The Big Comfy Couch
The Big Comfy Couch (Le Monde de Loonette [English: The World of Loonette or Loonette's World] when broadcast in Quebec, France and Belgium and El sofa da la imaginación [English: The Couch of Imagination] when broadcast in Latin America and Spain) is a Canadian children's television series, which is about a clown named Loonette and her doll Molly who solve everyday problems on their eponymous couch.[1][2] It aired from March 2, 1992, until December 29, 2006. It was produced by Cheryl Wagner and Robert Mills, directed by Wayne Moss, Robert Mills and Steve Wright. It premiered on March 2, 1992, in Canada and on January 9, 1995, in the United States on PBS stations across the country. The program was also broadcast on Treehouse TV from 1997 to 2011.
| The Big Comfy Couch | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre | Children's Educational comedy |
| Created by | Cheryl Wagner |
| Written by | Cheryl Wagner Robert Mills Lynn Harrison McLauchlan Vicki Grant Tracey Forbes Bob Stutt Robin White Kate Barris Harmony Wagner Shayne Fox |
| Directed by | Wayne Moss (1992–1995) Robert Mills (1996-2006) Derek Ryan (2006) Steve Wright (2006) |
| Presented by | Alyson Court (1992–2002) Ramona Gilmour-Darling (2006) |
| Starring | Bob Stutt Fred Stinson Grindl Kuchirka Taborah Johnson (1992–1996) Gary Farmer (1993) Edward Knuckles (2002-2005) Robert Mills Jani Lauzon (1992–1996) Jackie Harris (1992–1993) Suzanne Merriam (1994–1996) |
| Theme music composer | JP Houston |
| Composers | JP Houston (1992–2002) George Flores (2006) |
| Country of origin | Canada |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 7 |
| No. of episodes | 100 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers | Annabel Slaight Robert Mills |
| Producers | Cheryl Wagner Robert Mills |
| Production locations | Wallace Avenue Studios Toronto, Ontario (1992–2002) Studio City Toronto, Ontario (2006) |
| Editor | Steven B. Pinchuk |
| Camera setup | Multi-camera |
| Running time | 25 minutes |
| Production companies | Radical Sheep Productions Owl Television (1992–1993) Owl Communications (1994–1995) |
| Release | |
| Original network | YTV (1992–1996) Treehouse TV (2002–2006) PBS Member Stations (January 9, 1995–September 5, 1999) PBS Kids Member Stations (September 6, 1999–May 24, 2009) |
| Original release | March 2, 1992 – December 29, 2006 |
Synopsis
Each episode contains numerous standard elements that take place throughout the episode.[1] In each show, Loonette performs an exercise routine she calls the Clock Rug Stretch. Other oft-repeated elements include reading a story to Molly, who sometimes either chooses a story to hear, gives Loonette a book and oversized glasses, or turning on the lights for Loonette by clapping twice; encounters with the dust bunnies who live under the couch; visits to different places in Clowntown, songs that emphasize the episode's lessons or themes, and a trip to Granny Garbanzo's garden.[1] Here she encounters Snicklefritz, Granny's cat; Major Bedhead, the local mail-delivery clown, who travels on a unicycle; and Granny herself.[1] The conversation with Granny is often used as the episode's teachable moment, where Granny offers Loonette advice or lessons, often with the help of Major Bedhead, who delivers gifts and messages from Auntie Macassar or Uncle Chester.[1] Towards the end of each show, Loonette finds her belongings cluttered on the floor and says, "WHO MADE THIS BIG MESS?", the camera would then zoom in on either Loonette or Molly in which she asks it was either her or Molly then the camera would quickly pan up and down as a way of saying yes, then Loonette explains it's only fair for them to clean it up, and she performs a fastest clean-up routine called the Ten Second Tidy.[3][1] All episodes end with Loonette and Molly having a nap and sometimes reminding the viewers to remember the moral of today's episode. After Loonette and Molly go to sleep, a large crescent moon with a clown nose rises above the starry background behind the couch and the credits then roll over a lullaby version of the theme song, ending with Loonette doing a short role-play of "Hey Diddle Diddle" by saying "And the clown jumped over the moon!"[3] In "Gesundheit," Loonette sneezes instead, and in "Hiccups," Loonette says, "And the clown—hiccup!—over the moon!"
In seasons 1–5, there is the Alphabet Game segment, where a certain letter is shown on a giant alphabet block and Loonette uses certain words beginning with that letter and also makes the letter's shape with her body to get the viewers to guess the letter.[1][3] In season 7, Loonette and Molly play the Dream Game and Molly gives out the letter that the dream starts with and provide what they will be dreaming about. In season 6, Loonette and Molly go to Doll School where Molly learns the alphabet, numbers or both.
