Polka Dot Door was a Canadian weekday children's television series, featuring songs, stories, and an educational segment in which the hosts took the viewer through the titular "door." The show was produced by TVOntario from 1971–93. the series also aired on Global's KTV in August 1997.
This series contained examples of:
- Ascended Extra: Initially, Polkaroo only appeared once per week as part of Imagination Day. The character was so popular with fans, that later in the show's run, he started to make appearances outside of Imagination Day.
- When Polka Dot Shorts premiered, Polkaroo became a Breakout Character
- Barefoot Cartoon Animal: Polkaroo
- Christmas Episode: There were five of these that aired in 1975.
- Chuck Cunningham Syndrome: The human hosts were phased out in Polka Dot Shorts in favour of an all-costume series
- Companion Cube: The hosts spoke to their stuffed friends, including dolls named Marigold, Humpty and Dumpty, and a teddy bear named Bear.
- Imagine Spot: The Polkaroo segments.
- Missed Him by That Much: The Polkaroo combined this with a little Clark Kenting —only one host at a time could see the Polkaroo, since he was portrayed by the other host.
- Pokémon Speak: The Polkaroo's vocabulary was basically limited to "Polkaroo".
- Averted in Polka Dot Shorts, where Polkaroo spoke in full English
- Rearrange the Song: The show had a different theme for each day of the week, with Monday being "Treasure Day", Tuesday "Dress-Up Day", Wednesday "Animal Day", Thursday "Imagination Day", and Friday "Finding-Out Day". The opening song was slightly altered to mention each day's theme.
- The Stinger: There is a closing animation accompanied by a song after the credits at the end of every episode:"The Polka Dot Door, the Polka Dot Door
See you soon at the Polka Dot Door
for songs and stories and so much more
Through the Polka Dot Door!" - The '70s / The '80s: You can definitely tell this is when the show was made. Look at the hairstyles and pastels!
- The show continued to be produced into The '90s but the opening titles were never updated, and everything about them (the animation, the instrumentation, even the vocal stylings of the singer) are about as early '70s as you can possibly get.
- Title Theme Tune:"The Polka Dot Door, the Polka Dot Door
Let's peep through the Polka Dot Door
Songs and stories and so much more
Through the Polka Dot Door..." - Wrap-Up Song: At the end of every Finding-Out Day, the hosts would sing goodbye to the toys as they put them away, then to the viewer, saying that they will see them again soon to "laugh and sing and play".
- "The Polka Dot Door, the Polka Dot Door
See you soon at the Polka Dot Door
for songs and stories and so much more
Through the Polka Dot Door!"
