Lamb Chop's Play-Along

''Lamb Chop's Play-Along!'' is a half-hour children's television series aimed at toddlers that was shown on PBS in the United States from January 13, 1992, until September 22, 1995, with reruns airing on PBS until January 4, 1998, and on KTV FAVE - KIDZ in 2019. It was created and hosted by the puppeteer Shari Lewis, and featured her puppet characters Lamb Chop, Charlie Horse, and Hush Puppy. The series was based on several home videos Lewis created throughout the 1980s, particularly the 1988 video ''Lamb Chop's Sing-Along, Play-Along''. ''Lamb Chop's Play-Along!'' was followed by the short-lived spin-off series, '' The Charlie Horse Music Pizza''.

Premise

Lamb Chop is an anthropomorphic sheep puppet who lives with her guardian Shari Lewis and her two siblings, Charlie Horse (an anthropomorphic horse puppet) and Hush Puppy (an anthropomorphic dog puppet). In each episode, Lewis encourages the audience to participate or interact in a number of activities through several segments, including those involving crafts, songs and stories. The shows are wrapped around with a multiple-act segment known as ''At Home With Lamb Chop'', which typically revolves around a situation involving one of the puppet characters.

Production

PBS commissioned the show from Shari Lewis in May 1991, and the show premiered in January 1992. This marked Lewis' return to television after about 15 years (following the BBC version of '' The Shari Lewis Show'' in 1975). ''Lamb Chop's Play-Along'' was shot in Canada, first in Burnaby, British Columbia and then at the CBC Studios in Vancouver, British Columbia.

The series honored Lewis' father, college professor Abraham Hurwitz, who died in 1981. He is referred to as "the official magician of New York City".

Ellensburg Daily Record said "each half hour is filled with jokes, games, songs, and tricks".

Broadcast

WTTW jointly distributed it with Paragon Entertainment Corporation to PBS stations across the country. The rights to the show are currently owned by Universal Television on behalf of DreamWorks Classics.

Format

Philosophy

Shari Lewis explained her goal for the audience is "participation, not passive observance". She said: "our goal is, don't just sit there - come play with me". She wanted to "attack the shorter attention span of today's children with a fast-paced show using colorful electronic effects". She said in an interview with ''The Philadelphia Inquirer'': "I know that when children watch TV, they go into a stupor. Parents think (their children) are interested, but what they really are is ored.

Lewis testified that making smart content for children was not that hard to produce and should be done with increasing frequency. She explained that if children are challenged, they will be productive members of society. She said, "I don't care if you tack a prosocial message at the end of the show. You have not done a quality show".

At the end of each show, Charlie Horse would sing "The Song That Doesn't End" with Lamb Chop, Hush Puppy and the kids, much to the annoyance of the character Shari (as part of the joke).

Opening and closing sequences

Both the opening and closing songs were written by Broadway composer Norman Martin. Other songs were written by '' Square One TV'' songwriter, John Rodby. Two versions of the opening song with different lyrics have been used; one involves bouncing, and the other strength. The ending theme song is "The Song That Doesn't End", as sung by the children and puppets while Lewis frantically attempts to stop them. The children and puppets eventually leave at Shari's urging, and the song fades even before beginning a sixth verse. Finally, at the end of the end credits sequence, Charlie Horse returns and tries to get to sing the song again but Lewis successfully stops him (by putting her hand over his mouth). She then orders him to go away and not let the song back in her sight again. As Charlie leaves, he slams the door before Lewis could tell him to close the door properly. Despite Charlie slamming the door, her only consolation is that everything is now silent (as a result of Charlie, the other puppets, and the singing group children "gone"). However, she glares at the viewers at fade-out.

An instrumental version of the show's theme song was used for a most recent show of Mallory Lewis (daughter of the show's host) and Lamb Chop.