Along with the lessons and problem solving sequences, the show also emphasized imaginative play. Episodes often take place in the context of a visit to Clowntown, such as Granny Garbanzo's Cabbage Club Cooking School and Major Bedhead's Clown Chi Dojo and Dancing School.[1] Additionally, Loonette is gifted in the art of classical dance and runs Miss Loonette's Dance Academy. Starting in Season 7, Loonette makes more frequent trips to Clowntown, and she volunteers at the Clowndergarten, where she teaches young clowns games, songs and stories.[1] This imaginative play was also demonstrated through dress-up games and through Loonette's dollhouse, in which she imagined the adventures of The Foley Family. Shown first as a doll-sized family, in Loonette's imagination they would become a family of regular-sized clowns, whose nonverbal but high-energy activities were shown in high speed and with a musical background in the style of old silent movies.[1]
Two Dustbunny characters, small, puppet dust creatures that lived underneath Loonette's couch, also appeared in many episodes of the show. Although Molly discovered the Dustbunnies early in the first season, for most of the show's run Loonette didn't believe that there were dust bunnies under the couch.[1]
Characters
Main
- Loonette (portrayed by Alyson Court from 1992 to 2002 and Ramona Gilmour-Darling in 2006) is the freckled-faced female lead of the series.[2][1] She is a young clown living with her doll, Molly, in their house, on the eponymous Big Comfy Couch, an oversized green floral couch.[1] She frequently reads stories to Molly, always performs a Clock Rug Stretch, and likes to visit Granny Garbanzo. Auntie Macassar (in seasons 1-5) or Uncle Chester (in seasons 6-7) frequently send Loonette postcards and gifts by mail, which Major Bedhead delivers on his unicycle. Loonette is gifted in the art of classical dance and runs Miss Loonette's Dance Academy. Another gift she possesses is the unusual skill to clean just about any mess up in ten seconds, which she calls the Ten Second Tidy.[1] Initially, Loonette was too young to visit Clowntown, but starting from 2006, Loonette makes frequent trips to Clowntown to visit Granny's Cabbage Club Cooking School and Major Bedhead's Clown Chi Dojo and Dancing School. The trips to the first location help teach Loonette how to cook. The trips to this second location indicate that she practices martial arts. Loonette also takes Molly to Clowndergarten and helps out with the other young clowns.
- Molly (the sidekick of the series) (performed by Bob Stutt) is Loonette's living doll. Loonette found her in a barrel with a sign marked "Free to a good home", and adopted her. She believes that dust bunnies really exist, despite Loonette's disbelief. Her favourite food is donuts. Her hobbies include playing her fiddle and going fishing. She only speaks via cartoon bubbles, and usually answers Loonette's yes or no questions by either nodding or shaking her head.
Additional
- Fuzzy and Wuzzy (Dustbunnies) (performed by Bob Stutt and Robert Mills) are twin dust bunnies who live under the Big Comfy Couch. Only Molly is aware of their existence, and she always does her best to protect them so she can play with them. The two dust bunnies sometimes find things that get under the couch and when they do, they play with those objects and after a while, they throw it or push it back out from under the couch. Fuzzy has gray bunny ears, and Wuzzy has brown bunny ears. Both of them speak with high pitched voices.
- The Foley Family, Andy (portrayed by Fred Stinson), Jim (portrayed by Jani Lauzon), and Eileen (portrayed by Jackie Harris in Seasons 1-2 and Suzanne Merriam in Seasons 3-5) are a very silly family who live inside of Loonette's dollhouse. They appeared from Seasons 1-5.
- Granny Garbanzo (portrayed by Grindl Kuchirka) is Loonette's grandmother and next-door neighbor who loves her and Molly dearly. She comes from the "old country" and has a foreign Russian accent. Granny also likes growing in her garden and she lives inside a wagon with Snicklefritz, her cat. Her name is derived from the garbanzo bean. In "Knit One, Twirl Two" and "Upside Down Clown", it's indirectly revealed that her given name is Donya.
- Snicklefritz (performed by Bob Stutt) is Granny's mischievous cat, who was introduced in Season 2. He likes to play pranks on the others and sometimes tries to get out of getting flea-baths. The name Snicklefritz comes from slang in German culture.
- Major Bedhead (portrayed by Fred Stinson) is the local clown courier who makes deliveries to Loonette from Auntie Macassar or Uncle Chester. He can be quite goofy at times and a bit clumsy. He also dislikes lying and being dishonest. Despite popular belief, his real occupation is not a mail courier, however an Army Major. Major is his rank with "Bedhead" being his surname.
- Auntie Macassar (portrayed by Taborah Johnson) is Loonette's travelling aunt who likes to make an entrance whenever she visits. She appears in Seasons 1-5. Her name is a pun on antimacassar.
- Wobbly (portrayed by Gary Farmer) is a close friend of Granny's who lives in Clowntown as a traveling repairman. Appears in two episodes in Season 2.
- Uncle Chester (portrayed by Edward Knuckles) is Loonette's travelling uncle who appears in the show's last two seasons.
Production
The show was originally produced by Radical Sheep Productions with what would later be known as Owl Communications (the publishers of Owl Magazine), then Canadian children's television network YTV with a run of 65 episodes. They were presented in the United States by Benny Smart, a US children's television production company backed by Ernest creator John Cherry, in conjunction with WITF-TV Harrisburg. In 2001, Cherry purchased his stake in Benny Smart, and rebranded as Tadpole Kids, which would then present the series with Nashville Public Television.
From 1992 to 2002, the show was filmed at Wallace Avenue Studios in Toronto, and in 2006, it was filmed at Toronto's Studio City.
Radical Sheep Productions and Amity Entertainment, in association with Treehouse TV; a sister channel of YTV, and Nashville Public Television, produced 22 additional episodes, which debuted on American Public Television in 2006.
