Casey and Finnegan Escape Oblivion at the CBC: A Case for Rogue Archivism and Piracy
When I began this project, my intention was to simply write a paper that explored the paucity of Canadian audio-visual material, an issue noted by Byers and VanderBurgh ("What is Canada"), through Mr. Dressup, a CBC children’s television show which aired from 1967 until 1996. However, as I began searching for remnants and pieces of the show, trying to recreate what was arguably an significant part of many Canadian’s childhoods, three things stood out: first, the gender neutrality of Casey, the androgynous puppet created by puppeteer Judith Lawrence, offer a unique site of inquiry into early non-binary gender representation in children’s television; second, the CBC and Canada, have done a poor job of preserving, archiving, or making materials accessible despite the 1995 report, “Fading Away: Strategic Options to Ensure the Protection of and Access to Our Audio-Visual Memory” from the Task Force on the Preservation and Enhanced Use of Canada’s Audio-Visual History which asserts that “Stakeholders should respect the principle that all Canadians have a right of basic access (consultation) to audio-visual heritage material while respecting the rights of owners copyright” (Wallot & Grimard 51) and; third, a lack of formal archives inadvertently produces rogue archivists and pirates who then fill in the archival gaps, using illicitly trafficked or pirated materials; “poor images” (Steryl).
Judith Lawrence, the puppeteer behind Casey and Finnegan was afforded creative freedom by the CBC when tasked with creating the puppets and personalities for the show. In an interview for Hornby Radio, Lawrence asserts that while she was unsure if the CBC had given it any consideration, that it had always been her intention to make Casey gender neutral. She emphasized that she wanted all viewers to be able to identify with Casey. Lawrence noted that over the years, when children would inevitably ask her if Casey was a boy or a girl, she would reply simply reply “yes” (Brown, et.al.). I assert that given the intentionality behind the gender neutrality of Casey, that this would be an valuable site of inquiry and analysis of non-binary gender representation in children’s televisions. Unfortunately, as Byers and VanderBurgh have noted, while Canada produces a significant amount of content, most of which is publicly funded, that there is “no public or private national archive for television that is accessible to scholars” (“Trafficking (in) the Archive” 110) and that this lack of “televisual flow” is often the result of lapsed licensing agreements (“Trafficking (in) the Archive “ 112). Given this absence, the ability for an in-depth analysis is severely limited.
Mr. Dressup aired its final episode in February of 1996, after almost 30 years on the air. The CBC continued to air reruns until 2006 and parts of the set, including the treehouse and tickle trunk, were saved and placed in the CBC Museum until its demise in 2017, when they permanently closed their doors (Mullen). Some episodes became available with the launch of Encore+, a Canada Media Fund Project (CMF), however despite the assertion that “[s]imply hearing the names Casey, Finnegan and Mr. Dressup gives millions of Canadians a warm feeling inside” in an article title “Our Stories. Our Treasures” (CMF-FMC) in February of 2022, just eight months later, they would announce the closure of Encore+, citing the need to explore other avenues (CMF-FMC). While there appear to be two different Mr.Dressup documentary projects, one which failed to meet its funding goal in 2018 (Hoffart), and another which announced that it would being filming in the fall of 2022 (“Prime Video to Begin Production on Mr. Dressup Documentary | CBC News.”), I was unable to find any up to date information on the project. Despite filming over 4,000 episodes (Mullen), there are currently no legitimate avenues to watch full episodes of Mr.Dressup. Importantly, as noted by Byers and VanderBurgh, this lacuna of legitimate materials leads to the trafficking of illicit television archival materials (“Trafficking (in) the Archive” 112).
