Today's Special: Difference between revisions

A Canadian television show that ran in the 1980s., It'''''Today's Special''''' ran from 1982 to 1987 and was broadcast on TV Ontario. It is best remembered for being one of the earliest staples of [[Nickelodeon]] — and at times, for being ''really'' freakin' weird.

The setting was a department store in an unspecified city (presumably [[Toronto]], where the show was filmed). The show centered around the people (human and otherwise) who worked there during the overnight shift. The employees of the store included Jodie, who set up the displays in the children's department, Sam Crenshaw the security guard (played by a puppet), and Mrs. Pennypacker (another puppet introduced in one of the later seasons). They were joined by the far stranger nocturnal residents of the store: [[Artificial Human|Jeff]] the mannequin, Muffy Mouse (another puppet), who [[Rhymes Onon a Dime|spoke in rhyme]] and had [[Mouse World|a little penthouse within the store]], and TXL Series 4, Sam's [[Do-Anything Robot|Do -Anything Computer]] and who also plays quizzes and participation games with the viewers in between segments. Another character in the show is the Mime Lady. While she is not an in-store character, she participates in TXL's games.

The aforementioned Jeff is such an unusual character, he deserves his own paragraphs. Every kid's show has an obligatory character meant to be [[Audience Surrogate|the young audience's representative in the show's fictional world]], but Jeff was an especially bizarre example. He is a mannequin, in the shape of an adult man, who was [[Humanity Ensues|brought to life]] by wearing a magical hat created by a magician named Waldo The Magnificent. Thing is, his personality and mannerisms were that of a small child. So in other words, this show's [[Sesame Street|Big Bird]] equivalent was a [[Man Child]] who lived in the store and was taught about everyday things and the world in general (iee.g., in one episode, the other regulars had to explain to Jeff what brooms were for, and in another, how umbrellas work).

Being a bit of a [[Cloudcuckoolander|Cuckoolander]], Jeff also had to be reminded not to [[Weaksauce Weakness|remove his own hat, as this turns him back into a mannequin]]. Fortunately, saying the magic words "[[Ear Worm|Hocus Pocus Alamagocus]]" brings him back to life. ''Un''fortunately, Jeff could never leave the store, due to the conditions of the magical hat (it only works inside the store). In some episodes, it is said that if he ever stepped foot off the store grounds, he would stay a mannequin forever (but not always; it should be noted that the "rules" of the hat were fairly inconsistent). Any episodes that took place outdoors had to provide a [[Hand Wave]] to work around this. (Pretty dark for a kids' show, [[Canada, Eh?|eh?]])

More information can be found at [https://web.archive.org/web/20120204215019/http://todays-special.schuminweb.com/main-page.php this very extensive fansite].

* [[Arbitrary Skepticism]]: Jodie borders on a [[Flat Earth Atheist]] at times.

{{quote| '''Jodie:''' There's no way a magical Blue Cow could appear in my store! Isn't that right, rhyming mouse and self-aware statue?}}

* [[Artificial Human]]: Jeff, who could also count as an example of why [[AIA.I. Is a Crapshoot]], depending on your point of view.

* [[Bait and Switch Credits|Bait And Switch Title]]: [[Everything's Better Withwith Dinosaurs|The episode]] [http://todays-special.schuminweb.com/todays-special/episode-guide/1983/dinosaurs.php "Dinosaurs"] is about... a poster contest.

* [[The Cast Showoff]]: Jeff Hyslop, who played Jeff the mannequin, is a triple threat entertainer. While he and everyone else sang on the show, he was the only one who danced, and did this on the show frequently. Nerene Virgin danced a little bit and was often paired with Jeff, but for anything more complicated they had to bring in outside talent to keep up with him. It should also be noted that Jeff Hyslop was also the show's choreographer.

* [[A Day Atat the Bizarro]]: No mean feat for a show with a cast of characters like this, right? But in general, things get weirder anytime Waldo or one of his magical friends shows up.

* [[Furry Confusion]]: Mice in the "Today's Special" universe are consistently portrayed as creatures of human-like intelligence who live in little houses, form popular musical acts, and even beat humans to the moon. And yet there are several episodes where Muffy is threatened by humans who "never saw a talking mouse before".

* [[Genie in Aa Bottle]]: In the episode "Adventure," where he transports Jodie, Jeff and Sam to Potion Land.

{{quote| '''Jodie:''' Jeff, I know how much your wish means to you. But really, how much fun could you have with [[It Makes Sense in Context|two sandwiches and an invisible mouse]]?}}

{{quote| '''Jeff:''' Well now, TXL, how do we turn you on? [[Breaking the Fourth Wall|I've never done this before]]. What button do you suppose I press?}}

* [[Rhyming Withwith Itself]]: Muffy, who must have been painful to write dialogue for.

* [[Shout-Out]]: Quite a few. One of the best is in "Adventure", where a castle is warned to house "[[Dungeons and& Dragons]]" (the whole episode plays out like a role-playing game).

{{quote| '''Jeff:''' What do you suppose lives in this creepy castle, anyway?<br />

[[Category:Todays SpecialNickelodeon]]