Naomi and Aaron are joined by author Marcello Di Cintio to discuss the TV show Letterkenny (2016-2023).

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How are ya now, Sweater Wearers? In this episode, we’re joined by friend and award-winning author Marcello Di Cintio to discuss the Crave original series, Letterkenny, the Canadian small-town comedy that had fans smokin' darts and poppin' Puppers for its twelve seasons. We chat about the show's origins as the creation of Jared Kesso, who plays the alpha hick Wayne. Naomi, a newbie to the series, shares her first impressions and wonders if this show is ferda the boys more than the girls, while Aaron reminisces about his own upbringing in an Ontario farm town kind of like Letterkenny. Marcello is the biggest fan of Letterkenny among us, having watched every single one of its 81 episodes. Some of Marcello's delightful non-fiction is eerily Letterkenny-esque, including idiosyncratic horse trainers and denim-clad downhill skiers. Go and read Marcello's work when you're done chorin'.

Follow Marcello on X: @DiCintio
"The Cowboy Exclaims" by Marcello Di Cintio: https://canadiangeographic.ca/articles/a-cowboy-exclaims/
"Head for the Hills" by Marcello Di Cintio:  https://canadiangeographic.ca/articles/head-for-the-hills-skiing-in-the-canadian-prairies/

Naomi and Aaron discuss the TV show The Littlest Hobo (1979-1985).

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This week on Sweater Weather, we ride the rails of nostalgia with The Littlest Hobo, the classic Canadian TV show about a lone German Shepherd who runs and swims and flies in hot air balloons across the land, bringing joy to everyone he meets (except the bad guys). In 114 episodes from 1979 to 1985, Hobo can’t resist solving problems for all the hapless humans he meets along the way.

We reminisce about our own memories of watching (or avoiding) these canine adventures on Saturday afternoons, and the mixed emotions the show evoked—part comfort, part melancholy, part confusion, and yes, part cringe. We uncover fascinating tidbits about the making of the show. Did you know that multiple dogs portrayed the Littlest Hobo, all trained by the exuberant Chuck Eisenmann? We talk about London, the German-Shepherd actor who was actually several German Shepherds, from their unique reverse-masking colouring, to their roles as star and studs and stunt performers.

From helping a lonely grandfather reconnect with his granddaughter, to saving kids from trash compactors, speeding trains, and poor parenting, Hobo’s adventures were always full of excitement and dare we say weirdness. Is Hobo just a dog, or could he be something more—a guardian angel in disguise? Is it really a good idea to tell your life story to a stray dog, like all the humans on this show do? Should you give a German Shepherd your undelivered mail and hope for the best?  Find out in this episode!

Naomi and Aaron discuss the documentary Mr. Dressup: The Magic of Make-Believe (2023).

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This week we rumage around our Tickle Trunk and pull out this wonderful documentary about the life and career of children's entertainer Ernie Coombs, aka Mr. Dressup. If you don't have your own Tickle Trunk, you'll find the documentary on Amazon Prime. Surprising facts that we learned from this documentary directed by Robert McCallum: Mr. Dressup wasn't actually Canadian, Mr. Dressup was real-life friends with Mr. Rogers, and once Mr. Dressup studded Finnegan out to a dog breeder to help pay down gambling debts. We might be mistaken about one of those factoids, because what we actually learned was that Mr. Dressup was a pure soul dedicated to the entertainment of Canada's children, including many who grew up to be celebrities, such as Michael J. Fox, Jonathan Torrens, and Eric McCormack, all of whom make moving appearances as talking heads. Prepare to have those heartstrings thrummed. Also, don't miss the visit from Paulrus the Walrus, Naomi's own puppet pal who never watched Mr. Dressup but who is apparently a big fan of Sweater Weather.