The Friendly Giant

[bdahunter]

For those of you who are Canadians or grew up along the Canadian border, you'll probably remember the Friendly Giant as a kids show that ran on CBC television for practically forever. The show always opened to the sound of 'Green Sleeves' with farm animals on a scale model farm in the valley and the model of a castle up on the hill. "And now back to the castle" the deep voice of Friendly would intone and we were all transported to the giant's castle with his friends Gerome the Giraffe and Rusty the Rooster for half an hour of good hearted fun.
While going to school at the University of Guelph in Guelph, Ontario I met a woman who told me a wonderful story about The Friendly Giant. Friendly had lived in the town of Guelph for most of his life, making the early morning journey into the big city of Toronto each day to tape the next show for 'The Friendly Giant'. "He was the same person off the screen as he was on" the woman told me, "a large, kind and gentle person who everybody loved."
One Halloween in the 60's this woman had sent her children out to trick or treat with her oldest son of 10 in charge of his younger brother of 5 years old. The night was the good clean fun that we all remember, at least until the older brother met up with some of his school friends and they started running from house to house in a race to get the last of the Halloween loot. The 5 year old brother couldn't keep up and was left behind by himself to wander the streets in his costume amongst strangers. The little tike was lost now and wandered aimlessly looking for a familiar landmark but it soon became obvious that his situation was hopeless. As the darkness closed in he stopped beside a brick cloumn with a jack o'lantern on top of it in front of a modest brick bungalow, he sat down against the column under the pumpkin and started to cry.
As luck would have it the bungalow belonged to the Friendly Giant. Now, Friendly had placed a two way intercom system inside the jack o'lantern in order to talk to the kids that came to his house for trick or treat. Over the intercom came the sounds of the young lad's sobbing. Friendly was packing up at the end of the night and heard the sobbing and looked out his window but couldn't see the boy hidden by the brick column so he picked up the mike and said "What seems to be the matter?" The little boy jumped up and stared in awe at the talking pumpkin "Who's there?' asked the little boy with more than a little fear in his voice.
"Why just me" said Friendly in his warm and kind voice through the pumpkin.
"Pumpkins can't talk" said the boy somewhat indignantly, he didn't know much at his age but he knew that much.
"Oh, I'm a magic pumpkin" said the jack o'lantern "and every year on Halloween Night I can talk." The youngster was stunned at the magic pumpkin's response and gave the jack o'lantern a good look but couldn't see the wire that was carefully concealed by Friendly.
"Why are you so sad?" said the deep, calm voice. The little boy poured out his tale of woe to the pumpkin about his brother leaving him, how he was lost and afraid and please would the magic pumpkin help him to get home to his Mom?
"OH" said the pumpkin "I can only talk, I can't move around as I have no feet but I know someone who could take you home."
"Who?" asked the little boy.
"Do you know who The Friendly Giant is?" asked the pumpkin.
"Oh, Yes" said the little boy "I watch him everyday".
"Well" said the pumpkin "The Friendly Giant is a good friend of mine and I will send him to you to help you get home if you will just wait here a minute." "Will you wait for Friendly?" asked the pumpkin.
"Yes" the tike exclaimed.
So Friendly did a quick change into his costume while his wife kept an eye on the youngster from the window. One minute later, The Friendly Giant came down the driveway and took the little boy by the hand. Through the neighbourhood they walked together chatting quietly about the show and Rusty the Rooster and Gerome the Giraffe. What was it like to live in a Castle? How come he was so much bigger on television? All the questions you would expect from a 5 year old who had just had a fright but been saved by the nicest, kindest man in the world.
Eventually they came to a street that the little boy recognized and soon they arrived at the front door of the youngster's home, both in their costumes. There were sounds of yelling and crying coming from the house as the mother and father lambasted the older brother, who had just returned home, for losing his younger sibling. "Where did you lose him?" they yelled.
The mother rushed to the door at the sound of Friendly's knocking and stopped in shock as she recognized the TV Giant standing on the front stoop with her youngest son. She swept the little tike up into her arms and thanked the nice man for bringing her son home.
"My pleasure" said the giant in his green leotards and tunic "I enjoyed our little walk and talk."
"Can I make you a cup of tea" asked the mother. "Or a drink" asked the father, also a little star struck.
"No, no thank you" said the man in green "it's getting late and I have to be at work early."
"Thank You So Much" the parents said to the big man dressed in a tunic and leotards as he turned and wandered back down the driveway on his way home.
As Friendly turned down the street they all heard him say those familiar words "And now back to the Castle".
Friendly in the early days of the show 1958





