Friendly Giant Dies at 81

For almost 30 years, Canadians could sit every day to watch Bob Homme portray his beloved Friendly Giant, a character he brought to CBC television from a Wisconsin-based radio show. Every day, viewers would be treated to a view of his castle, where Homme would invite us inside to sit with him, rearrange the furniture for company, and welcome us to spend the next quarter of an hour with his friends, Rusty the Rooster and Jerome the Giraffe.

For so many Canadians born between 1955 and 1980, the Friendly Giant was a staple. Many of us grew up on Sesame Street, Mr. Dressup and this wonderful show. Although we knew him only through the windows of our television, Bob Homme was the Friendly Giant in all of our lives. Unfortunately, on 1 May 2000, Bob Homme lost his long-time battle with cancer.

Bob Homme retired in 1985, and settled just north of Grafton, Ontario, with his wife, Esther, whom he wed in the late 1940s, and with whom he had four children. Born in Wisconsin in 1919, Homme started his Friendly Giant routine in Madison, Wisconsin, and broadcast it over the radio until the CBC brought the show to Canada. Homme got the word that the CBC wanted his show (at the time, working for CBC was a real coup), and moved his family (youngest son, Peter, was only days old) to Toronto, where he picked up a new puppeteer (Roy Coneybeare). In 1994, Homme finally became a legalized Canadian citizen.

Every episode opened the same. The Giant invited viewers into his castle, rearranged the tiny chairs in front of the tiny fireplace for people to sit, and then rested back against the wall, occasionally talking to Rusty the Rooster, or passing a few words with Jerome the Giraffe. Many times the show was passed while the Giant played a few rounds with his friends, or read a story to his watchers.

The show was beloved by children for years, not because of flashy special effects or outrageous budgets, but because of Bob Homme's tremendous presence and charisma. There was never a trace of the arrogance that occasionally marks today's children's shows, or even shows that have slight dealings with children. And, unlike many of the shows today, Homme's Friendly Giant was a man for all seasons, appealing to both older and younger audiences. Two years ago, Homme was even awarded the Order of Canada. When Homme was too ill to attend the ceremony, the Governor General of Canada at that time (Romeo LeBlanc) traveled to Homme's home in Grafton to present the award personally.

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