Today's Special was aired from 1981 to 1987, so the shows after those years were reruns obviously. It was produced by TV Ontario and took place in a department store called "Simpsons." The show was about a mannequin named Jeff that came alive whenever a magic hat was placed on his head. He and his friends would then teach kids about various topics from fruits and movies to issues about death and dying. The Show had a run of about 121 episodes and aired in Canada and the USA.
"Hocus pocus alimagocus... it's a magical mystery! Hocus... pocus... alimagocus! Without that magic... where would I be?"
As soon as the department store closes at night, Jeff the mannequin's magic hat is placed on his head and someone says the magic words.(See above!) Magically, Jeff comes alive. After a full day of being a mannequin he can finally hang out with his friends and learn about life inside the store and outside the store. Jeff recieved the magic hat totally by accident. Waldo the Magnificent(a magician) was practising magic as he was walking down the street. He found the hat and cast an "all purpose hat" spell on it. The hat floated away and settled on Jeff's head, bringing him to life.Unfortunatly, the powers in the magic hat are limited, and Jeff can only be a real person as long as the hat is on his head. If it is knocked off, he returns to being a mannequin. He can come back to life again if the hat is placed on his head and the magic words are said.(see top of page again) Jeff is also turned back into a mannequin if he steps outside with his magic hat on. Although Jeff was limited with his magic, it has made him appreciate his world inside the store.
"What do you hear with your ears....."
"Bumbling Banana Bread...."
Sam is the stores night watchman. He monitors the store with his trusty computer, TXL Series 4 (he was quite obsessed with it) He used to be in the marines. After helping Jodie(above) get a job, Jodie got Sam the job as a watchman for the store. Sam has a cat named Penelope who Muffy(below) is terrified to death of, because she believes that Penelope will eat her. Silly mouse!
"Well, this mouse talks all the time. Not only that, I talk in rhyme!"
Muffy came to the store after the house she was living in got demolished. While she was scoping out the store, Jodie and Sam started to chase her before agreeing that she could stay. She now lives in an apartment(yes an apartment!) with an elevator! She likes to pretend that she's mega mouse with "whiskers of steel" and a tail that "cracks like thunder"She also likes to eat cheese, play the piano, ride her scooter, and play tricks on Jeff, Jodie, and Sam. She accomplishes these with the assistance of Waldo's Magic Book of This and That, where she used some of the magic spells contained and got surprising results.This has gotten Muffy into trouble, as she would vary from the original spells, causing undesired results, once turning Jodie and Sam into mannequins, and making Jeff very small in the process of undoing her original spell, and another time where she swapped around everyone's voices.
Mrs. Pennypacker, or, Mrs. P, as everyone calls her, is the lady who works in the stock room.The first time that Mrs. P was at the store at night, Sam thought she was a thief. So he and Jodie went down to the stock room and found that it was just another employee that they had not met before. However,the reason she stayed late that night was because she had to round up six mannequins to be sent to a new store elsewhere. She even had photos of the ones to be sent. Well, Jeff was one of the six mannequins (GASP!) And Mrs. P didn't realize that Jeff was Jeff (you following?) She almost sent Jeff off to the new store when she found the magic hat and gave it a try. She then sent another mannequin in Jeff's place.
Mort is Muffy's cousin. He lives on a farm and rhymes all the time. Mort sometimes visits Muffy in the store, and then life is never a bore. He and Muffy often play tricks on people, getting them into big trouble. On one of their tricks, Mort and Muffy almost got themselves shipped off to be part of an animal show, but Sam and Jodie rescued them.
Waldo the Magnificent is the magician that brought Jeff to life when he was practicing his magic while walking down the street. Waldo can never seem to remember Sam's name. Waldo has called him every imaginable male name that begins with "S" and also "Sue" (not unless he shaves off that mustache) and "Sacoontch" (that's not even a name!). A lot of the time, though, it's simple mistakes like "Stan", or "Sid". Usually, whenever Waldo messes up Sam's name, Sam corrects him saying, "That's Sam". He's married to a woman named Matilda. But she goes by Mattie. Mattie came to the store, and shrank herself with one of Waldo's spells, and camped out o/n the shelf in the stock room, because she felt that Waldo spent too much time with his magic act and not with her. (Hmph!) Eventually the made up and remain a happy couple
