You Can't Do That On FunTrivia Quiz

Answer: Canada

"YCDTOTV" was filmed in the studios of CJOH television in Ottawa, Ontario, using kids who attended local schools. Some kids got on the cast through auditions, others were chosen from school drama classes, and some were chosen simply because someone on the production team thought they would work well on the show.

Adam Reid wrote the director saying he could do better than the kids they had on the show. Kevin Kubusheskie was approached in an airport by the director, who had witnessed him arguing with a flight attendant.

Many of the kids appeared in only one show, and some appeared for several years (Christine, 6 years, Vanessa, 6 years, Doug, 6 years, Lisa, 5 years, Alasdair, 5 years).

Answer: Les Lye

Les Lye was the only person to appear in every episode of "YCDTOTV". Prior to that, he had extensive experience in children's theatre and TV, including a show called "Uncle Willy and Floyd."

Ross Ewich, the stage manager for "YCDTOTV", was one of Les Lye's characters (and yes, the name is supposed to sound like "Raw Sewage"). Roger Price and Geoffery Darby were the brains behind the show.

Answer: Abby Hagyard

Abby Hagyard appeared in every episode from 1982 to the show's end in 1990. In an interview shown at ycdtotv.com, she explains that the gloves were because the production company felt her hands were too elegant to belong to a housewife.

Ruth Buzzi starred in "Whatever Turns You On", a spin-off sketch comedy show that aired in 1979 and starred the same "YCDTOTV" cast members. Lily Tomlin's connection to Canadian children's TV is "The Magic Schoolbus". Marjorie Silcoff was a child cast member who later appeared in the "YCDTOTV" reunion show "Project 131" (available for viewing on Youtube).

Answer: Moose

Moose supposedly got the name because she was rather short and an unsuccessful attempt to primp up her hair gave her the appearance of antlers. She was actually far older than the rest of the children, playing a teenager well into her 20's. At 16, she attended an audition for the inaugural cast in 1979 only to support a friend, and the director told her she either audition or leave.

She auditioned and got the job-her friend did not.

Answer: Alanis Morissette

Alanis Morissette was 12 years old when she appeared in five episodes in 1986, including an episode on pop music. She was always known to be singing around the set and people who knew her say they are not surprised by her career (though the topics of some of her songs raised a few eyebrows).

Answer: All of these

With the shows aired live and on a low budget, there were no retakes. One classic goof that occurred involved one cast member answering the phone on a call-in trivia question, hearing the caller's answer, realizing she couldn't remember the answer herself, and finally handing the phone to another cast member with a "Marc, it's for you." He took the call and handled the trivia segment.

Answer: Rowan & Martin's Laugh In

Ruth Buzzi was on the cast of "Laugh-In" and was involved with the first season of "YCDTOTV" and its spinoff, "Whatever Turns You On." On "Laugh-In", one actor would stick his or her head out a window and call out another, then would deliver a joke.

Answer: Adoption

The adoption episode was banned because of fears about how adopted children and their parents would respond to the cavalier treatment of the subject matter (including video segments on available children-a violent "Little Orphan Andrea" and a chronically misbehaving Doug with "the intelligence of a dung beetle"--that resembled adopt-a-pet videos).

Frankly, one of the things that made "YCDTOTV" great was its handling of controversial topics. While other kids shows ignored, sanitized, or demonized topics such as drugs, politics, relationships, or censorship, "YCDTOTV" presented them in a way that kids could enjoy and relate to. Part of it was the "You Can't Do That" mentality-do what they say you can't do, and part of it was due to using some of their former and current cast members as writers, production people, and drama coaches (thus getting a kid's perspective alongside an adult's).

Answer: Custard pies

"This is an egg. This is a frying pan. This is an egg in a frying pan. Any questions?"

While drug prevention in the 80's used ridiculous metaphors as the fried egg and simple platitudes such as "Just Say No", "YCDTOTV" decided to have fun with it in their usual messy fashion. Various members of the cast are addicted to splatting pies, and at one point there is a discussion about how custard pie use will lead to something worse... green slime!

Answer: Fatal Attraction

The scene in 1982's "Television" episode where Christine explains to Vanessa how the sliming works was in the movie "Fatal Attraction." It also shows to what extent they loved to slime Christine-she gets nailed with green, red, blue, yellow, and striped slime. This was also Vanessa's first show.