While my search for Mr. Dressup, Casey and Finnegan, resulted in few legitimate archival resources, I did find a plethora of pirates and rogues archivists like YouTube Channels RetroOntario and RetroNewfoundland, pop culture articles, and social media posts about the trio, including an intense Twitter battle which saw Mr.Dressup duke it out for top spot in “Canada’s Most Memorable (English) TV Thing” (McElroy). However, what was particularly intriguing was a continued engagement of Casey and Finnegan despite the edning of the show. From multiple guest appearances on This Hour Has 22 Minutes to a video asking us all to “stay home and stay safe” (CBC Kids) during the initial stages of the Covid-19 outbreak, and activist work which demanded the government end the pacific herring fishery (Conservancy Hornby Island). As I listened to interviews with Lawrence, it became clear that this continued presence was only possible because she had taken Casey and Finnegan with her when she retired from the show in 1989, “much to the chagrin” of the CBC. She insisted that it was herself, and not the CBC who owned them. (Lawrence et, al.)
While the show’s viewers were told that Casey and Finnegan would be leaving to go to kindergarten, Lawrence stated that she left because she had become concerned that, despite the wholesome nature of the show, that television was creating “little consumers” (Lawrence, et, al.). It was only with Lawrence's foresight in saving Casey and Finnegan from oblivion at the CBC, that we are able to see evidence of them long after the end of the show, the closing of the CBC museum , the demise of Encore+, and an inadequate national television archive. In a radio interview in 2015, Lawrence asserted that she will “keep them until [she] dies”, disclosing that, in her will, she had left them to the CBC Museum. Given its permanent closure in 2017 (Xing), the fate of Casey and Finnegan is unclear. While the closure of the museum upset some, it likely came as a relief to Casey who had previously expressed their opinion on being in a museum saying “I don’t think that puppets should be in museums because they look dead” (Brown et, al.).
Utilizing the work of Byers and VanderBurgh, Steryl, Hogan and Mbembe, along with inspiration from iDocs such as Welcome to Pine Point, I began to envision a kind of interactive essay. With the meagreness of any formal national archive of television materials, I resorted to dumpster diving and searching for “illicit goods” (“Trafficking (in) the Archive” 122) to reassemble a fragmented history, which I, like Byers and VanderBurgh, assert as a “kind of political intervention” that allowed me to work with materials funded by public money which “ironically, we are no longer allowed to see” (“Trafficking (in) the Archive” 116).
As I scoured and sorted through artefacts and poor images, piecing together the history of Casey and Finnegan, I began to imagine shady back alley deals of Casey and Finnegan materials, how they escaped death at the, now defunct, CBC museum, piracy, zombie artefacts, and how remnants and proof of them could only be found by “picking through the trash” (Hogan). Utilizing the materials found, assisted by Photoshop, Canva, stock photos, just a smidge of piracy and an peculiar sense of humour, I created my own “poor images” (Steryl); “uploaded, downloaded, shared, reformatted, reedited” (np). Steryl asserts that “poor images” work to “transform quality into accessibility, exhibition value into cult value, films into clips and contemplation into distraction”. Importantly, she also notes that the condition of the “poor images” not only speaks to the repeated transfers and reformatting, but also to all of the people who cared enough about the material to “convert [it] over and over again” (np).
In addition to the “poor images”, I also created an interactive timeline which utilizes orphaned materials and illicitly obtained artefacts along with formal archival materials to tell the story of Casey and Finnegan. The gaps left by the lack of formal archival institutions provide a space for “imaginary thought” (Mbembe 25), a place from where Casey and Finnegan might “continue to express themselves” (Mbembe 25).
As a means of connecting the artistic components of this project with the written statement, I created this website which houses all of the components. This medium permitted me to include hyperlinks into both the text and images, creating an interactive and interconnected essay experience. While I am aware of the precarity of links, websites, embedded materials, and hosting platforms for long term preservation, this was the best format given the scope of this assignment and my skillset.
Mbembe asserts that “writing history merely involves manipulating archives. Following tracks, putting back together scraps and debris, reassembling remains” (25). This project serves as an example of displaced power enabled by archival gaps; it is the lack of formal archives that led to the realization of the project. Like other rogue archivists, I am negotiating permission by not getting it, and include the disclaimer that the rights to all clips and images are care of “‘their respective copyright holders’” (“What Was Canada?” 113). This project, a “poor image” (Steryl) which was created by “picking through the trash” (Hogan) asserts both a need for an improved archival practice in Canadian television as well as a continued need for rogue archivists, pirates, poor images, and the trafficking of illicit archival goods.