Episodes
Season 1 (1992)
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | Prod. code |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | "Pie in the Sky" "Light as a Feather" | Wayne Moss | Cheryl Wagner and Robert Mills | March 2, 1992 | 101 |
| Molly and Loonette discover heavy and light. | ||||||
| 2 | 2 | "Pinch to Grow an Inch" "Little People Have Feelings Too" | Wayne Moss | Cheryl Wagner and Robert Mills | March 9, 1992 | TBA |
| Molly's birthday is soon and Loonette throws a party for her. Later, they learn about measuring. | ||||||
| 3 | 3 | "All Aboard for Bed" | Wayne Moss | Cheryl Wagner and Robert Mills | March 16, 1992 | TBA |
| Loonette tells about the time when she and Molly couldn't get to sleep very well. | ||||||
| 4 | 4 | "Knit One Twirl Too" "When It's Winter" | Wayne Moss | Cheryl Wagner and Robert Mills | March 23, 1992 | TBA |
| Molly catches a cold, so Loonette makes a pair of mittens for her. | ||||||
| 5 | 5 | "Upsey Downsey Day" "Privacy, Please" | Wayne Moss | Cheryl Wagner and Robert Mills | March 30, 1992 | TBA |
| Molly gets a balloon from Loonette, but it flies away. Later, Major Bedhead, Granny and Loonette play circus. | ||||||
| 6 | 6 | "Flippy, Floppy, Fun" | Wayne Moss | Cheryl Wagner and Robert Mills | April 6, 1992 | TBA |
| Molly flops on the floor and Loonette is in a floppy mood. | ||||||
| 7 | 7 | "Something's Fishy Around Here" "Patience, Molly" | Wayne Moss | Cheryl Wagner and Robert Mills | April 13, 1992 | TBA |
| Loonette and Molly pretend to fish. | ||||||
| 8 | 8 | "Scrub-a-Dub" "Squeaky Clean" | Wayne Moss | Cheryl Wagner and Robert Mills | April 20, 1992 | TBA |
| There is a mess of toilet paper all over the couch, so Major Bedhead, Granny and Loonette make a fun clean up routine. | ||||||
| 9 | 9 | "Red Light, Green Light" | Wayne Moss | Cheryl Wagner and Robert Mills | April 27, 1992 | TBA |
| Loonette and Molly learn about stoplights when they go for a drive. | ||||||
| 10 | 10 | "Gesundheit" | Wayne Moss | Cheryl Wagner and Robert Mills | May 4, 1992 | TBA |
| Loonette can't stop sneezing. | ||||||
| 11 | 11 | "Ping-Pong Polka" "I Keep My Promises" | Wayne Moss | Cheryl Wagner and Robert Mills | May 11, 1992 | TBA |
| Loonette is very energetic after doing a nice clock rug stretch, but unfortunately, she's too energetic to read Molly a story. | ||||||
| 12 | 12 | "Funny Faces" | Wayne Moss | Cheryl Wagner and Robert Mills | May 18, 1992 | TBA |
| Loonette and Molly learn about feelings, later the gang watches a movie about Granny's family in the old country. | ||||||
| 13 | 13 | "Snug as a Bug" "Bugs and Hugs" | Wayne Moss | Cheryl Wagner and Robert Mills | May 25, 1992 | TBA |
| Loonette and Molly discover nature by learning how a caterpillar turns into a butterfly. Later, Loonette reads a story about a bee. | ||||||
Season 2 (1993)
A large painting of someone is now hanging on Loonette's wall to the upper right next to the couch and a fence and garden wall to Granny's garden is added. All Dance Academy shows are announced by Fred Stinson. Snicklefritz also debuts in this season. Auntie Macassar makes her debut in the season 2 finale.
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | Prod. code |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 | 1 | "Babs in Toyland" "My Best Friend" | Wayne Moss | Lynn Harrison McLauchlan | March 1, 1993 | 101 |
| Molly gets jealous when Auntie Macassar sends Loonette another doll named Babs LeBlanc. | ||||||
| 15 | 2 | "1-2-3 Dizzy-Dizzy-Me" "1-2-3... Count With Me" | Wayne Moss | Cheryl Wagner | March 8, 1993 | TBA |
| Loonette sings about counting and flying in her imaginary plane. However, Molly is dizzy from the plane. Later, Loonette gets dizzy from watching a top spin. | ||||||
| 16 | 3 | "Wobbly" | Wayne Moss | Robert Mills | March 15, 1993 | TBA |
| Loonette is angry and in a bad mood when she finds a wobbly toy duck. Wobbly the clown, who's unable to fix it, comforts Loonette by telling her that you just have to accept things the way they are. | ||||||
| 17 | 4 | "Jump Start" "Jump for Joy" | Wayne Moss | Robert Mills | March 22, 1993 | TBA |
| Loonette is in a jumpy mood, later, a thunderstorm hits Clowntown and Major Bedhead is afraid of lightning. | ||||||
| 18 | 5 | "This Little Piggy" "Let's Try Sharing" | Wayne Moss | Bob Stutt | March 29, 1993 | TBA |
| Loonette becomes greedy because she is amazed to find out how many coins were in her piggy bank, but later, she learns about sharing. | ||||||
| 19 | 6 | "Juggling the Jitters" | Wayne Moss | Cheryl Wagner | April 5, 1993 | TBA |
| Loonette gets the jitters about her juggling debut. | ||||||
| 20 | 7 | "Hoopla" | Wayne Moss | Robin White | April 12, 1993 | TBA |
| Loonette searches for her lost ball, later, she, Granny, and Major Bedhead play with a hula hoop from Auntie Macassar. | ||||||
| 21 | 8 | "Wrong Side of the Couch" | Wayne Moss | Cheryl Wagner | April 19, 1993 | TBA |
| Loonette has woken up on the wrong side of the couch, and is in a bad mood. | ||||||
| 22 | 9 | "I Feel Good" | Wayne Moss | Robert Mills | April 26, 1993 | TBA |
| Loonette and Molly learn about feeling good about themselves and play the "What if?" game. Later, Loonette, Granny and Major Bedhead exercise and Loonette reads the tale of the ugly duckling. | ||||||
| 23 | 10 | "Boomerang" "Tricks Can Be Tricky" | Wayne Moss | Bob Stutt | May 3, 1993 | TBA |
| Loonette is in a foolish mood and plays tricks on the others. | ||||||
| 24 | 11 | "Make It Snappy" | Wayne Moss | Cheryl Wagner | May 10, 1993 | TBA |
| Loonette is in a total rush, meanwhile, Major Bedhead is dressed as a cowboy clown. | ||||||
| 25 | 12 | "Rude-I-Culous" | Wayne Moss | Kate Barris | May 17, 1993 | TBA |
| Molly and Loonette make rude noises, but they learn that there is a time to be rude and a time to be nice. | ||||||
| 26 | 13 | "Feast of Fools" "Manners For Molly" | Wayne Moss | Robert Mills | May 24, 1993 | TBA |
| Molly learns about table manners before the gang have a huge dinner party. | ||||||
Season 3 (1994)
The intro changes starting this season, and now features Snicklefritz and Auntie Macassar. Auntie Macassar now speaks in the postcards sent to Loonette. The Clock Rug gets a new redesign with darker colors, a new font for the numbers. The cuckoo theme for the Clock Rug is no longer used. Instead of this, a new clock rug stretch theme is added. Also, Granny's garden is redesigned with brighter green grass.