Cast

* Shari Lewis as Herself/ Lamb Chop/Charlie Horse/Hush Puppy
* Pat Brymer as the head puppeteer
* Gord Robertson as Buster the Bus, featured puppeteer
* Norma McKnight as additional puppetry
* Bonnie Martin as Big Lamb Chop
* Mark Gamez as Big Charlie Horse
*

Lamb Chop's Playmates

* Andrew Francis
* Brian Ito
* Amanda McAdam
* Sabrina Sánchez
* Kevin Yee
* Rachel Sandor-Gough
* Talia Gilboa
* Bryan Robinson
* Zack Moses
* Phillip Boutte
* Annick Obonsawin
* John Creery
* Ramon Choyce
* Jade Schwartz
* Emma Pollard
* Maddie Lewis

Episodes

84 half-hour episodes produced.

Season 1 (1992)

# Air Charlie (4 acts) anuary 13, 1992# Stop Biting Your Nails (4 acts) anuary 14, 1992# Too Sick to Go to the Circus (5 acts) anuary 15, 1992# The Bully (4 acts) anuary 16, 1992# Hiccups (3 acts) anuary 17, 1992# Charlie's Magic Show (2 acts) anuary 20, 1992# Lamb Chop Works Out (4 acts) anuary 21, 1992# The Charlie Horse Newspaper (4 acts) anuary 22, 1992# Robin Hoof (3 acts) anuary 23, 1992# Charlie's Toothache (4 acts) anuary 24, 1992# The Baseball Show (3 acts) anuary 27, 1992# The Planet Yzarc (4 acts) anuary 28, 1992# Maurice (3 acts) anuary 29, 1992# Charlie Horse Western (4 acts) anuary 30, 1992# Runaway (5 acts) anuary 31, 1992# The Lemonade Wars (4 acts) ebruary 3, 1992# Have I Got A Girl For You (4 acts) ebruary 4, 1992# The Ring (4 acts) ebruary 5, 1992# Charlie Horse's Birthday (4 acts) ebruary 6, 1992# Grown Up For A Day (4 acts) ebruary 7, 1992# Charlie Horse For Class President (4 acts) ebruary 10, 1992# Obedience School (4 acts) ebruary 11, 1992# The Necklace (4 acts) ebruary 12, 1992# The Chicken Show ebruary 13, 1992# Lamb Chop's Allowance (4 acts) ebruary 14, 1992# Talent-Less (3 acts) ebruary 17, 1992# On Thin Ice (3 acts) ebruary 18, 1992# Bigger Is Better (2 acts) ebruary 19, 1992# The Lamb Chop Show ebruary 20, 1992

Season 2 (1993)

# So Long Freddy (3 acts) ebruary 8, 1993# Shari Makes a Beanstalk ebruary 9, 1993# School Daze (3 acts) ebruary 10, 1993# The Circus (1 act) ebruary 11, 1993# I'm Back! (2 acts) ebruary 12, 1993# What's Your Name? ebruary 15, 1993# Farnsworth (3 acts) ebruary 16, 1993# A Cat By Any Other Name (3 acts) ebruary 17, 1993# Born To Dance (3 acts) ebruary 18, 1993# Super Angelo (3 acts) ebruary 19, 1993# I Write The Songs (1 act) arch 8, 1993# United We Stand (3 acts) arch 9, 1993# Lucky Puppy (3 acts) arch 10, 1993# The Wallet (3 acts) arch 11, 1993# Twinkle, Twinkle (3 acts) arch 12, 1993# The Return of Zark (3 acts) arch 15, 1993# Fear of Biking (3 acts) arch 16, 1993# Segnorita Lamb Chop (3 acts) arch 17, 1993# Forget It! (3 acts) arch 18, 1993# Little Red Riding Hood (2 acts) arch 19, 1993# Chicken Pox (3 acts) arch 22, 1993# The Guys (3 acts) arch 23, 1993# Get Up & Dance arch 24, 1993# Trading Bases (4 acts) arch 25, 1993# When You Grow Up (3 acts) arch 26, 1993# Lamb Chop's Cold arch 29, 1993# Musical Chopsticks (3 acts) arch 30, 1993# Principal Swanson (3 acts) arch 31, 1993# Gold Diggers (3 acts) pril 1, 1993# The Emperor's New Clothes pril 2, 1993# Peer Pressure (3 acts) pril 5, 1993# Toulouse La Chop (3 acts) pril 6, 1993# Anchor Desk (3 acts) pril 7, 1993# The Dark (3 acts) pril 8, 1993# Lamb Chop's Lullaby pril 9, 1993

