Carole And Paula From 'The Magic Garden' Bring Flower Power To Emelin

MAMARONECK, NY — Will you be at the Emelin Theatre this weekend celebrating the 50th anniversary of the WPIX11 hit tv show, "The Magic Garden," with Carole and Paula live on stage?

If you were a kid in the NYC metro area in the 70s or early 80s (or in any of the areas the show was syndicated to), you probably watched "The Magic Garden," which aired from 1972 - 1984. It was described by the New York Times as "a cheerful, low-budget, inadvertently psychedelic half-hour show in which Ms. Janis and Ms. Demas sat on giant toadstools, spoke to flowers, sang songs and told stories."

The stars of the show, Carole Demas and Paula Janis, have been friends since they met at the age of 14 in 1954. In 1972, "The Magic Garden" was born. The show won critical acclaim and millions of fans during its 12 years on the air as the two combined their talents for performing and educating. They brought stories, songs, games, lessons and laughter to a wide audience and achieved ratings that equaled or surpassed those of Sesame Street and Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, according to promoters. The show's quirky style made it entertaining for adults as well as kids.

An extraordinary number of adults show up to Carole and Paula’s live performances to reconnect with their memories of life lived in the garden, amidst the toadstools. With three albums, a popular DVD, a Grammy nomination, and citations from Actions for Children’s Television and the Children’s Television Workshop, plus two additional one-hour specials: "A Magic Garden Christmas" and "Magic Garden- Still Growing", "The Magic Garden" legacy has been sealed.

In 2021, it was announced that Hot Spaghetti Productions was running a crowdfunding campaign for an animated version of the show called "The New Magic Garden," starring younger versions of all the characters, and featuring the voices of Demas and Janis.

Cary Antebi, the creator, operator and voice of the original Sherlock, the peanut-loving squirrel puppet from the show, will also be joining Carole & Paula at the Emelin.

A limited number of tickets are still available for the 12 p.m. and 3 p.m. shows.