The last year of the show 1985





And Now Back to the Castle,

BDA

[Buster]

Good story BDA...had a good happy ending....Buster...

[prizm-pal]

Bda...I love alot of that era shows....we had Leave it to Beaver......The Andy Griffith show..towns where there was no crime....but never saw the friendly giant!

[anne]

I have never heard or seen that programme but I enjoyed your story very much.

[gordiesgirl]

Very nice story, I have never heard of the show, But I am sure it was great.

[Joker]

He looks friendly! We had the Jolly Green Giant..!!

Pretty much looked like your guy but he was green and alot taller...

[MinelabMan]

Never heard of him but good story! There's some good shows on now, but I still like the older ones.

[CanUDigIt]

Hey BDA, I watched it in the Philly area! I was very young but remember it came on really early in the morning. I remember him from later in his career in the mid to late 70's. I have asked many people but they never knew what I was talking about and looked at me like I was crazy. Like just my TV could pick it up. It took the internet to help my memory with a google search last year. There are plenty of websites on The Friendly Giant. That came about by stumbling upon the personal website for Billie Hays. She played Witchiepoo on HR Pufnstuf and Weenie the Geenie on Liddsville. She now runs an organization for the care and placement of abandoned animals called Pet Hope. I watched a lot of TV growing up. Mom used to say when I was young, she could plop me in front of the TV and take a nap. She'd get up and I had never moved. By the way, many of the shows we grew up watching are available on DVD with a quick search. Were you raised in Ontario? We used to go to either Ontario Place or Centre Island every time we went to visit all the relatives. Take care!

[RobbieD]

Cool story; thanks!

[bdahunter]

Born and raised in the Beaches area of Toronto, I've always lived close to water and that is my main criteria for a place to live. At the very least I need to be able to see it. Toronto sure has grown since I was a kid it used to be 500,000 people and I remember everybody thinking 'Oh My God, Half a Million People!' now it's pushing 3.5 Million. To big a town for this pirate. I really liked Friendly as a kid, how could you not like him? Captain Kangaroo, Commander Tom both came in out of the States but we had Mr. Dressup and Uncle Bobby(a dirty old man and a drunk by the way, according to a mate's older brother who was the cameraman for the show) The things you don't know or need to know growing up!
I remember HR Puff'n Stuff, nice to see he's still doing good in the world.

Cheers,

BDA

Originally Posted by CanUDigIt

Hey BDA, I watched it in the Philly area! I was very young but remember it came on really early in the morning. I remember him from later in his career in the mid to late 70's. I have asked many people but they never knew what I was talking about and looked at me like I was crazy. Like just my TV could pick it up. It took the internet to help my memory with a google search last year. There are plenty of websites on The Friendly Giant. That came about by stumbling upon the personal website for Billie Hays. She played Witchiepoo on HR Pufnstuf and Weenie the Geenie on Liddsville. She now runs an organization for the care and placement of abandoned animals called Pet Hope. I watched a lot of TV growing up. Mom used to say when I was young, she could plop me in front of the TV and take a nap. She'd get up and I had never moved. By the way, many of the shows we grew up watching are available on DVD with a quick search. Were you raised in Ontario? We used to go to either Ontario Place or Centre Island every time we went to visit all the relatives. Take care!