Marcie and all of you boys and girls out there!" Kids were encouraged to mail in their names, which would be read on the air.

Romper Room and Friends

In 1981, the name of the program was changed to Romper Room and Friends, and new characters were introduced: a large puppet named Kimble, Granny Cat, and a clown puppet called Up-Up. The new format of the series allowed these new characters to be seen in vignettes on the stations that still ran their own versions of Romper Room. 1981 (MCMLXXXI) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

The new incarnation of the series aired over 100 episodes, which were rerun into the next decade (shows were frequently recycled as the audience to which the show was geared "grew out" of the show within two or three years, not unlike skits reused on Sesame Street). Sesame Street is an American educational childrens television series for preschoolers and is a pioneer of the contemporary educational television standard, combining both education and entertainment. ...

Hostesses

The first Romper Room hostess was Nancy Claster, who helped produce the series with her husband under the Claster Television banner. Miss Nancy hosted the show from the first episode in 1953 until 1963, when she was replaced with Sally Claster Gelbard, Miss Nancy's daughter. Miss Sally hosted the show until 1981, when it was retitled and Molly McCloskey took over (she had previously been a Romper Room host in New York City). While many local versions ended in the late 1980s and early 1990s, nationally syndicated episodes of Romper Room and Friends with Miss Molly stopped airing in 1994. Claster Television was a Baltimore, Maryland–based television distributor founded in 1953 by Bert and Nancy Claster as Romper Room Inc. ... 1953 (MCMLIII) was a common year starting on Thursday. ... Year 1963 (MCMLXIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1981 (MCMLXXXI) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article cites very few or no references or sources. ... For the band, see 1990s (band). ... 1994 (MCMXCIV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated as the International Year of the Family and the International Year of the Sport and the Olympic Ideal by United Nations. ...

Controversy

Two controversial events were connected with Romper Room:

Miss Sherri

In 1962, the hostess of the Phoenix franchise of Romper Room linked her own name with that of the ongoing controversies over abortion. Sherri Finkbine, known to television viewers as "Miss Sherri," sought hospital approval for abortion on the ground that she had been taking thalidomide and believed her child would be born deformed. Being a community-minded women, Finkbine made a public announcement about the dangers of thalidomide. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... 1962 (MCMLXII) was a common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1962 calendar). ... Nickname: Location in Maricopa County and the state of Arizona Coordinates: Country United States State Arizona Counties Maricopa Incorporated February 25, 1881 Government  - Type Council-Manager  - Mayor Phil Gordon (D) Area  - City  515. ... Sherri Finkbane (born as Sherri Chessan, b. ... // Thalidomide is a sedative, hypnotic, and anti-inflammatory medication. ...

The hospital refused to allow an abortion, apparently because of her announcement and its own fear of publicity. Finkbine traveled to Sweden for the abortion. Upon completion, it was confirmed that the fetus had no legs and only one arm.

The incident became a made-for-TV movie in 1992, A Private Matter, with Sissy Spacek in the title role. A television movie (also TV movie, TV-movie, made-for-TV movie, etc. ... 1992 (MCMXCII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday. ... A Private Matter was a made for television (HBO) drama based on the true 1963 story of Sherri Chessen-Finkbine, a resident of Phoenix, Arizona in the first trimester of her fifth pregnancy. ... Mary Elizabeth Sissy Spacek (born December 25, 1949) is an Academy Award-winning American actress and singer. ...

Action For Children's Television vs. Romper Room

After the Children's television group Action for Children's Television was organised in 1968, ACT's first target was Boston station WHDH's version of Romper Room, which at the time was a children's show that focused on the promotion of its branded line of toys to its viewers. Threatened with referral to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), WHDH scaled back the host's role in pitching the program's products ("host-selling"). Action for Childrens Television (ACT) was founded by Peggy Charren in Newton, Massachusetts in 1968 as a grassroots organization dedicated to improving the quality of television programming offered to children. ... Year 1968 (MCMLXVIII) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display full calendar) of the 1968 Gregorian calendar. ... WHDH-TV is the NBC affiliate in the Boston, Massachusetts television market. ... The FCCs official seal. ...

Through the 1980s, Hasbro (which would later acquire Claster Television) sold branded Romper Room toys and products, but since ACT's intervention, ads and promotions for the items were not seen in the Romper Room program. Hasbro (NYSE: HAS) is an American toy and game company. ... Claster Television was a Baltimore, Maryland–based television distributor founded in 1953 by Bert and Nancy Claster as Romper Room Inc. ...

International

The Romper Room format was expanded into other countries, such as Canada, Northern Ireland, Great Britain and Australia. Northern Ireland is a part of the United Kingdom lying in the northeast of the island of Ireland, covering 5,459 square miles (14,139 km², about a sixth of the islands total area). ...

In Canada, the program was mainly seen on the CTV Network, produced at CKCO in Kitchener, Ontario and was hosted by Miss Fran (Fran Pappert) and Miss Betty (Betty Thompson). A version was also produced at CHCH in Hamilton, Ontario. CTV is Canadas largest privately owned English language television network. ... CKCO (also commonly known as CTV Southwestern Ontario) is a television station based in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada. ... This article needs additional references or sources to facilitate its verification. ... CHCH is a television station in Hamilton, Ontario that is part of the CH system. ... Motto: Together Aspire - Together Achieve Location in the province of Ontario, Canada Coordinates: Country Canada Province Ontario Incorporated June 9, 1846[1] Government  - Mayor Fred Eisenberger  - City Council Hamilton City Council  - Representatives 5 MPs and 5 MPPs Area [2]  - City 1,138. ...

There were two versions of Romper Room produced in Australia, one produced by the Seven Network for national consumption, the other produced by NBN Television in Newcastle, for the local market. The Seven Network is an Australian television network. ... NBN Television is an Australian television network owned by PBL Media that is based in Newcastle, Australia. ... This article does not cite its references or sources. ...

The hostesses of the national edition included Miss Patricia, Miss Helena and Miss Megan.

The NBN edition continued after the station became an affiliate of the Nine Network, with a new title, Big Dog and Friends, the title referring to the station's mascot Big Dog, who appeared in the show as the sidekick of the hostess, Miss Kim. The Nine Network is an Australian television network, available in major markets across Australia. ...

In Great Britain, it was produced by Anglia Television for local showing in the English East Anglia region, as was in the case for Northern Ireland where local ITV company UTV created their own local production. This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Northern Ireland is a part of the United Kingdom lying in the northeast of the island of Ireland, covering 5,459 square miles (14,139 km², about a sixth of the islands total area). ... It has been suggested that Channel 3 (UK) be merged into this article or section. ... UTV (Ulster Television) is the ITV franchise for Northern Ireland. ...

In Puerto Rico, the show was hosted by Rosaura Andreu. Rosaura Andreu (born c. ...

See also

• List of local children's television series

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External links

• A Clip from the Australian Romper Room circa 1985
• Romper Room at the Internet Movie Database
• A Private Matter at the Internet Movie Database
• Romper Room info from tvparty.com
• Romper Room on WOC TV 6 Davenport, Iowa
• Romper Room at the National Film and Sound Archive