Birthday House

Name: Birthday House
Genre: Family
Released: 1963-04-01
Rating: 7.1
Cast: Paul Tripp, Ruth Enders, Kay Lande

TV Series
1963–19671963–1967
1h

7.1/10

Episode guide

Paul Tripp and Beryl Bernay in Birthday House (1963)

Family

Children's Television Show (live, 5 days). With a birthday boy and/or girl and their friends as on-air guests, viewers were engaged in games, songs, stories, craft-making, informational segm... Read allChildren's Television Show (live, 5 days). With a birthday boy and/or girl and their friends as on-air guests, viewers were engaged in games, songs, stories, craft-making, informational segments, puppet plays and interviews with guest performers and personalities.Children's Television Show (live, 5 days). With a birthday boy and/or girl and their friends as on-air guests, viewers were engaged in games, songs, stories, craft-making, informational segments, puppet plays and interviews with guest performers and personalities.

7.1/10

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Trivia
This was one of the last programs at NBC to convert to color. It was also one of last (if not THE last) non-news programs to be broadcast "live". It went on the air every weekday morning at 9 am (following the "Today" show) from studio 8G in the RCA Building. While the studio was being converted to color in 1966, "Birthday House" held court in studio 8H where Saturday Night Live (1975) now lives.

Top review

8/10

One of the First TV Shows I Remember

When I was five years old and living in New Jersey, one of the first TV shows I remember watching was a local kids show on WNBC-TV titled "Birthday House." The show was hosted by Paul Tripp and featured his wife, Ruth Enders, Jan Lara, Kay Lande and Tom Tichenor, who was also the shows puppeteer. He also played a character named Strawtop.

There were also the puppet characters George, Ducky, Mrs. Oven, Knock Knock and TC, the Talking Toychest. In one episode, Tripp said "TC stands for Toychest."

On each episode, a youngster and a few friends celebrated their birthday on TV. After a number of educational segments and songs, it would be time for the birthday cake and presents. The one song I remember from the cake segment that Tripp always sang went:

Make a wish Don't Tell. And if your wish comes true, I told you so.

I also owned a album of songs from "Birthday House", which included the song that opened each episode "Good morning good morning. Someone's birthday is today." "How old are you Today" "Hi Mike" and "Everybody up. Everybody up. Everybody up up up."

Even though "Birthday House" has been off the air for more than 40 years and Tripp has passed away, the show brings back fond memories of growing up in New Jersey. The concept of kids celebrating their birthday on TV would still work today as a reality show, a departure from the mean-spirited shows that have permeated the airwaves.

Welcome to Birthday House.

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