Today's Special (1982)
Today's Special was a Canadian children's television show produced by Clive VanderBurgh at TVOntario from 1981 to 1987. It also ran on Nickelodeon and the Faith and Values Channel/Odyssey as well as many PBS stations throughout the United States. It was set in a department store, based on the flagship location of the now defunct Simpson's in Toronto. Many sequences for it were shot at the Queen Street West and Yonge Street store after hours.
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Episode 1 - Dance
Release Date:There's a lot of dancing going on as Jodie is practicing for her exam in dance class and is very nervous about it and Muffy is no help when she uses a magic spell from Waldo's book and spells like crazy, But then helps Jodie along with everyone else.
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Episode 2 - Movies
Release Date:Muffy took a movie of everyone in the store and is eager to show it. But it rolls away and gets lost, So she tries to make another one which isn't easy this time.
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Episode 3 - Circus
Release Date:Jeff has been practicing his juggling and has gotten good. And since he will never see a real circus, they decide to have one in the store with Jeff and Jodie as clowns, Muffy as a lion (or cat in this case) tamer, and Sam as the ringmaster.
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Episode 4 - Halloween
Release Date:It's Halloween but since Sam and Jodie had to work, they are a bit upset because they will miss out on all the fun on Halloween with the children they usually take out. So Jeff and Muffy decide to help them out: Jeff dresses up, and Muffy goes out and gather some children to come to the store to ""trick or treat"".
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Episode 5 - Opera
Release Date:The store is about to have a guest: the famous opera singer Riki Turfoski whom Sam idolizes. While they're waiting, They do their own opera: The Three Bears. But when the time comes and Riki shows up, Sam is taking a nap, and the others must stall her before he gets there.
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Episode 6 - Television
Release Date:Jodie, Sam and Muffy have been chosen to sing on TV. So they go to a studio where they sing ""Yo hee ho"" on a sailor's commercial while Jeff feels upset because he can't go.
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Episode 7 - Food
Release Date:Jeff atempts to become an expert chef for a surprise restaurant that Sam and Muffy have started called the ""Starlight Cafe"" on the roof of the store. Jodie becomes their practice customer and notices a problem: they forgot the food. So Sam and Muffy race to the grocery store before it closes which did them no good when Sam forgot his wallet.
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Episode 8 - Summer Camp
Release Date:Muffy is do to go away to summer camp the next day, and Jodie, Jeff and Sam throw a farewell party for her. But they discover that she doesn't want to go and they all think that she's afraid. So they set up a practice camp in the basement but Muffy still doesn't want to go. Finally Jeff discovers that she's afraid that they'll forget about her. So Jeff makes her feel important.
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Episode 9 - Building
Release Date:Jeff lives in the store, But doesn't have a place of his own - like Muffy does. So he attempts to build his own ""clubhouse"" without much luck. So Sam tries to build it for him but leaves Jeff out of the work. They finally make a building for him out of a big cardboard box. Meanwhile, Muffy tries to break a world record by building a 23-block tower.
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Episode 10 - Work
Release Date:Waldo the Magnifficent, the magician who brought Jeff to life, Comes to the store and gives everyone a wishing mirror that will let them be anything they want to be - but only temporarily. Jodie becomes a farmer and a mother; Jeff becomes a professional dancer, and Sam and Muffy become cowboys, doctors, and baseball players. But when the mirror gets broken, Waldo reminds them that they all have their own magic - and they can be anything they want to be.
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Episode 11 - Eyes
Release Date:Sam has trouble seeing and goes to the eye doctor and ends up needing glasses.
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Episode 12 - Records
Release Date:A big sale of records puts records on the subject with Sam showing an old Victrola gramophone, Muffy's new favorite record, the Rockin' Rodents, and Jodie who is about to show us the record she recorded.
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Episode 13 - Homes
Release Date:With a display of homes, Jeff decides that he wants to leave the store and find a home of his own. So Jodie leave a message with Waldo asking him to change the spell for Jeff. In all this, Jeff tries to decide what kind of home he wants: A castle is too dangerous, a tent is too hard, and an igloo is too cold. Finally he decides he wants to stay in the store with all his friends.
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Episode 14 - Play
Release Date:Today's Special is plays, and since Jeff is a mannequin during the day, he will not be able to see the play the next day. So Jodie decides that they could have a play right then - with everybody in it. So they do ""The Boy Who Cried Wolf"" with Jeff as the boy, Jodie as the wolf, Sam as the grandfather, and Muffy as the sheep. However, Muffy is not happy with her part and decides to quit, But Jodie convinces her that every part is important.
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Episode 15 - Birthdays
Release Date:Jodie tell Jeff about a birthday party, He wonders what a Birthday is, and since Jeff wasn't born, he realizes he doesn't have a real birthday and he really wants one. Jodie catches sight of what's going on and her, Sam and Muffy decide to give him a birthday - since they can't remember the date that Jeff was given his magic hat. So they pick that day and try and throw him a surprise birthday party.
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Episode 16 - Soap
Release Date:Something strange is going on in the store: Muffy's mouse hole is blocked, Jeff slips on a soapy wet floor, Sam's computer room is clean, and Jodie's garbage mysteriously disappears and is emptied and returned. Since Today's Special is soap, it gets everyone on the topic and Jodie tells the story of when her and Sam went to the laundromat. Still, they have to find out what's going on. So they investigate and discover that the store's new cleaning lady, Soapy Sue has been cleaning.
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Episode 17 - Friends
Release Date:Sam has just built a model of the ""Tradewind Tramp"" ship that he once sailed on. And asked Muffy to look after it until he show it to the others. But after Muffy is spooked by Sam's cat Penelope, she accidentally breaks it and Sam is so mad that he won't speak to her and won't be her friend. So Jodie tries to convince Sam that it was just an accident and that he should apologize. Meanwhile, Jodie's friend Gus Seymore is in the store building shelves and is fixing things and ends up fixing Sam's boat - It turns out that Gus and Sam sailed on the Tradewind Tramp together.
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Episode 18 - Music
Release Date:Jodie set up her music display, which has everyone on the topic. And everybody is hearing a strange music coming from somewhere but can't figure it out. It reminds Jodie of her Aunt Millie and it reminds Sam of his late wife Maud. It turns out to be Muffy playing a tick by using a music box.
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Episode 19 - Wood
Release Date:Muffy has a visitor for the night: Terry Termite, and being a termite, he eats wood and chews on Muffy's furniture and Muffy gets mad. Terry of course can't help it and talks to Jodie about it and she says that Muffy should understand.
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Episode 20 - Flight
Release Date:Jodie is using a radio-controlled airplane for Muffy to ride in - which gets everyone on the topic of flight except Sam. Sam doesn't seem to want to talk about it so Jodie figures it's because he never got to fly before so she arranges to go up in a plane with Sam the next day. Although she was wrong, Sam is afraid of flying. So Jodie helps him get over his fear by being with him.