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | Prod. code |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 27 | 1 | "Give Yer Head a Shake" "Know Your No-No's" | Wayne Moss | Cheryl Wagner | January 17, 1994 | TBA |
| Loonette and Molly learn that no means no, while Snicklefritz hurts Major Bedhead's leg. | ||||||
| 28 | 2 | "It's About Time" "Time Out" | Wayne Moss | Cheryl Wagner | January 24, 1994 | TBA |
| Everyone has a sleepover at Granny's garden. Unfortunately for both Molly and Snicklefritz, they each have to have a time-out and a little lesson in controlling themselves. | ||||||
| 29 | 3 | "Clownus Interruptus" "Wait Your Turn" | Wayne Moss | Robin White | January 31, 1994 | TBA |
| Loonette and Molly learn about patience and the importance of not interrupting when someone else is talking. | ||||||
| 30 | 4 | "Why?" | Wayne Moss | Lynn Harrison | February 7, 1994 | TBA |
| Molly asks "Why?" all the time. | ||||||
| 31 | 5 | "Monkey See, Monkey Do" | Wayne Moss | Cheryl Wagner | February 14, 1994 | TBA |
| Loonette copies everyone, Molly learns about echoes and Loonette learns that being a copycat isn't exactly a good idea. | ||||||
| 32 | 6 | "Sticks and Stones" | Wayne Moss | Lynn Harrison | February 21, 1994 | TBA |
| Loonette thinks Molly is clumsy because she wasn't good at Pick up Sticks, later, Major Bedhead and Loonette make up nicknames for everything in Granny's garden, and they both learn the hard way that calling names isn't really a good idea. | ||||||
| 33 | 7 | "Horsing Around" | Wayne Moss | Kate Barris | February 28, 1994 | TBA |
| Today is National Horseplay Day and everyone is goofing around and laughing but Snicklefritz. | ||||||
| 34 | 8 | "All Over and Under" "Dustbunnies Down Under" | Wayne Moss | Cheryl Wagner | March 7, 1994 | TBA |
| Loonette and Molly discover over and under as they explore their Big Comfy Couch. | ||||||
| 35 | 9 | "Pants on Fire" "Honest to Goodness" | Wayne Moss | Kate Barris | March 14, 1994 | TBA |
| Loonette learns the importance of telling the truth and not to lie. | ||||||
| 36 | 10 | "All Fall Down" | Wayne Moss | Robin White | March 21, 1994 | TBA |
| Loonette and Major Bedhead have fun falling down safely, later, Loonette reads the story of Humpty Dumpty to Molly. | ||||||
| 37 | 11 | "Travelling Papers" "Destination? Imagination!" | Wayne Moss | Bob Stutt | March 28, 1994 | TBA |
| Loonette and Molly want to go to Clowntown; however, they are too young to go there, but Granny teaches them and Major Bedhead that you can explore and travel by using your imagination. | ||||||
| 38 | 12 | "Hiccups" | Wayne Moss | Bob Stutt | April 4, 1994 | TBA |
| Loonette and Molly have the hiccups and try to find a cure. | ||||||
| 39 | 13 | "Full of Life" | Wayne Moss | Robert Mills | April 11, 1994 | TBA |
| Loonette and Molly learn about empty and full and Granny explains to Loonette about the life of a caterpillar. | ||||||
Season 4 (1995)
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | Prod. code |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 40 | 1 | "Backwards" | Wayne Moss | Story by : Robert Mills Teleplay by : Cheryl Wagner | March 6, 1995 | TBA |
| It is National Backwards Day and everything is backwards! | ||||||
| 41 | 2 | "Picky Eaters" | Wayne Moss | Story by : Robert Mills Teleplay by : Kate Barris | March 13, 1995 | TBA |
| Molly learns about how to try new foods. | ||||||
| 42 | 3 | "Forty Winks" "Naptime for Molly" | Wayne Moss | Story by : Cheryl Wagner Teleplay by : Cheryl Wagner | March 20, 1995 | TBA |
| Molly refuses to take a nap. | ||||||
| 43 | 4 | "Swing-a-Ling" | Wayne Moss | Story by : Robert Mills Teleplay by : Bob Stutt | March 27, 1995 | TBA |
| Loonette is in a swingy mood and pretends to play tennis, baseball, and golf, then Major Bedhead reflects about the time he was at the playground as a kid and he learned the importance of safety. | ||||||
| 44 | 5 | "Spare Some Change" | Wayne Moss | Story by : Harmony Wagner Teleplay by : Harmony Wagner | April 3, 1995 | TBA |
| Loonette is upset that her name doesn't mean anything. She then changes her name, which surprises everyone. | ||||||
| 45 | 6 | "Stuck in the Muck" "Rhyme Time" | Wayne Moss | Story by : Cheryl Wagner Teleplay by : Cheryl Wagner | TBA | |
| Loonette and Molly make up rhymes and pictures. | ||||||
| 46 | 7 | "Gimme Gimme Never Gets" | Wayne Moss | Story by : Cheryl Wagner Teleplay by : Cheryl Wagner | April 17, 1995 | TBA |
| Loonette and Molly go on a treasure hunt in the couch and finds a gem. Molly is upset because she wants the gem, while Loonette learns about the importance of not grabbing things, but politely asking for them. | ||||||
| 47 | 8 | "One Step at a Time" "You Can do it Molly" | Wayne Moss | Story by : Cheryl Wagner Teleplay by : Cheryl Wagner | April 24, 1995 | TBA |
| Loonette and Molly learn about the importance of trying new things, such as climbing the stairs. | ||||||
| 48 | 9 | "Enough Already" | Wayne Moss | Story by : Harmony Wagner Teleplay by : Robin White | May 1, 1995 | TBA |
| Molly knows that there are real dust bunnies under the couch, but Loonette doesn't believe her. They both learn that there is a time to take a break from something, such as arguing about dust bunnies. | ||||||
