The Elephant Show (from the second season onward, Sharon, Lois & Bram's Elephant Show) is a Canadian children's television show from 1984 until 1988.
[edit] Summary and Highlights
The Elephant Show featured the adventures of the Canadian singing trio Sharon, Lois & Bram, with Paula Gallivan in an elephant costume. Elephant, who never said a word, was represented by the sound of a tuba, played by Scott Irvine. There was never any explanation provided as to why Sharon, Lois and Bram lived together in a house with an elephant or how they were connected to the children they spent time with. The group were usually accompanied by a gang of children and a fun-loving sidekick, Eric Nagler.
Almost every episode contained a concert sequence with Sharon, Lois & Bram and Eric and the Mammoth Band. They would sing songs and help children with their problems, often incorporating music. In each episode, the group would go on a trip to a new locations, such as the zoo, the hospital, or to a museum. On occasion, the group would stay home but still have an adventure in their yard or in the neighborhood. For example, on one occasion, the group builds a fort in the yard but have a run-in with the grumpy neighbour. Usually, each episode would contain a simple problem such as an argument, a fear or the failure of their plans for the day. The episodes would occasionally include a social lesson, such as the discussion of UNICEF, how to support it and what it does. Sharon, Lois and Bram also appeared in advertisements encouraging parents to vaccinate their children against harmful diseases such as Polio, Rubella and Mumps. Each episode concludes with the singing of the Skinnamarink Song.
The second and third seasons both aired in 1986. The show aired in Canada for five seasons in total and produced 65 episodes.
The series was also re-broadcast on Nickelodeon in the United States from September 21, 1987 to October 21, 1994.
After the series ended, Eric Nagler went on to star in his own series, Eric's World, which was also produced by The Elephant Show's producer, Cambium Productions.
Selected episodes of the show have been released on video tape in Canada. There are currently no plans to release the series on DVD.
The show also aired in Gibraltar on GBC TV and in the Republic of Ireland on RTE.