Today's Special
Genre	Children's television series
Running time	28:50
Creator(s)	Clive VanderBurgh
Starring	Jeff Hyslop Nerene Virgin Bob Dermer Nina Keogh
Country of origin	Canada
Original channel	TV Ontario

Today's Special was a children's television show produced by Clive VanderBurgh at TV Ontario from 1981 to 1987. It also ran on Nickelodeon and the Faith and Values Channel (now the Hallmark Channel.) It was set in a department store, based on the anchor location of the now defunct Simpson's in Toronto. Many sequences for the show were shot at the Queen Street West and Yonge Street store after hours. Todays Special logo. ... Childrens television series are television programmes designed for and marketed to children, normally aired during the morning and afternoon hours, mainly before and after school. ... Jeffrey Hyslop (born 1951 in Vancouver, British Columbia) is a Canadian musical theatre actor, singer, dancer, choreographer, and director. ... Nerene Virgin plays the role of Jodie in the Todays Special episode Live on Stage. Nerene Virgin is a Canadian actress and television presenter, best known for her role on the childrens television series Todays Special. ... Bob Dermer is a childrens entertainment actor who first made his contributions to Canadian television starting with the 1976 series Readalong. ... Nina Keogh is a Canadian puppet builder, puppeteer based in Toronto. ... TVOntario (TVO) is an educational public television station in the Canadian province of Ontario. ... A television program is the content of television broadcasting. ... TVOntario (TVO) is an educational public television station in the Canadian province of Ontario. ... 1981 (MCMLXXXI) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1987 (MCMLXXXVII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the TV channel. ... The Hallmark Channel is a cable television network that broadcasts in over 100 countries. ... The Hallmark Channel is a cable television network that broadcasts in over 100 countries. ... The interior of a typical Macys department store. ... For the London restaurant called Simpsons, see Simpsons-in-the-Strand. ... Queen Street West refers to both a major east-west downtown street and a series of neighbourhoods or commercial districts within the city of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. ... A sign for Yonge Street at the intersection with Maitland Street. ...

Characters

Today's Special cast photo.

Todays Special cast photo. ... Todays Special cast photo. ...

Core characters

• Jeff (Jeff Hyslop): A mannequin with a magical hat that makes him come to life.
• Jodie (Nerene Virgin): The store's display designer.
• Sam Crenshaw (puppet, Bob Dermer): The store's security guard and a retired member of the merchant marine.
• Muffy (puppet, Nina Keogh): A mouse who speaks in rhyme and lives in the store.

Jeffrey Hyslop (born 1951 in Vancouver, British Columbia) is a Canadian musical theatre actor, singer, dancer, choreographer, and director. ... Nerene Virgin plays the role of Jodie in the Todays Special episode Live on Stage. Nerene Virgin is a Canadian actress and television presenter, best known for her role on the childrens television series Todays Special. ... Bob Dermer is a childrens entertainment actor who first made his contributions to Canadian television starting with the 1976 series Readalong. ... Nina Keogh is a Canadian puppet builder, puppeteer based in Toronto. ...

Other main characters

• TXL Series 4 (Robyn Hayle): The store's computer system.
• Mrs. Pennypacker (puppet, Cheryl Wagner): Stock room employee.
• Mort (puppet, Bob Stutt): Muffy's cousin from the farm.
• Waldo the Magnificent (Barrie Baldaro): Magician who originally brought Jeff to life.
• The Mime Lady (Nikki Tilroe): Mime character seen in quiz segments of the show. The actress playing the Mime Lady also provided voices for several other characters.

Iggy Iguana, a character puppeteered by Stutt on Under the Umbrella Tree (1986) Bob Stutt is a male Canadian puppeteer/ writer, who has starred in various childrens television programs throughout his career. ... Nikki Tilroe is a Canadian mime best known for her work on the children series Todays Special Categories: Canadian people stubs | Voice actors ...

Premise

In the children's department of a major department store, each night when Jodie arrives for work, she carries a mannequin (Jeff) upstairs, where Muffy says the magic words "hocus pocus alimagocus!" This brings Jeff to life, and hilarity ensues. The interior of a typical Macys department store. ...

Many early episodes focused on a tangible object as a subject, such as hats or costumes, with the show revolving around teaching about that subject. Later episodes dealt with more complicated subjects, such as the episode "Wishes" dealing with sacrificing one thing for another, or "Phil's Visit", which dealt with alcoholism.

Set change

For the 1984 season, the sets of Today's Special were changed significantly. The Children's Department set was given a new color scheme, along with the addition of two large "Today's Special" signs. Muffy's apartment received a new entrance, complete with balcony and elevator. The Computer Room set was completely redesigned from the ground up, to give it a more futuristic appearance. Additionally, the rooftop set was transformed from a functional-looking appearance to a space designed for people to spend time, with the addition of large, wooden flower beds.

These set changes were introduced in the 1984 episode "Changes", where it was explained that the store was being redecorated. It is unknown what the real-life reason (if any) was for the set change. Viewers can determine if the episode they are watching was made before or after the set change by listening for two chimes (descending, then ascending) mixed into the start of the opening. If present, the episode was made after the set change.

Historical accuracy

The show was, for the most part, faithful to the history of the Simpson's location where some scenes were filmed. In the two-part episode "Our Story", the episode centered around locating a plaque that proved the building's historic value, which would, by law, bar anyone from demolishing the building. The mention of the destruction of historic records in a fire is consistent with the burning of a previous structure at the store's location. Additionally, the plaque shown in the show, while created for the show, is historically accurate, indicating that the present-day building was constructed in 1896. [1]

See also

• List of Today's Special episodes

The following is a list of episodes for the television show Todays Special. ...

External links

• Unofficial Today's Special Web site
• Today's Special at the Internet Movie Database
• TVO theme songs