| 49 | 10 | "Where Do Clowns Come From?" | Wayne Moss | Story by : Robert Mills Teleplay by : Cheryl Wagner | May 8, 1995 | TBA |
| Today is Molly's mirthday and Loonette reflects about the time they first met. | ||||||
| 50 | 11 | "Are You Ready for School?" | Wayne Moss | Story by : Robert Mills Teleplay by : Lynn Harrison | May 15, 1995 | TBA |
| Loonette and Molly play school. | ||||||
| 51 | 12 | "Hit Parade" "Be Nice, Snicklefritz!" | Wayne Moss | Story by : Cheryl Wagner Teleplay by : Bob Stutt | May 22, 1995 | TBA |
| Molly and Snicklefritz learn that hitting others is not good, then the gang watch a puppet show (featuring Granny Garbanzo and Molly), which teaches them why it isn't good to hit. | ||||||
| 52 | 13 | "Comfy and Joy" | Wayne Moss | Story by : Cheryl Wagner Teleplay by : Robert Mills | May 29, 1995 | TBA |
| The gang celebrate "The Longest Night of The Year" where they do activities in the snow, give presents to each other, and stay up late. | ||||||
Season 5 (1996)
This was the final season of The Foley Family Gags, Miss Loonette's Dance Academy, The Alphabet Game, Auntie Macassar, and the original lullaby ending music theme. This was also the final season that the stories Loonette read were illustrated. The 3rd Clock Rug theme is no longer used.
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | Prod. code |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 53 | 1 | "Bad Hair Day" | Robert Mills | Cheryl Wagner | March 3, 1996 | TBA |
| Molly and Major Bedhead have a bad hair day. Molly has tangles and Major Bedhead has come with very long hair. | ||||||
| 54 | 2 | "Clownvitations" | Robert Mills | Cheryl Wagner | March 10, 1996 | TBA |
| Loonette feels like she's left out, later Granny visits Miss Loonette's Dance Academy. | ||||||
| 55 | 3 | "Nothing to Do" | Robert Mills | Story by : Cheryl Wagner Teleplay by : Cheryl Wagner | March 17, 1996 | TBA |
| Loonette is bored and can't find anything to do, but she learns that keeping busy is the way to fight boredom. | ||||||
| 56 | 4 | "The Big Brain Drain" | Robert Mills | Vicki Grant | March 24, 1996 | TBA |
| Loonette's forgotten an important promise to Molly and everyone tries to help. | ||||||
| 57 | 5 | "One Potato, Two Potato" | Robert Mills | Story by : Harmony Wagner and Shayne Fox Teleplay by : Harmony Wagner | March 6, 1996 | TBA |
| Loonette, Major Bedhead and Snicklefritz play a game of keep away with a potato, then Granny eventually teaches everyone about not blaming someone else for your own mistakes. | ||||||
| 58 | 6 | "Earth to Loonette" | Robert Mills | Story by : Vicki Grant Teleplay by : Robin White | March 9, 1996 | TBA |
| Loonette reads about Molly being a fisher doll, and they both learn about the importance of not daydreaming all the time. | ||||||
| 59 | 7 | "Lettuce, Turnip and Pea" "Molly's Potty Lesson" | Robert Mills | Story by : Harmony Wagner and Shayne Fox Teleplay by : Robert Mills | March 20, 1996 | TBA |
| Molly wets the Big Comfy Couch which makes Loonette very embarrassed. | ||||||
| 60 | 8 | "Time for Molly" | Robert Mills | Tracey Forbes | March 23, 1996 | TBA |
| Molly tries to get Loonette's attention, but Loonette is too busy having a "me parade". | ||||||
| 61 | 9 | "Gizmo Shmizmo" | Robert Mills | Bob Stutt | March 29, 1996 | Bob Stutt |
| Loonette discovers all different kinds of gizmos. | ||||||
| 62 | 10 | "Clothes Make the Clown" | Robert Mills | Story by : Vicki Grant Teleplay by : Cheryl Wagner | August 10, 1996 | TBA |
| It is autumn and Molly and Major Bedhead try to keep warm. | ||||||
| 63 | 11 | "Don't Tell!" | Robert Mills | Cheryl Wagner | August 17, 1996 | TBA |
| The gang tries not to reveal a surprise about Major Bedhead's birthday which proves to be a challenge. | ||||||
| 64 | 12 | "You're a Gem" | Robert Mills | Story by : Harmony Wagner and Shayne Fox Teleplay by : Cheryl Wagner | August 20, 1996 | TBA |
| Loonette thinks Molly is a real gem, but she also learns the importance that gems and jewelry are not as important as her doll. | ||||||
| 65 | 13 | "See Ya in My Dreams" "Dustbunny Dreams" | Robert Mills | Cheryl Wagner | August 31, 1996 | TBA |
| Loonette pretends to be a roving reporter and interviews the others about dreams. | ||||||
Season 6 (2002)
The intro changes again with children's vocals re-recorded. This was the final season where Alyson Court plays the role of Loonette. The couch is redesigned and Auntie Macassar will no longer return, she's replaced by Uncle Chester that now sends the postcards to Loonette. The dustbunny music and the ending music have been changed in this season as well. Each episode features Molly attending Doll School with Loonette accompanying her (rotating between The Alphabet Song, counting to 10 or both). The stories that Loonette reads are now in live action which introduces a city for clowns called Clowntown. Even though the Foley Family segments were discontinued in this season, the dollhouse was still seen on the set next to the couch. Miss Loonette's Dance Academy has also been discontinued for the rest of the series along with the Alphabet Game.