Season 3 (1994)

# The Horse of a Different Color (2 acts) anuary 31, 1994# Monopoly (3 acts) ebruary 1, 1994# Tattletale! (3 acts) ebruary 2, 1994# So Mad! (3 acts) ebruary 3, 1994# Lamb Chop's Pet (3 acts) ebruary 4, 1994# Togetherless (3 acts) ebruary 7, 1994# What A Mess (3 acts) ebruary 8, 1994# Buster and Butch the Bully ebruary 9, 1994# Busted-Up Buster (3 acts) ebruary 10, 1994# Lamb Chop Practicing Violin ebruary 11, 1994

Season 4 (1995)

# Charlie Horse Tells a Lie (3 acts) eptember 11, 1995# Shari's Favorite? (3 acts) eptember 12, 1995# Lamb Chop's Art Embarrasses Charlie Horse (3 acts) eptember 13, 1995# A Yo-Yo for Hush Puppy (3 acts) eptember 14, 1995# Lamb Chop's Glasses (3 acts) eptember 15, 1995# Counting on Your Knuckles eptember 18, 1995# Your Mitt or Mine (3 acts) eptember 19, 1995# Fighting Fair (3 acts) eptember 20, 1995# The Job (3 acts) eptember 21, 1995# Sea Creatures (3 acts) eptember 22, 1995

Specials

2 one-hour episode specials were produced:

* Special: Lamb Chop's Special Chanukah ecember 17, 1995* Special: Shari's Passover Surprise pril 14, 1996

Segments

Introduced in Season 1

* At Home with Lamb Chop
* Comedy Barn
* Knock! Knock!
* A Baby Lamb Chop Story
* Betcha
* Riddles
* Funny Little Poem
* Animals from the San Diego Zoo
* Tongue Twisters
* Story Time
* Sing a Little Sing-Along Song
* Playtime With Emma
* More Playtime With Emma
* A Whale Of A Tale

Introduced in Season 2

* Buster the Bus
* Alpha-Toons
* Something Unusual/Fascinating
* A Baby Shari Lewis Story
* A Teddy Bear Tale
* A Baby Hush Puppy Story
* Sing a Little Sing-Along Song

Introduced in Season 3

* Any Kid Can Draw
* Take a Look at a Book
* Buster's Brain Busters
* Magic is the Thing for You
* You Can Do It

Introduced in Season 4

* Clip from '' The Shari Lewis Show''

Critical reception

The show received a rating of 8.0 based on 128 votes, at TV.com, and a score of 7.8/10 at IMDb based on 407 ratings. Greensboro News & Record said of this show, "she (Lewis) made the sort of mischief that gave a vicarious thrill to millions of children watching at home".

Awards and nominations

External links

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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lamp Chop's Play Along
1992 American television series debuts
1995 American television series endings
1990s American children's television series
1992 Canadian television series debuts
1995 Canadian television series endings
1990s Canadian children's television series
American preschool education television series
American television shows featuring puppetry
Canadian preschool education television series
Canadian television shows featuring puppetry
1990s preschool education television series
American English-language television shows
PBS Kids shows
PBS original programming
Television series by Universal Television
Television series by WTTW
Television shows filmed in Burnaby
Television shows filmed in Vancouver