''Kiddies Corner'' was a hugely popular children's radio programme

broadcast Broadcasting is the data distribution, distribution of sound, audio audiovisual content to dispersed audiences via a electronic medium (communication), mass communications medium, typically one using the electromagnetic spectrum (radio waves), ...

on the Commercial Service of

Radio Ceylon Radio Ceylon ( ''Lanka Guwan Viduli Sevaya'', , ''ilankai vanoli'') is a radio station based in Sri Lanka (formerly Ceylon) and the first radio station in Asia. Broadcasting was started on an experimental basis by the colonial Telegraph Departme ...

. The format was devised in 1963. This was the 'golden era' of the radio station, the oldest in

South Asia South Asia is the southern Subregion#Asia, subregion of Asia that is defined in both geographical and Ethnicity, ethnic-Culture, cultural terms. South Asia, with a population of 2.04 billion, contains a quarter (25%) of the world's populatio ...

. Millions tuned into Radio Ceylon and it was known as the 'King of the Airwaves' in South Asia in the 1950s and 1960s.

The format of Kiddies Corner

Masterminding the children's radio programme was the broadcaster

Vernon Corea Vernon Corea (11 September 1927 – 23 September 2002) was a pioneer radio broadcaster with 45 years of public service broadcasting both in Sri Lanka and the UK. He joined Radio Ceylon, South Asia's oldest radio station, in 1956 and later the S ...

. The station co-opted a young American Peace Corps worker, Craig Thompson, to front the programme. The programme built up a huge following on the island and thousands of children tuned in to listen to 'Uncle Craig,' over the airwaves of Radio Ceylon—the programme had a mix of stories, plays, maths tables, children's songs sung by a range of artistes such as

Burl Ives Burl Icle Ivanhoe Ives (June 14, 1909 – April 14, 1995) was an American Folk music, folk singer and actor with a career that spanned more than six decades. Ives began his career as an itinerant singer and guitarist, eventually launching his o ...

Danny Kaye Danny Kaye (born David Daniel Kaminsky; ; January 18, 1911 – March 3, 1987) was an American actor, comedian, singer, and dancer. His performances featured physical comedy, idiosyncratic pantomimes, and rapid-fire novelty songs. Kaye starred ...

and

Max Bygraves Walter William "Max" Bygraves (16 October 1922 – 31 August 2012) was an English comedian, singer, actor and variety performer. He appeared on his own television shows, sometimes performing comedy sketches between songs. He made twenty ''Roya ...

together with children's folk songs in Sinhala and

Tamil Tamil may refer to: People, culture and language * Tamils, an ethno-linguistic group native to India, Sri Lanka, and some other parts of Asia **Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka ** Myanmar or Burmese Tamils, Tamil people of Ind ...

. A huge favourite with

Ceylonese Sri Lankan or Ceylonese may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the country of Sri Lanka ** Demographics of Sri Lanka * Sri Lankan people, or of Sri Lankan descent; this includes: ** Sinhalese people, the ethnic majority ** Sri Lankan T ...

and indeed children in South Asia was the song "

Gilly Gilly Ossenfeffer Katzenellen Bogen by the Sea "Gilly Gilly Ossenfeffer Katzenellen Bogen by the Sea" is a popular song written by Al Hoffman and Dick Manning and published in 1954. It was a hit in 1954 in both the United States and United Kingdom, albeit for different artists. The Four Lads ...

", sung by

- the song entered the UK Singles Chart on September 10, 1954, and reached No 7. It was a real hit in the Indian sub-continent as Radio Ceylon played it on their All Asia Service as well as the Commercial Service in the 1950s and the 1960s.

Young Ceylonese talent

The programme was a showcase for young Ceylonese talent and school orchestras were featured on 'Kiddies Corner.' Children were invited into the studio to participate in some of the radio plays on 'Kiddies Corner.'

Craig Thompson

Craig Thompson was the first presenter of 'Kiddies Corner'. Recalling the first ever recording of the children's programme Thompson noted: 'On the program, I was known as "Uncle Craig" or "Craig Maåma"...where I would join in and read stories, sing songs like "Gilly, Gilly Ossenfeffer, Katzen-Ellen-Bogen-By-the-Sea" "Tickery, Tickery Leea" and other fun activities. We even spent several weeks putting together a playlet called "The Necklace of Truth" ...and had children participate in the various parts on the program. We recorded my first episode on Thursday, June 6, 1963, and our second episode on Friday, June 14, 1963. On Saturday, September 7, 1963, we began recording the children's program at 12:30 p.m. for a new broadcast time of 4:15 p.m (instead of the usual 3:30). Parents had been writing saying that they would like us to come on the air at a later time so that "the whole family can listen." As 3:30 seemed to be nap time for many children, they wanted us to change the time for everyone to listen.' Some of the other presenters of 'Kiddies Corner' were

Greg Roskowski Greg Roskowski was an announcer of Radio Ceylon during the height of the station's popularity in the 1950s in the Indian Subcontinent. Roskowski, born of a Japanese mother and a Polish father, was the booming voice of Radio Ceylon's morning radi ...

and

Vijaya Corea Vijaya Corea is a radio presenter and television broadcaster from Sri Lanka. ECFU Vijaya Corea is the Patron of the Edirimanne Corea Family Union, in Colombo, Sri Lanka. The official Corea website carries more of his family. Biography In 2024, ...

. Kiddies Corner enjoyed enormous popularity for over a decade on Radio Ceylon.

References

Bibliography

* Wavell, Stuart. - ''The Art of Radio'' - Training Manual written by the Director Training of the CBC. -

Ceylon Broadcasting Corporation The Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation (SLBC) (, ''Shrī Lankā Guvan Viduli Sansthāva'', , ''Ilangkai Oliparappuk Kūṭṭuttāpaṉam'') came into existence on 5 January 1967 when Radio Ceylon became a public corporation. Dudley Senanayak ...

, 1969.

External links

Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation Reference to the 'Kiddies Corner' radio programme in an article in the Island Newspaper, Sri Lanka
* *{{youTube, r4l-NrckIJk, You're a Pink Toothbrush by Max Bygraves Sri Lankan radio programs