Due to Alyson Court’s pregnancy during production, she was unable to film any new Clock Rug segments. Instead, archival footage from seasons 3-5 was used with the screen tinted red (to match Loonette’s baggier red clothes).
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | Prod. code |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 66 | 1 | "Clowning in the Rain" | Robert Mills | Cheryl Wagner | March 10, 2002 | TBA |
| It's a rainy day in Clowntown. When the rain stops, a rainbow comes out. | ||||||
| 67 | 2 | "Lost and Clowned" | Robert Mills | Rob Mills | March 14, 2002 | TBA |
| Molly wants to go Clowntown by herself, but she's too young to do so. | ||||||
| 68 | 3 | "Button Up" | Robert Mills | Cheryl Wagner | March 17, 2002 | TBA |
| Today is Best Foot Forward Day and Loonette must find perfect shoes for Molly. | ||||||
| 69 | 4 | "Scaredy Cat" | Robert Mills | Story by : Cheryl Wagner Teleplay by : Harmony Wagner | March 21, 2002 | TBA |
| Loonette wears a mask which scares Molly, who later learns from Loonette that there is nothing to be scared of. | ||||||
| 70 | 5 | "It's the Thought That Counts" | Robert Mills | Story by : Rob Mills Teleplay by : Bill Murtagh | May 10, 2002 | TBA |
| Loonette is searching for "McGuffin" in the couch, then she and Major Bedhead attempt to help Granny to fix her roof. | ||||||
| 71 | 6 | "Growing Pains" | Robert Mills | Story by : Cheryl Wagner Teleplay by : Bob Stut | May 14, 2002 | TBA |
| Loonette wants to have a tea party with Molly but she worries about maturity. | ||||||
| 72 | 7 | "Donut Let It Get You Down" | Robert Mills | Cheryl Wagner | May 15, 2002 | TBA |
| Loonette, Molly, Major Bedhead and Snicklefritz compete in a field day competition; eventually Molly (the previous champion) has to accept not winning, which is hard for her to do. | ||||||
| 73 | 8 | "Fancy Dancer" | Robert Mills | Story by : Rob Mills Teleplay by : Toni Mills | May 17, 2002 | TBA |
| Loonette is jealous that everyone dances better than her, so Granny gives her ballet lessons. | ||||||
| 74 | 9 | "The Big Bang Boom" | Robert Mills | Cheryl Wagner | May 21, 2002 | TBA |
| Today is the Big Bang Boom and everyone has a dinner and watches fireworks. Molly is afraid of fireworks, so she wears ear muffs and Loonette learns to think of others and not only herself. | ||||||
| 75 | 10 | "Ain't It Amazing, Gracie?" | Robert Mills | Rob Mills | August 2, 2002 | TBA |
| Molly finds a miner's hat, then Major Bedhead loses his mail bag but learns that he needs to retrace his steps to find things. | ||||||
| 76 | 11 | "Between the Covers" | Robert Mills | Story by : Cheryl Wagner Teleplay by : Susan Whelehan | August 4, 2002 | TBA |
| Loonette digs all over the couch for books. Meanwhile, Uncle Chester reflects about the time he was at the library and discovered that reading is important yet fun. | ||||||
| 77 | 12 | "Going Up" | Robert Mills | Story by : Rob Mills Teleplay by : Robin White | August 10, 2002 | TBA |
| Loonette believes she is not growing up properly. | ||||||
| 78 | 13 | "Cool It" | Robert Mills | Cheryl Wagner | September 27, 2002 | TBA |
| The clowns find ways to cool off on a very hot summer day. | ||||||
Season 7 (2006)
Ramona Gilmour-Darling replaces Alyson Court in the role of Loonette.[1] The Clock Rug is now smaller with darker colours. Also in this season, Loonette and Molly visit places in Clowntown. Additionally, while Molly and Loonette are sleeping at the end of each episode prior to the credits, they play the dream game, dreaming about letters of the alphabet and what starts with that letter. Also the moon that rises up in the show's ending credits is larger and changed to yellow. The dollhouse was removed. In addition, this season featured the fewest episodes with Loonette reading Molly a story.
