Line #13 Series/DragonsWagonsAndWax


1	[[quoteright:320:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/2c1ba8ccd1089707dff5e83d60c84aca.jpg]]
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3	''Dragons, Wagons & Wax'' was an EdutainmentShow produced by WCET in Cincinnati, Ohio. It was a cooperative production from the Ohio Department of Education, and the International Instructional Television Cooperative. It was shown in schools in UsefulNotes/{{Ohio}} during the late 1970's and early 1980's, and occasionally elsewhere on Creator/{{PBS}} stations.
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5	The show featured Tom Long and Linda Sizemore talking about various educational topics, with a focus on science. The topics usually had Tom and Linda in a two-room set, and sometimes an animation would help illustrate the point. 32 episodes were filmed.
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7	What most children remember though was the ActionHoggingOpening, which was usually the only thing the program had to do with "dragons", "wagons" and "wax".
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9	Episode one is [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LNYttC6-uMk available to watch on YouTube, here]].
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13	!!Tropes on ''Dragons, Wagons & Wax'':
14	* ActionHoggingOpening: In a smooth animated opening, a silhouette trying to lever a large wheel succeeds. This flies over the silhouette of a large cat and down a mountain, where it picks up a dragon who is eating flowers. The dragon rides along on the wheel, which somehow produces a seat and turns into a wagon as the dragon goes through several different climate zones and into a tunnel. He goes down a waterfall and the wagon turns into the TitleCard. Then a slow program with TalkingHeads happens.
15	* AnimatedCreditsOpening: The titular Dragon rides a wagon and lights a candle.
16	* AsYouKnow: Tom and Linda discuss topics that frankly most adults would not find an interesting topic without children around, like several minutes of discussing why a ceramic lion is not alive and will never grow in episode one.
17	* BaitAndSwitchCredits: See ActionHoggingOpening, above.
18	* CreditsMontage: The end credits for the show were stills of the opening animation, set to the same music with credits rolling over them.
19	* FunWithAcronyms: CREFT (Cleanliness, Rest, Exercise, Food and Teeth)
20	* InevitableWaterfall: The dragon goes over one at the end of the opening credits.
21	* LeftHanging[=/=]RiddleForTheAges: We never learn the connection -if any - between the opening and the show proper. Nor do we ever learn more about the reason the wheel was rolling or what happened to the poor dragon.
22	* LoudGulp: The dragon utters one in his predicament.
23	* MundaneUtility: The dragon uses his fire breath to light a candle.
24	* NoFourthWall: At times, the viewer is addressed directly.
25	* NonindicativeName: Only the opening always has a dragon, a wagon, and a wax candle - the opening has nothing to do with the actual show.
26	* OurDragonsAreDifferent: In this case, it's little more than a fire-breathing ChewToy and a ...
27	* PinballProtagonist: The dragon in the opening.
28	* TalkingHeads: Tom and Linda do little more than talk slowly for the viewer.

Context Series / DragonsWagonsAndWax