Did anyone else grow up watching The Elephant Show? If you didn’t grow up in Canada in the 1980s, you might not be familiar with this canuck cultural juggernaut. Created and hosted by children’s performers Sharon Hampson, Lois Lillienstein, Bram Morrison, The Elephant Show was a preschool television series that ran on the Canadian national broadcast channel (CBC) from 1984 to 1989. I was five years old in 1989 (and living in the hosts’ home province of Ontario), and I was absolutely the target audience for this much-beloved program.
I hadn’t really thought about The Elephant Show much in the last few decades, but I was suddenly awash in a sea of nostalgia when my son performed the children’s song Skinnamarink at his preschool end of year concert. Every episode of The Elephant Show ended with a rendition of the song, complete with actions, and like many who grew up in this period, I still remember every word!
Recently an extended version of the song was turned into a picture book, with beautiful illustrations by Canadian illustrator Qin Leng.
Here’s the version of the song my son learned for his preschool concert:
Skinnamrinky Dinky Dink, Skinnamrinky Do, I love you,
Skinnamrinky Dinky Dink, Skinnamrinky Do, I love you,
I love you in the morning, and in the afternoon.
I love you in the evening underneath the moon!
Skinnamrinky Dinky Dink, Skinnamrinky Do, I love you!
I love you when you’re happy, I love you when you’re sad,
I love you when you’re silly, and even when you’re mad.
Skinnamrinky Dinky Dink, Skinnamrinky Do, I love you!
As a child, there’s something so incredibly reassuring about knowing that your grownups love you all the time, no matter way. Even when you’re sad, even when you’re acting silly, even when you’re being a grump or being naughty, your grownups’ love for you will never waver. What can be more wonderful for a child to hear than that?
Is anyone else familiar with this classic children’s song, or with the The Elephant Show? I would love to know if anyone outside of Canada has ever heard of this beloved program.
Oh, Jane, what fun! Thanks for sharing this song. I love that your preschool son learned it, and now you can sing it together. I would have thought that I had never heard of The Elephant Show. However, the song is familiar! I was just on YouTube and watched them sing it. I so agree with you: “Your grownups’ love for you will never waver. What can be more wonderful for a child to hear than that?” Well said!
Hi Jane, what a marvelous surprise for you that it came from you son at his nursery school program! No, I’ve never heard it, but it sounds delightful! Now a picture book, too! I’m glad you shared!
Hey Jane! Thanks for posting this. Yes… I taught preschool here in NJ about 20 years ago, and we always sang Skinnamarink. We didn’t have the 2nd verse, but we all loved the first one. We had little hand motions with it also.
My sister and I were just singing this song to our grandkids! We raised our kids on it!
One of my teaching friends uses this song regularly at events, like Grandparents Day. But I never realised it was ‘Skinnamrinky’. I’ve always thought it was ‘skinamilinky’. Now I’ll have to ask her! (Even better – gonna share this post with my friend, Barb! Pretty sure she’ll be wanting to get her hands on this book!!)
I think there are some regional differences! My son learned it from his Indonesian preschool teacher as skinnamarinky rinky rink, because that’s how she learned it! Fun to learn about these childhood songs that seem to pop up everywhere. 🙂
I haven’t heard of the show, but I definitely know the song. My mom used to sing it to me.
So fun! My mum and I used to sing it together too. 🙂
I don’t remember the show, but I remember the song. We sang it at church summer camp- in Indiana, USA. We did motions with it, too. It’s a good memory.
I was surprised to learn it was actually an old song – growing up I associated it so strongly with a specific TV program, it was fun to do a bit of research and discover that it’s been sung and enjoyed by kiddos for years!
We had a Sharon Lois and Bram CD with all these great Elephant Show songs on it. I still can pretty much remember the lyrics to A You’re Adorable. Really topnotch show and songs!
That’s awesome – I was wondering if anyone else would remember this bit of nostalgia!
I don’t know the show but what a fun post! And I know a version of that song. The lyrics are a little different but I bet there are a number of variations. 🙂 Thanks for the smiles!