For the gen Xers and elder millennials that grew up in Ontario, watching TVO’s The Polka Dot Door was just part of your childhood. Geared towards education and building creativity, the show ran from 1971 to 1993, capturing the attention of countless children with stories, characters, costumes, and participation. Each night had a different theme: Treasure Day, Dress-Up Day, Animal Day, and Finding-Out Day. But the best one in my opinion was always Imagination Day. Not only was there an emphasis on fantasy, but the hosts would also encourage us kids to use our imagination… it’s also the day that The Polkaroo made an appearance!
The moment I heard the opening theme announce, “Get ready, get set for Imagination Day!” I knew something special was about to happen. There would be a new adventure, a surprise, but best of all, a visit from the Polkaroo. Paying close attention on Imagination Day was a must because there was always one small problem: the Polkaroo never seemed to appear when both hosts were in the room.
One host would step away for a perfectly reasonable reason, and that was exactly when the Polkaroo would arrive. Then, just as quickly as he appeared, he would be gone. The missing host would return, completely unaware of what had happened, only to hear those heartbreaking words:
“The Polkaroo was here??? And I missed him again?!?!”
Because there were literally dozens of different hosts in the twenty-two year run of the show, I can’t help but think they would have reacted differently to that disappointing news. With that many people, they were bound to have a variety of personality types amongst them. This is what I think may have been running through their heads when they returned from their very important tasks that took them away.
Organized Gold
“The Polkaroo was here??? And I missed him again?!?!”
“This keeps happening. We need a better system for Imagination Day.”
“Next time, nobody leaves until the Polkaroo has been accounted for.”
“I’m adding a Polkaroo check to the morning routine.”
“Could we please establish a schedule so this doesn’t happen again?”
“If everyone had followed the plan, this would never have happened.”
.
Inquiring Green
“The Polkaroo was here??? And I missed him again?!?!”
“Why did I miss the Polkaroo again?”
“Has anyone else noticed a pattern of when the Polkaroo usually appears?”
“There has to be a reason he always arrives when one of us is gone.”
“I think we need to revisit our assumptions about Polkaroo appearances.”
“What exactly is a Polkaroo?”
Authentic Blue
“The Polkaroo was here??? And I missed him again?!?!”
“Oh no… I hope he wasn’t waiting around for me.”
“I hope he comes back. I really wanted to check in on him.”
“Did he seem happy? Did everyone have a good time? What about Humpty, and Dumpty, and Marigold? and Bear?”
“Maybe next Imagination Day we can make sure everyone gets a chance to spend time with him.”
“I don’t even mind that I missed him… I just hope he knows I was excited to see him.”
Resourceful Oranges
“The Polkaroo was here??? And I missed him again?!?!”
“No time to talk about it, we have a Polkaroo to catch.”
“Missed him again? Well, at least that makes Imagination Day interesting!”
“Did anyone check behind the door? Behind the couch? The obvious places? The not-so-obvious places?”
“Does anyone know if Canadian Tire sells humane Polkaroo traps?”
“Wait… he’s gone already? How fast can he run?”
“I’m not saying we should hide near the door all day… but I’m also not saying we shouldn’t.”
In over two decades, the Polkaroo never changed. He always showed up with the same excitement, the same energy, and the same mysterious ability to appear the moment someone stepped away. But the reaction to hearing, “The Polkaroo was here??? And I missed him again?!?!” was never quite the same.
The same news could create a completely different reaction depending on who was hearing it. Some would look for meaning, some would look for answers, some would look for a better plan, and some would already be halfway out the door searching for him.
Although, after all these years, there is still one thing that everyone can agree on: Never leave the room when it’s Imagination Day.
Brad Whitehorn – BA, CCDP is a lifelong Introvert, and the Associate Director at CLSR Inc. He was thrown into the career development field headfirst after completing a Communications degree in 2005, and hasn’t looked back! Since then, Brad has worked on the development, implementation and certification for various career and personality assessments (including Personality Dimensions®), making sure that Career Development Practitioners and HR Professionals get the right tools to do their best work. Brad is also on the board of directors for the Career Professionals of Canada, and an advisory committee member with the Career Development Professionals of Ontario.
One Response
Brad, this is a lovely, well-written piece that brings back many memories for me of watching Polka Dot Door with my son when he was a child. I loved Polkaroo! This is a very entertaining application of the 4 types. You’re a great writer! Hope you’re doing well.