For the last four days, a very familiar piece of Canadian television history took over Fan Expo Canada, and people were thrilled.
The original Big Comfy Couch was on display at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre from Aug. 26–29, giving fans the chance to do something many of them probably never expected to do again: sit on Loonette the Clown’s famous couch.
The couch was brought to the South Building by Retrokid, where it became one of the convention’s more nostalgic photo opportunities at Booth 1233.
Streets of Toronto’s video of the couch on display was viewed by more than four million people.
For anyone who grew up watching The Big Comfy Couch, the setup was apparently very hard to resist. Fans climbed onto the actual couch to recreate one of the show’s most recognizable moments: the clock stretch.
And it wasn’t just the furniture making an appearance.
Alyson Court, who portrayed Loonette the Clown, was also in attendance at Fan Expo Canada meeting fans.
The Canadian series originally premiered in 1992 and became a staple of children’s television, following Loonette and her doll Molly as they played games, told stories, sang songs and, of course, cleaned up the Big Comfy Couch.
For a generation of Canadians, the Big Comfy Couch isn’t just a piece of TV furniture. It’s a piece of childhood.