Play School

The success story that is Play School started in Britain in 1964. It was a preschooler show at its most basic--save for one film clip an episode, there were few gimmicks and the entirety of the show was carried on the shoulders of the two presenters--never the same each day, and always one man and one woman. All they had to play with? Everyday junk (used for homemade crafts), the toys (really the only constant "cast" on the show), a short story (always after checking the time on a clock), and a film shown through "the windows". There would also be songs, and activities that children at home could participate in.

In 1966, the format was adapted for Australian TV by the ABC. Both shows ran concurrently until 1988, when the British version was axed. The Australian version, however, has gone on to become so ingrained in the culture that you'd be hard-pressed to find any Australian person who hasn't watched the show at some point. Many of the show's presenters are well-known Australian actors, and the job is quite a challenging one. The show has changed very little over the years, aside from one revamp in 1999 that changed the "Windows" into a rotating prop.

There was also a Norwegian version called Lekestue that ran from 1973 until the early 1980s, and a Canadian version, Polka Dot Door, produced by TVOntario (Ontario's provincial public broadcaster, now known as TVO), which ran from 1971 to 1993. However, speaking of Play School in North America, despite having a Canadian version, there has never been any American production of Play School that's produced for the PBS, nor a Mexican version for Televisa exists.

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This show contains examples of:

• Berserk Button: Do not mock this show in front of an Australian.
• Has Two Mommies: The Australian version had an infamous episode containing an instance of this. The actual relationship status is not so much as mentioned, and the footage itself was concerned with a day at the fair. Of course, the Australian tabloid media was all over it.
• Hey, It's That Guy!: Philip Quast, most known for playing Inspector Javert in Les Miserables is in some episodes.
• The Kiddie Ride: A miniature carousel ride based on it can occasionally be seen in Australia.
  • Bizarrely, this was based on the Rocket Clock, and has not been remodeled since, despite the Rocket Clock no longer appearing on the show.
• Long Runners: Almost all versions ran for a considerable length of time, but the Australian version stands out at an astounding 58 years.
• Multi National Shows: As aforementioned, numerous international versions (equivalents) spun off the original English version exist - the Australian one is the oldest and most famous, and others include New Zealand (Play School), Norwegian (Lekestue) and Canadian (Polka Dot Door) equivalents. Other lesser-known versions include the Swiss German and the Italian equivalents.
• No Export for You: While Canada has Polka Dot Door (for Anglophone Canadians anyway; there is no French dub of the show, and the closest Francophone equivalent is probably Passe-Partout), the United States has no equivalent of Play School. The approximate equivalents for Play School in the United States are Romper Room, Mister Rogers' Neighborhood and Sesame Street. However, American viewers in areas near the Ontario border (i.e., Detroit and Buffalo) could watch Polka Dot Door "right from the source" on TVOntario, and the series was also syndicated to some PBS stations.
• Once an Episode: The Australian version memorably used to include use of a calendar, two clocks of varying novelty, looking through one of three windows, and reading a story.
• One I Prepared Earlier: The show does this for arts and crafts all the time, even using the trope name, although sometimes they seemed to do it to avoid the tricky part of the process...
• Subverted Kids Show: Not Play School itself obviously, but many years after her tenure on the show, one of the Australian version's most famous hosts recorded a reading of Go the Fuck to Sleep in the exact same style she used to use when reading stories on Play School. The Australian media reacted much as you'd expect it to.
• Spin-Off: The Australian version was popular enough to produce numerous spinoffs, including one starring host Monica with a variety of mostly puppet friends. Most faded into obscurity, but Bananas in Pajamas, popular beyond imagination, apparently originated from an idea on Play School as well.
• Rube Goldberg Device: At least one of the calendars was this.
• Too Soon: One episode had the team using building blocks then knocking them down...on September 11. This was the first time the show received hate mail from upset parents.
• What Do You Mean It Wasn't Made on Drugs?: In The Ning Nang Nong.