I have fond memories of watching Mr. Dressup as a child. Every morning before daycare, I would sit on my grandmother's orange shag rug, wrapped in the fuzzy HBC blanket, and wait for the familiar music. Right after The Friendly Giant, but before Fred Penner and his beard, Mr. Dressup would come onscreen and work his magic. He was jovial and unassuming without being creepy (see - Mr. Rogers), and always had the right costume on hand. I loved that show.

But will somebody please tell me - When did Casey get so creepy????

I remember Casey pretty clearly. He (she?) was Finnegan's androgynous, stringy red yarn-haired sidekick. (Most people think that it was Finnegan who was the sidekick, but I saw through that. Finnegan was way smarter, and was always the one to come up with the fun plans.) I vaguely remember the rosy cheeks, the way the hard plastic hands poked out of the poofy sleeves, and if I really think about it, I can even hear the slightly squeaky voice in which he always spoke.

In a fit of nostalgia, I looked up pictures of Casey and Finnegan. Finnegan looks exactly like I remember him. But Casey? Dear god. Maybe it's just the picture, but I know if I found -that- sitting up in my atic, staring at me with those beady little black eyes, I would immediately scream like a girl, firmly bolt the attic door behind me, and prepare to cleanse the evil from the house with a can of gasoline and a match. (Which begs the question - what sort of priest does one find to exorcise a puppet? And, do they even -have- Lutheran ministers who deliver sermons in mime?)

Still, as freaky looking as Casey is, he's nowhere near as bad as the squeaky pink fluffy thing they got to replace him. Godspeed Casey, you freak, Godspeed.