The Candy Apple News Company

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{{Infobox television

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| genre = Children's television

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| starring = Matt Robinson

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| country = United States

| language = English

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| channel = WCAU-TV, Channel 10 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

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The Candy Apple News Company is a locally produced children's television series that premiered on Friday, February 2, 1979 at 8:00pm{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/79557036/candy-apple-news-company-premiere-episod/|title = Candy Apple News Company premiere episode listing|newspaper = The Philadelphia Inquirer|date = 28 January 1979|page = 284}} on WCAU-TV Channel 10 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The premiere was rebroadcast the following Sunday at 8:00am, which remained the show's time slot for the rest of the season.{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/79554571/candy-apple-news-company-premiere/|title=Candy Apple News Company premiere feature|newspaper=Courier-Post|date=2 February 1979|page=20}} It was rerun early on weekend mornings for many years until the final regular airing on September 7, 1991.{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/79783657/candy-apple-news-company-wcau-tv-10/|title = Candy Apple News Company (WCAU-TV 10, Philadelphia PA) - the last documented airing|newspaper = Citizens' Voice|date = 7 September 1991|page = 19}} Between 2006-2011 WCAU occasionally ran a show called Out of the Vault{{Cite web|url=https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/local/show-spotlight-out-of-the-vault/1864048/|title=Show Spotlight: Out of the Vault|website=Nbdphiladelphia.com|date=2 December 2010 |accessdate=9 May 2022}} that featured Candy Apple News Company,{{Cite web |url=https://www.radiodiscussions.com/threads/wcau-tv-10-airs-new-show-called-out-of-the-vault.481117/ |title=WCAU-TV 10 airs new show called "Out of the Vault" | RadioDiscussions |access-date=2021-06-19 |archive-date=2021-06-24 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210624202933/https://www.radiodiscussions.com/threads/wcau-tv-10-airs-new-show-called-out-of-the-vault.481117/ |url-status=dead }} although it's unknown how many episodes were shown.

In the show, a small human cast interacted with puppets in an old-fashioned, small-town storefront office which operated as a feature service distributing items of children's interest to television, radio and newspapers. The principal human cast member was Matt Robinson, who had previously played Gordon on Sesame Street., as the Editor-in-Chief. He was joined by his assistant C.B., played by Mary Margaret Myers, and a staff of puppets; a bat (Boris) worked as book reviewer, a mole (Morgan) was a researcher, and a cuckoo (Alistair) was the timekeeper. Other Candy Apple regulars included puppet Sparks O'Sullivan and a vintage 1930s talking radio that acted as show narrator.{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/79554390/candy-apple-news-company-premiere/|title=Candy Apple News Company premiere announcement|newspaper=Sunday News|date=28 January 1979|page=79}} Each episode was an hour of skits, short educational films, and other produced pieces.

The mole, bat, and cuckoo puppets were first used a year earlier in the half-hour WCAU feature Yipe! Don't Be Afraid.{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/79784383/yipe-dont-be-afraid-wcau-tv-10/|title=Yipe! Don't be Afraid (WCAU-TV 10, Philadelphia PA) - synopsis with more Candy Apple News puppets|newspaper=The Philadelphia Inquirer|date=December 1978|page=59}} They were built by George Neff, chairman of the art department at Glassboro State College in New Jersey.{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/79784075/yipe-dont-be-afraid-wcau-tv-10/|title=Yipe! Don't be Afraid (WCAU-TV 10, Philadelphia PA) - Where the Candy Apple News puppets came from|newspaper=The Philadelphia Inquirer|date=14 August 1978|page=41}}