''Camp Cariboo'' is a
Canadian
Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...
children's television program that aired on several
CTV stations from 1986 to 1989. The show is best known for its
rerun
A rerun or repeat is a rebroadcast of an episode of a radio or television program. The two types of reruns are those that occur during a hiatus and those that occur when a program is syndicated.
Variations
In the United Kingdom, the word "repe ...
stint on
YTV from September 2, 1989 to August 15, 1997.
Premise
''Camp Cariboo'' grew out of the summer camping experiences of Tom Knowlton and Mark Baldwin, as well as the producer and co-creator Janis Nostbakken and directors John Matlock and Paul Francescutti. The series was produced at
CKCO-TV
CKCO-DT (channel 13) is a television station in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada, part of the CTV Television Network. It is owned and operated by network parent Bell Media alongside London, Ontario, London-based CTV 2 station CFPL-DT (channel 10), al ...
in
Kitchener,
Ontario
Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...
, and filmed in part on location in Ontario Camping Association camps. Hosted by Tom and Mark, each show featured real kids along with a variety of short skits, riddles, songs and stories, all portrayed in the setting of a fictional summer camp. Viewers took part by sending in their jokes, riddles and challenges that were shared during mail call time in the camp office.
An audio CD called "I Love Camp Cariboo" has been produced by the Cariboo team and is available on
iTunes
iTunes is a media player, media library, and mobile device management (MDM) utility developed by Apple. It is used to purchase, play, download and organize digital multimedia on personal computers running the macOS and Windows operating s ...
.
Main characters
Tom and Mark were the main characters of the show. Most episodes featured the two in interactive songs and sketches with kid-campers and in how-tos and comedy bits. Tom and Mark had alter-egos, "The Keeners", a couple of ageless campers so intent on coming back to camp each year that Tom and Mark gave them their moniker. In reality, the clips were in fast motion so that their voices would sound higher. The Keeners appeared in segments sharing camping tips taken to extremes and punctuated by one-liner jokes and groaners. Their popular theme song, ''I've Got a Head Like a Ping-Pong Ball'', became a cult hit and a generation of kids grew up reciting the Cariboo credo: ''"We'll follow the path where the cariboo walked, Our cariboo headgear is off, on, locked!"'' The coveted eyes-and-antlers ball caps worn by the Keeners were featured in an exhibit at the
Waterloo Region Museum
Doon Heritage Village, located at the Ken Seiling Waterloo Region Museum, is a picturesque 25-hectare (60-acre) living history village that shows visitors what life was like in the Waterloo Region in the year 1914. It is located in the former Doon ...
. Another regular character was Uncle Wes (played by Tom) in a segment called "Woodsy Wisdom". Wes would usually make appearances around the camp fire telling old stories and offering camping advice.
Reception
The series was developed in close collaboration with kids from the Kitchener-Toronto region and pilot-tested before the final magazine-show format was decided upon. Positive feedback from audiences and critics on the first series of shows led to production of four more seasons. Camp Cariboo was honoured with four national television awards: two CanPro Gold Awards and two awards from The Children's Broadcast Institute (now Youth Media Alliance YMA).
References
External links
Official website (archived 1998-2002)CKCO History - Camp Cariboo (archived)CKCO History - Camp CaribooFacebook {Dead link, date=May 2023
TVArchive.ca - Episode Guide
1986 Canadian television series debuts
1989 Canadian television series endings
1980s Canadian children's television series
CTV Television Network original programming
Television series about summer camps
Television series by Bell Media
Television shows filmed in Kitchener, Ontario
Television shows set in summer camps