Mr. Dressup

Sweater Weather

Naomi and Aaron discuss the documentary Mr. Dressup: The Magic of Make-Believe (2023).

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This week we rumage around our Tickle Trunk and pull out this wonderful documentary about the life and career of children's entertainer Ernie Coombs, aka Mr. Dressup. If you don't have your own Tickle Trunk, you'll find the documentary on Amazon Prime. Surprising facts that we learned from this documentary directed by Robert McCallum: Mr. Dressup wasn't actually Canadian, Mr. Dressup was real-life friends with Mr. Rogers, and once Mr. Dressup studded Finnegan out to a dog breeder to help pay down gambling debts. We might be mistaken about one of those factoids, because what we actually learned was that Mr. Dressup was a pure soul dedicated to the entertainment of Canada's children, including many who grew up to be celebrities, such as Michael J. Fox, Jonathan Torrens, and Eric McCormack, all of whom make moving appearances as talking heads. Prepare to have those heartstrings thrummed. Also, don't miss the visit from Paulrus the Walrus, Naomi's own puppet pal who never watched Mr. Dressup but who is apparently a big fan of Sweater Weather.