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Lamb Chop's Play-Along!

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First aired January 13, 1992
Last aired September 22, 1995
Network PBS
Seasons 4
No. of episodes 84
Lamb_Chops_Play_along

Lamb Chops Play along

The show's opening from season 1

Lamb Chop's Play-Along! is a Canadian-American half-hour children's television series in which puppeteer Shari Lewis have fun at a farm with her characters Lamb Chop, Charlie Horse, and Hush Puppy. It ran on PBS from 1992 to 1998. Reruns had been aired on Qubo from 2007 to 2009, PBJ from 2011 to 2016 and KTV from 2012 to 2019.

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 - "the official magician of New York City".

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

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 [bored]".

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".

Synopsis[]

Lamb Chop is an anthropomorphic sheep; other characters are puppets of other farm animals, including Charlie Horse and Hush Puppy.

At the end of each episode, Charlie Horse would try to sing The Song That Doesn't End, much to the annoyance of Shari.

Cast[]

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

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

Season 2 (1993)[]

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

Season 3 (1994)[]

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

Season 4 (1995)[]

  1. Charlie Horse Tells a Lie (3 acts) [September 11, 1995]
  2. Shari's Favorite? (3 acts) [September 12, 1995]
  3. Lamb Chop's Art Embarrasses Charlie Horse (3 acts) [September 13, 1995]
  4. A Yo-Yo for Hush Puppy (3 acts) [September 14, 1995]
  5. Lamb Chop's Glasses (3 acts) [September 15, 1995]
  6. Counting on Your Knuckles (a.k.a. Mother's Hubbard) [September 18, 1995]
  7. Your Mitt or Mine (3 acts) [September 19, 1995]
  8. Fighting Fair (3 acts) [September 20, 1995]
  9. The Job (3 acts) [September 21, 1995]
  10. Sea Creatures (3 acts) [September 22, 1995]

Specials[]

2 one-hour episode specials produced.

  • Special: Lamb Chop's Special Chanukah [December 17, 1995]
  • Special: Shari's Passover Surprise [April 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

Production notes[]

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.

Opening and closing[]

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, 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 song eventually fades even before beginning a 6th verse. Finally, at the end of the song, Charlie Horse returns. He then tries to get to sing the song again. But Lewis successfully stops him (by putting her hand over his mouth). She (covering Charlie's mouth) orders him to go away. Resigned, Charlie leaves (and goes away) as she asks. But he slams the door before Lewis could tell him don't. Her only consolation is that everything is now silent (as a result of the puppets and the singing group "gone"). However, she glares at the viewers at fade-out.

Funding[]

Funding for the program was provided by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and Viewers Like You.

Awards/nominations[]

  • 1992 [Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Performer in a Children's Series] Shari Lewis (Won)
  • 1992 [Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Achievement in Costume Design]
  • Molly Harris Campbell (Nominated)
  • 1992 [Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Children's Series] Bernard Rothman, Jon Slan, Richard Borchiver, Shari Lewis (Nominated)
  • 1992 [Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Writing in a Children's Series] Bernard Rothman, Shari Lewis (Nominated)
  • 1993 [Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Performer in a Children's Series] Shari Lewis (Won)
  • 1993 [Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Writing in a Children's Series
  • Shari Lewis, Ken Steele, Bernard Rothman, Mallory Tarcher, Lan O'Kunx, Aubrey Tadman (Won)
  • 1993 [Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Achievement in Lighting Direction] Carl Gibson (Nominated)
  • 1994 [Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Performer in a Children's Series] Shari Lewis (Won)
  • 1994 [Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Children's Series] Richard Borchiver, Shari Lewis, Bernard Rothman, Jon Slan (Nominated)
  • 1994 [Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Writing in a Children's Series] Mallory Tarcher, Ken Steele, Steve Edelman, Bernard Rothman, Lan O'Kun, Shari Lewis, Aubrey Tadman, Tibby Rothman, Jeremy Tarcher, Michael Lyons, Kimberley Wells (Nominated)
  • 1995 [Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Performer in a Children's Series] Shari Lewis (Won)
  • 1995 [Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Pre-School Children's Series] Shari Lewis, Bernard Rothman, Jon Slan, Richard Borchiver (Nominated)
  • 1995 [Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Writing in a Children's Series] Bernard Rothman, Shari Lewis, Mallory Tarcher, Ken Steele, Lan O'Kun, Aubrey Tadman (Nominated)
  • 1996 [Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Performer in a Children's Series] Shari Lewis (Won)
  • 1996 [Daytime Emmy Outstanding Pre-School Children's Series] Jon Slan, Richard Borchiver, Shari Lewis, Bernard Rothman (Nominated)
  • 1996 [Daytime Emmy Outstanding Writing in a Children's Series] Mallory Tarcher, Shari Lewis, Aubrey Tadman, Ken Steele, Tibby Rothman, Lan O'Kun, Bernard Rothman (Nominated)

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

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