Back when I was a child, there was a local television show called “The Magic Garden”. Although if you asked me when I was aged 15 thru 40 if this shaped my life in any way, I would say no but would have fond memories. Now that I’m 46 28, I can now totally admit see how this show has more meaning now. Click on the YouTube video to see the opening theme:

Carole and Paula hosted the show and the first thing I can remember off the top of my head was the “Chuckle Patch” where they would pick off  leaves that had jokes written on them. They would do little skits and get their costumes for skits from the “Story Box”, they would sing folk songs and tell stories geared to helping kids out. One of the other characters I remember fondly was Sherlock who was a squirrel who lived in the tree that is often the center point of the stage. The tree would sometimes have a branch that would drop down with an activity or puzzle to solve. There was a bird “Flapper” who I don’t remember as well as the rest of the cast but that may be due to the fact by the end of the show I was hitting my teenage years and my interests were likely elsewhere.

Strange, as I hit the next stages of life, I like to reminisce and be reminded of that easier part of life. Back then, things may have been stressful, parents may have been yelling but… the Magic Garden took your mind away from that. As we get older and new stresses arise, we need to find a different Magic Garden, that Magic Garden of our mind.

It’s funny, one of the websites I was reading made references to The Magic Garden being unintentionally psychedelic and it was the early 70’s so it was right out of the 60’s generation which Paula and Carole were part of so, yeah, I could see that influence. But let’s look at it another way. Couldn’t Meditation, Buddhist, Tao,  Yoga, Humanism, Religions and Philosophies seem to have some “psychedelic” influences as well. I don’t mean everyone is taking drugs to get to a different state of mind but they are using these influences as a way to expand their consciousness. aaah… The Magic Garden of my mind!

If you want to check out some episodes, YouTube is a great resource, here’s an episode I found on my first search: Magic Garden Episode

Namaste!

Advertisement