Fact
      and
      Opinion
     
    
   
   
    
     
      by
      Stephan
      MacLEOD
     
    
   
   
    
     
      FACT:
      Ernie
      “Mr.
      Dressup”
      Coombs
     
     
      passed
      away
      on
      September
      18,
      2001,
     
     
      at
      age
      73,
      following
      a
      stroke.
     
    

    
     
      OPINION:
      He
      has
      no
      relation
      to
      Sean
     
    
   
   
    
     
      “P.
      Diddy”
      Coombs,
      but
      I
      hear
      that
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Puff
      Daddy
      is
      working
      on
      a
      song
      that
     
     
      heavily
      samples
      the
      Mr.
      Dressup
     
     
      theme.
      a
      es
     
    
   
   
    
     
      FACT:
      Ernie
      Coombs
      got
      his
      start
      in
     
     
      theatre
      working
      as
      a
      technician,
      set
     
     
      designer
      and
      painter.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      OPINION:
      When
      vou
      enjoy
      dressing
     
    
   
   
    
     
      up
      in
      funny
      costumes,
      you
      can
      either
     
    
   
   
    
     
      have
      a
      career
      in
      theatre
      or
      as
      a
      rap
     
    
   
   
    
     
      artist.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      FACT:
      An
      American
      by
      birth,
      Ernie
     
     
      Coombs
      first
      came
      to
      Canada
      in
      1963
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      with
      Fred
      Rogers,
      who
      was
      develop-
     
     
      ing
      his
      Mister
      Rogers
      program
      at
     
     
      Cac.
     
    

    
     
      OPINION:
      Mr
      Dressup
      wanted
      to
      do
      a
     
     
      show
      similar
      to
      Mister
      Rogers’s
     
     
      except
      without
      the
      stupid
      fucking
      trol-
     
     
      ley.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      FACT:
      The.
      next
      season,
      Coombs
     
     
      appeared
      in
      the
      new
      Butternut
      Square
     
     
      program,
      which
      later
      evolved
      into
      Mr.
     
     
      Dressup.
     
    

    
     
      OPINION:
      Butternut:
      Square
      was
      a
     
     
      much
      dirtier
      show.
      The
      puppets
      on
     
     
      that
      show
      didn’t
      wear
      any
      clothing,
     
     
      and
      the
      Tickle
      Trunk
      was
      used
      for
     
     
      French
      tickling.
      .
     
    
   
   
    
     
      FACT:
      Mr.
      Dressup
      went
      on
      air
      in
     
     
      February
      1967
      and
      has
      been
      on
      the
     
     
      CBC
      continuously
      since
      that
      time.
     
     
      OPINION:
      The
      show’s
      longevity
      over
     
     
      other
      children’s
      programs
      like
      The
     
     
      Friendly
      Giant
      is
      undoubtedly
      due
      to
     
     
      the
      fact
      that
      kids
      hate
      giants.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      -
      FACT:
      From
      1967
      to
      1989,
      his
      con-
     
     
      -
      stant
      companions
      were
      Casey
      and
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Finnegan.
     
    

    
     
      OPINION:
      Finnegan’s
      compulsive
      use
     
     
      of
      foul
      language
      forced
      CBC
      censors
     
     
      to
      turn
      off
      his
      microphone
      during
      tap-
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ‘ing
      of
      the
      children’s
      program.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      FACT:
      Casey
      and
      Finnegan,
      along
     
    
   
   
    
     
      with
      Alligator
      Al
      and
      Aunt
      Bird,
      left
     
     
      the
      show
      when
      Judith
      Lawrence,
      their
     
     
      creator
      and
      puppeteer,
      retired.
     
     
      According
      to
      Coombs,
      the
      puppets
     
     
      were
      extensions
      of
      Lawrence’s
      per-
     
     
      sonality,
      so
      there
      was
      never
      any
      ques-
     
     
      tion
      of
      anyone
      else
      performing
      Casey
     
     
      and
      Finnegan.
     
    

    
     
      OPINION:
      Before
      retiring,
      the
     
     
      Canadian
      Broadcasting
      Corporation
     
     
      had
      Judith
      Lawrence’s
      hands
      cut
      off.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      FACT:
      Mr.
      Dressup
      carried
      on
      with
     
     
      several
      new
      friends:
      Chester
      the
      crow,
     
     
      Truffles,
      Granny
      and
      her
      grand-daugh-
     
     
      ter
      Annie,
      Alex
      and
      Lorenzo
      the
      rac-
     
     
      coon.
     
    

    
     
      OPINION:
      I
      always
      thought
      it
      was
      a
     
     
      mistake
      to
      replace
      Casey
      and
     
     
      Finnegan
      with
      these
      inferior
      puppets.
     
     
      If
      I
      were
      Mr.
      Dressup,
      I
      would
      have
     
     
      tried
      to
      get
      Lawrence
      Fishburne
      or
     
     
      Jimmy
      Smitts.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      FACT:
      The
      last
      episode
      of
      Mr.
     
     
      Dressup
      was
      taped
      on
      Valentine’s
      Day
     
     
      1996,
      but
      repeats
      are
      still
      airing.
     
     
      OPINION:
      The
      last
      episode
      was
      a
     
     
      most
      controversial
      cliffhanger
      ending
     
     
      with
      Truffles
      getting
      shot.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      FACT:
      For
      many
      years
      Ernie
      Coombs
     
     
      toured
      all
      over
      Canada
      with
      a
      live
     
     
      stage
      show.
     
    

    
     
      OPINION:
      Many
      children
      were
      disap-
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      pointed
      with
      Mr.
      Dressup’s
      live
      show;
     
     
      there
      were
      even
      accusations
      of
      lip
     
     
      synching.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      FACT:
      In
      1994,
      Ernie
      Coombs
      was
     
     
      presented
      with
      The
      Academy
      of
     
     
      Canadian
      and
      Television’s
      prestigious
     
     
      Earle
      Grey
      Award,
      honouring
      excel-
     
     
      lence
      in
      Canadian
      television.
     
    

    
     
      OPINION:
      I'll
      miss
      Mr.
      Dressup.
      He
     
     
      sparked
      my
      imagination
      at
      an
      early
     
     
      age,
      and
      has
      always
      been
      a
      source
      of
     
     
      delight
      for
      me
      throughout
      my
      life.
      Any
     
     
      adult
      willing
      to
      act
      a
      little
      foolish
      for
     
     
      the
      sake
      of
      a
      child’s
      happiness
      will
     
     
      have
      my
      deepest
      respect.
      Aunt
      Bird,
     
    
   
   
    
     
      on
      the
      other
      hand,
      was
      a
      fucking
      idiot.
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      mn
      the
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Win
      2
      week,
      for
      fwe
      at
      2
      Club
      Med
     
     
      &
      Caribbean
      thie
      winter!
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      visit
      www.machinasapiens.com/offer
      for
      details
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
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