Originally born in Maine, Ernie Coombs came to Canada in 1963 with his friend, Fred Rogers (Mister Rogers Neighbourhood) Later, Fred decided to go back to the USA, but Ernie wanted to stay in Canada and develop his character, Mr. Dressup in Butternut Square. His TV show premiered on February 13, 1967 on CBC and was an instant hit. He developed a one on one connection with his audience of children by talking directly to them through the camera. No matter who was watching, everyone was encouraged to step into a world of make believe and to learn how to make ordinary household items into extraordinary toys.

When he first started his show, he had assistance from two puppets, Casey and Finnegan, boy and a dog who lived in a treehouse in his backyard. After Judith Lawrence, the puppeteer, retired, Mr. Dressup was forced to come up with some new puppets which led to the creation of Truffles, Chester the Crow, Lorenzo the Raccoon and Annie and Alex.

Mr. Dressup died on September 18, 2001, at the age of 73, of a stroke. During his lifetime he won the Earle Grey Award for excellence in TV in 1994, named a member of the Order of Canada in 1996, a Lifetime Achievement Award in 1989, an ACTRA Best Program Award in 1978 and was nominated twice for a Juno Award for Best Children's Album. He also wrote a number of books on various "How to" topics.