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | Prod. code |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 79 | 1 | "Apple of My Eye" | Derek Ryan and Rob Mills | Toni Mills | October 16, 2006 | TBA |
| Molly eats a whole box of donuts and then becomes very bouncy before getting very tired. At the Cabbage Club Cooking School, Loonette, Molly and Granny make Apple Schmapple Fruit Blaster Muffins. | ||||||
| 80 | 2 | "Dat's Da Law!" | Derek Ryan and Rob Mills | Cheryl Wagner | October 20, 2006 | TBA |
| Loonette learns about the rules and laws. At the Dojo, Major Bedhead and Granny do the tango, but Loonette wants to do it too. | ||||||
| 81 | 3 | "Fibberish Gibberish" | Derek Ryan and Rob Mills | Bill Murtagh | October 23, 2006 | TBA |
| Loonette tells a tall tale to Molly which angers her, meanwhile, Snicklefritz thinks he's a dog. At the Cabbage Club Cooking School, Loonette and Granny really blend things up by reminding themselves, you are what you eat. | ||||||
| 82 | 4 | "Slow Down, Clown" | Derek Ryan and Rob Mills | Ben Deutsch | October 27, 2006 | TBA |
| Loonette is in a super hyper mood and is doing things quickly. At the Dojo, Major Bedhead teaches Loonette how to juggle and that it's important to take things slowly at first. | ||||||
| 83 | 5 | "Floppy" | Derek Ryan and Rob Mills | Rob Mills | October 30, 2006 | TBA |
| Loonette and Molly learn that too much junk food, such as donuts, is not good for you. At Granny's Cooking School, Granny shows Major Bedhead and Loonette how to make a healthy snack and that healthy food is good for you. | ||||||
| 84 | 6 | "Clown with a Frown" | Derek Ryan and Rob Mills | Laurel Smyth | November 3, 2006 | TBA |
| Loonette is in a bad mood. It's a rainy day in Clowntown then it clears up which makes Loonette feel better. She also learns that eating too many sweets, can lead to a mood swing. | ||||||
| 85 | 7 | "Rub-A-Dub" | Derek Ryan and Rob Mills | Bob Stutt | November 6, 2006 | TBA |
| Loonette has trouble doing two things at the same time, then Granny cleans up her garden. At the Dojo, Major Bedhead and Loonette do exercises. | ||||||
| 86 | 8 | "Upside Down Clown" | Derek Ryan and Rob Mills | Toni Mills | November 10, 2006 | TBA |
| Molly plays with an upside down doll. At the Cabbage Club Cooking School, Loonette and Granny make an Upside Down Cake. | ||||||
| 87 | 9 | "The Clown Promise" | Derek Ryan and Rob Mills | Cheryl Wagner | November 13, 2006 | TBA |
| Loonette promises to wiggle and giggle and make mirth on Earth. At the Dojo, Loonette, Major Bedhead and Molly dance. | ||||||
| 88 | 10 | "Lost and Found Clowns" | Steve Wright and Rob Mills | Pete Sauder | November 17, 2006 | TBA |
| Molly tries to find her doll Bloomette. At the Cabbage Club Cooking School, Loonette and Granny make an Upside Down Clown Surprise. | ||||||
| 89 | 11 | "Phony Baloney" | Steve Wright and Rob Mills | Robin White | November 20, 2006 | TBA |
| Loonette learns that telling the truth is the noble thing to do. At the Dojo, Loonette and Major Bedhead do relaxing and calm exercises. | ||||||
| 90 | 12 | "Ready, Steady, Go" | Steve Wright and Rob Mills | Toni Mills | November 24, 2006 | TBA |
| Uncle Chester brings Bon Bons over to the garden, and eventually teaches everyone that while candy is tasty, it's important to have a good diet and include other foods like vegetables in your diet. At the Dojo, Loonette balances on a balance beam. | ||||||
| 91 | 13 | "Happy Mirthday, Granny" | Steve Wright and Rob Mills | Rob Mills | November 27, 2006 | TBA |
| Molly and Loonette try to keep a secret for Granny's mirthday. | ||||||
| 92 | 14 | "Popcorn-Y" | Steve Wright and Rob Mills | Bob Stutt | December 1, 2006 | TBA |
| Molly is in a popping mood and can't stop popping, later, popcorn flies all over Granny's garden. At the Dojo, Loonette learns how to juggle. | ||||||
| 93 | 15 | "Peek-A-Boo!" | Steve Wright and Rob Mills | Cheryl Wagner | December 4, 2006 | TBA |
| It's Molly's first time at Clowndergarten and is shy of meeting all the other little clowns. | ||||||
| 94 | 16 | "Ouch!" | Steve Wright and Rob Mills | Fred Stinson | December 8, 2006 | TBA |
| Major Bedhead has hurt his foot by slipping on a banana peel, summarizes what happened at the Clowntown Hospital and gets a wheelchair to sit in. At Clowndergarten, the little clowns play pin the tail on the bunny, play ball, have a snack, have Loonette read a story and play hot and cold as they depart. | ||||||
| 95 | 17 | "Big Blow Hard" | Steve Wright and Rob Mills | Fred Stinson | December 11, 2006 | TBA |
| Loonette and Molly are on their boat they made known as The Big Comfy Ship and they are pretending to look for treasure. At Clowndergarten, the clowns play with bubbles, and then a huge wind storm known as the Big Blow Hard hits Clowntown and everyone goes into Granny's house for shelter from the storm. | ||||||
| 96 | 18 | "Shh, Shh, Shh, Quiet" | Steve Wright and Rob Mills | Susie Whelehan | December 15, 2006 | TBA |
| Loonette learns to use inside and outside voices. At Clowndergarten, the clowns play the opposite game, pretend to have a baby in their hands to use quiet and loud, play follow the leader, dance, color and have Loonette read a story. | ||||||
| 97 | 19 | "Freeze, Please" | Steve Wright and Rob Mills | Harmony Wagner | December 18, 2006 | TBA |
| Molly is in a wiggly mood and learns to stay put. At Clowndergarten, the clowns play the freeze game, listen nicely to Loonette reading a story and have a puppet show. | ||||||
| 98 | 20 | "Clown in the Round" | Steve Wright and Rob Mills | Bill Murtagh | December 22, 2006 | TBA |
| Everyone is in a topsy turvy mood as things are upside down. At Clowndergarten, Loonette and the clowns play with the clock rug parachute, play the beehive game, play dress up, do the clock rug stretch and watch a puppet show. | ||||||
| 99 | 21 | "Molly's Bellybutton" | Steve Wright and Rob Mills | Robin White | December 25, 2006 | TBA |
| Molly's bellybutton is dangling down. At Clowndergarten, the clowns play Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes, play with the clock rug parachute, play with hula hoops and have a parade with costumes. | ||||||
| 100 | 22 | "Just Purrfect" | Steve Wright and Rob Mills | Harmony Wagner | December 29, 2006 | TBA |
| Loonette pretends to be a cat. At Clowndergarten, the clowns play kitty cat. | ||||||
Broadcast and syndication
In the U.S., the series was syndicated by American Public Television to public television stations in that country, most of which were affiliated with PBS, starting on January 9, 1995, and ending in February 2007, with reruns airing as late as May 2009 on some stations. In Canada, the series was shown on YTV from 1992 to 1997[4] and on Treehouse TV[5] from 1997 until it ceased broadcasting on February 27, 2011. As of 2023, all episodes can be viewed on Amazon Prime, Vudu, Tubi, the FilmRise app, and YouTube. From September 1, 1997, to 2001, the French-language dub was aired on Canal Famille in Quebec and on TF1 in France.
