"If you think the sight of shoes talking, rows of detached houses talking and a skeleton named Boneapart singing and dancing (and talking) is harmless, you obviously never saw this show at a young, impressionable age. "

Readalong, which aired on TVO in Canada in the late '70s and early '80s, and on PBS shortly thereafter. Readalong taught the fundamentals of—you guessed it—reading, using live actors and puppets designed by puppeteer Noreen Young, who went on to create another cherished Canadian children's series, Under The Umbrella Tree. The talking shoes you remember were named Boot and Pretty—a men's work-boot and pink ladies' shoe, respectively—and the skeleton was named Mr. Bones. Other unimaginatively named characters included Granny (an old lady), The Explorer (an explorer), and House (a talking house).

Readalong seems to have been mostly lost to the ages, with no VHS or DVD release or even online video, just a few grainy stills floating around the Internet. However, next time you find yourself in Gatineau, Quebec, head on over to the Canadian Museum of Civilization, where your old pals Boot and Pretty are on display, along with Granny, in all their creepy, anthropomorphic glory.