Tiny Tov from "The Magic Door".
The first time I heard any mention of Hanukkah on television was in 1963 on my favorite Sunday morning program called “The Magic Door.” Produced by the Chicago Board of Rabbis, this wonderful TV show featured a Peter Pan-like elf character named Tiny Tov who lived inside of an acorn house in the city of Torahville.
I never missed an episode of this show. It featured the only Jews visible on TV when I was young, except for a few assimilated characters (usually played by Catholics) such as Bernie on “Bridget Loves Bernie” and later Mary Tyler Moore’s friend Rhoda Morgenstern. Apart from the captivating Tiny Tov, the characters on “The Magic Door” included puppets Booby Beaver (!) and Deedee and Scrunch, and a few human friends. The residents of Torahville celebrated all of the Jewish holidays, read stories from the Old Testament, introduced Hebrew words and phrases, and explored Jewish values. Every week, Tiny Tov would enter into his magical world by singing the following song (if there any Baby Boomer Chicagoans out there, let me know if I’m remembering these words correctly):
A-room zoom zoom
A-room zoom zoom
Gily gily gily gily gily
A-sa, sah.
Come through the Magic Door with me
Just say these words and wondrous things you'll see!