History Series / TodaysSpecial

* CluelessAesop: [[http://todays-special.schuminweb.com/todays-special/episode-guide/1986/phils-visit.php "Phil's Visit,"]] mostly for the casting of Gerry Parkes (at the time, best known as the kindly [[Series/FraggleRock Doc]]), and also for... well, for being an episode of "Today's Special," a perfect example of a show that's in way over it's head. Quoth Jodie, "Funny thing is, one hour ago, we all thought [[HarsherInHindsight this was going to be one of the most exciting nights that we'd ever had in the store.]]"

* IllTimedSneeze: In 'Babies' a runaway opossum hides on a shelf of stuffed animals...until she gives herself away with a sneeze.

* MagicalIncantation: Many, the most common being Hocus Pocus Alamagocus.
* MagicalLand: Visited in the episode titled, naturally, "Adventure". The department store, to some degree.

* MultiPartEpisode: The third season had a pair of two-parters, "Christmas", and "Our Story".

* ShapedLikeItself: Jeff describes a hairbrush in the most vague way possible in one song. In the same verse, he lampshades it by saying he knows next to nil about hairbrushes since he wears a hat at all times.

* {{Slurpasaur}}: The "LIZARD" (super-sized pet of one of the show-runners) encountered in the aforementioned Magical Land. Jeff has to pet it to proceed
* SpecialGuests: Canadian children's music trio Sharon, Lois and Bram have made guest appearances in a few episodes singing songs like "I Am Slowly Going Crazy" and "Sur Le Pont D'Avignon"
%%* StageMagician: Waldo

* SweetTooth: Sam

* {{Slurpasaur}}: The "LIZARD" (super-sized pet of one of the show-runners) encountered in the aforementioned Magical Land. Jeff has to pet it to proceed.

* FurryConfusion: Mice in the "Today's Special" universe are consistently portrayed as creatures of human-like intelligence who live in little houses, form popular musical acts, and even beat humans to the moon. And yet there are several episodes where Muffy is threatened by humans who "never saw a talking mouse before".

* NoFourthWall

* RunningGag

* SneezeOfDoom: In 'Babies' a runaway opossum hides on a shelf of stuffed animals...until she gives herself away with a sneeze.
* StageMagician: Waldo

* [[BaitAndSwitchCredits Bait And Switch Title]]: [[EverythingsBetterWithDinosaurs The episode]] [[http://todays-special.schuminweb.com/todays-special/episode-guide/1983/dinosaurs.php "Dinosaurs"]] is about... a poster contest.

A [[UsefulNotes/{{Canada}} Canadian]] children's TV series that ran from 1981 to 1987 and was originally produced for [=TVOntario=]. It is best remembered in the U.S. for being one of the earliest staples of Creator/{{Nickelodeon}}'s lineup — and at times, for being ''really'' freakin' weird.

** Cheese for Muffy.

[[quoteright:330:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/499b07cec371f0522eb1ecbfead75804.png]]
[[caption-width-right:330:From left to right: Jodie, Sam, Jeff and Muffy.]]

!!Tropes:

* RhymingWithItself: Muffy, who must have been painful to write dialogue for.

* CanadaEh: The show was made by the Canadian network TV Ontario, and was filmed in Toronto. Furthermore, the department store used was of the Simpson's chain, a Canadian business that merged with, and was eventually subsumed by, the Hudson's Bay Company and Sears, with which the chain had a joint operation.

* {{Adorkable}}: Jeff again.

The aforementioned Jeff is such an unusual character, he deserves his own paragraphs. Every kid's show has an obligatory character meant to be [[AudienceSurrogate the young audience's representative in the show's fictional world]], but Jeff was an especially bizarre example. He is a mannequin, in the shape of an adult man, who was [[HumanityEnsues brought to life]] by wearing a magical hat created by a magician named Waldo The Magnificent. Thing is, his personality and mannerisms were that of a small child. So in other words, this show's [[Series/SesameStreet Big Bird] [[{{Expy}} equivalent]] was a ManChild who lived in the store and was taught about everyday things and the world in general (ie, in one episode, the other regulars had to explain to Jeff what brooms were for, and in another, how umbrellas work).

The aforementioned Jeff is such an unusual character, he deserves his own paragraphs. Every kid's show has an obligatory character meant to be [[AudienceSurrogate the young audience's representative in the show's fictional world]], but Jeff was an especially bizarre example. He is a mannequin, in the shape of an adult man, who was [[HumanityEnsues brought to life]] by wearing a magical hat created by a magician named Waldo The Magnificent. Thing is, his personality and mannerisms were that of a small child. So in other words, this show's [[Series/SesameStreet Big Bird]] equivalent was a ManChild who lived in the store and was taught about everyday things and the world in general (ie, in one episode, the other regulars had to explain to Jeff what brooms were for, and in another, how umbrellas work).

* WiseBeyondTheirYears: Jeff manages to be both this and a {{Manchild}} at the same time. While he just came to life and initially knows no more about the world than a child, he often shows more maturity and wisdom than [[VagueAge Muffy]], to whom he's an occasional BigBrotherMentor. This is because Waldo's spell made Jeff ''smart'', but not knowledgeable.

* AudienceSurrogate: Jeff.

Being a bit of a [[CloudCuckoolander Cuckoolander]], Jeff also had to be reminded not to [[WeaksauceWeakness remove his own hat, as this turns him back into a mannequin]]. Fortunately, saying the magic words "[[EarWorm Hocus Pocus Alamagocus]]" brings him back to life. ''Un''fortunately, Jeff could never leave the store, due to the conditions of the magical hat (it only works inside the store). In some episodes, it is said that if he ever stepped foot off the store grounds, he would stay a mannequin forever (but not always; it should be noted that the "rules" of the hat were fairly inconsistent). Any episodes that took place outdoors had to provide a HandWave to work around this.

--->'''Sam:''' Oh, {{Dracula}}, Film/{{Frankenstein|1931}}, [[Film/StarWars Darth Vader]], they're all probably roommates.

* BarefootCartoonAnimal: Muffy, which she {{lampshades}} in the episode about "Shoes": "I'm the only one without a pair, that's cause my feet would rather be bare!"

** [[CaptainObvious Cheese for Muffy]].

* WhyDidItHaveToBeSnakes: [[CaptainObvious Muffy is deathly afraid of cats]].
* YoungerThanTheyLook: Jeff.

* {{Trickster}}: Several of the magical characters, but especially the rabbit in [[http://todays-special.schuminweb.com/todays-special/episode-guide/1985/waldos-hat.php "Waldo's Hat."]]

-->--'''Sam Crenshaw'''