Home media
Time-Life Video was the main home media distributor for the Big Comfy Couch, releasing the series under Time-Life Video's children's label, Time-Life Kids. VHS releases were also released on May 10, 2000, by Goldhil Video.
The Big Comfy Couch has five DVDs featuring Ramona Gilmour-Darling. The DVDs and VHS tapes that feature Alyson Court are now out of print, but can be found on certain websites such as Amazon.com.
On July 30, 2013, TGG Direct released the first two seasons on DVD in Region 1 for the very first time.[6][7] Seasons 3-7 were released on August 6, 2013.[8][9][10][11][12] Each set comes with a bonus disc featuring a premiere episode of the following season. The Season 7 set, however, has a bonus disc of the premiere episode of the first season.
Merchandise and other media
Throughout the years, several merchandise has been sold under the show's banner such as videotapes, DVDs, books, dolls, toys and puzzles.[1]
Album releases
Several albums of the original songs written by JP Houston and performed by the cast were released on August 9, 2005, by Time-Life, as well as Naxos Music.
App releases
In 2015 and 2016, Radical Sheep, in association with Sticky Brain Studios, released some apps based on the series.
- Just Ask Molly - Released April 1, 2015, this app allows the player to ask Molly any question, and she can communicate to the player via her thought bubbles.[13]
- Fuzzy Wuzzy Fun - Released April 1, 2015, this app features the dust bunnies Fuzzy and Wuzzy playing hide and seek. The objective for the player is to help them find each other by navigating through paths.[14]
- Clock Rug Time - Released May 18, 2015, this app features Loonette and her clock rug stretch routine. Loonette can set the time for the player in both analog and digital. This app can also be used as an alarm clock. The app can also display the weather and temperature based on location.[15]
- Molly's Big Day - Released May 17, 2016, this app focuses on Molly and her big first day in Clowndergarten with the use of activities for the player.
This Hour Has 22 Minutes
On the October 18, 2016 episode of This Hour Has 22 Minutes, in a segment discussing the 2016 clown sightings, Loonette made an appearance as the show's "clown correspondent."[16][1] This marked the character's first television appearance in a decade since the show's finale in 2006 and the first time Alyson Court had portrayed Loonette on TV since her departure in 2002.
Tours
The Big Comfy Couch has had a few live shows at Londonderry Mall in Edmonton, Alberta and sometimes in Calgary and rarely in Regina, Saskatchewan.
Loonette and Molly Live Theatrical Tour
In 2005, a live theatrical production entitled Molly's Fool Moon Festival toured in Canada. The show included Loonette, Molly, Granny Garbanzo, Major Bedhead and others. The show was produced by Koba Entertainment and presented by Paquin Entertainment Group.
References
- Perjurer, Kevin; Jinkins, Heath (November 19, 2020). "DefunctTV: The History of the Big Comfy Couch". Defunctland. DefunctTV. Archived from the original on November 17, 2021. Retrieved April 9, 2021 – via YouTube.
- Grant, Stacey (January 26, 2016). "Here's What Loonette the Clown from 'The Big Comfy Couch' is Up to Now". MTV News. Retrieved April 9, 2021.
- "Pie in the Sky". The Big Comfy Couch. Radical Sheep Productions (studio). FilmRise (YouTube channel distributor). Retrieved April 9, 2021.
- "The Big Comfy Couch on YTV". YTV. April 12, 1997. Archived from the original on April 12, 1997. Retrieved December 2, 2021.
- "The Big Comfy Couch on YTV". YTV. May 5, 2005. Archived from the original on May 5, 2005. Retrieved December 2, 2021.
- "Big Comfy Couch: Complete Season One". Amazon. July 30, 2013. Archived from the original on November 30, 2016. Retrieved September 15, 2017.
- "Big Comfy Couch: Complete Season Two". Amazon. Archived from the original on July 8, 2013. Retrieved September 15, 2017.
- "Big Comfy Couch-Season 3". Amazon. August 6, 2013. Archived from the original on March 5, 2016. Retrieved September 15, 2017.
- "Big Comfy Couch-Season 4". Amazon. August 6, 2013. Archived from the original on March 5, 2016. Retrieved September 15, 2017.
- "Big Comfy Couch-Season 5". Amazon. August 6, 2013.
- "Big Comfy Couch-Season 6". Amazon. August 6, 2013.
- Big Comfy Couch-Season 7, Tgg Direct, Llc, August 6, 2013, archived from the original on March 5, 2016, retrieved July 10, 2016
- Archived October 26, 2015, at the Wayback Machine Just Ask Molly! Accessed May 2, 2015.
- Archived October 26, 2015, at the Wayback Machine Fuzzy Wuzzy Fun! Accessed May 2, 2015.
- Archived May 28, 2015, at the Wayback Machine Clock Rug Time Accessed May 28, 2015.
- "Loonette on Creepy Clowns | 22 Minutes". This Hour Has 22 Minutes. CBC Comedy (YouTube channel). Retrieved April 9, 2021.
External links
- The Big Comfy Couch at IMDb
- Big Comfy Couch Episode Guide
- Big Comfy Couch Full Episodes: Iowa Public Television
- Big Comfy Couch Episode Guide: TV.com
- Big Comfy Couch: MSN TV
- Big Comfy Couch: AOL Television
