Beloved kids performer Ernie Coombs (and puppets Casey and Finnegan) was a fixture on the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation for three decades, beginning with Butternut Square where he played the popular Mr. Dressup. In 1967 the CBC decided to give Mr. Dressup his own show which was a hit with children, airing every weekday morning for the next 30 years. Coombs became a Canadian citizen in 1994, received the Earle Grey Award for excellence in TV in 1994, a Gemini award for best performance in a children's program, and the Order of Canada in 1996. Coombs retired from Mr. Dressup in 1996 where afterwards he performed charity work, appeared in theatrical productions for children and made personal appearances around the country for all his fans, young and old.