Or at least, a person in an elephant outfit.
The trio were also frequently joined by a variety of guest stars, including musicians, entertainers, and artists. Episodes of the show generally included a loose plot (for example, a day at a fair or a day when Elephant stayed home sick), interspersed with silly jokes, skits, and a great deal of the trio's music. Up until the final season, each episode always contained footage of Sharon, Lois and Bram performing in concert.
The show was produced by Cambium Film & Video Productions, the production company of producers Arnie Zipursky and Bruce Glawson, alongside CBC. During the first season, TVOntario, the provincial network serving the Canadian province of Ontario aired the first season of the elephant show for 13 episodes around 1984 until 1993. The Elephant Show also aired on Global's Kidstv around 1996 with half episode scenes recorded. In addition to its Canadian airings, the show also aired in the United States on Nickelodeon from 1989-1994.
This show provides examples of:
- A Dog Named "Dog": Elephant was an anthrophomorphic elephant who was just called "Elephant" by her human friends.
- Bizarre Instrument: Eric Nagler occasionally appeared with the Sewerphone, a brass-style instrument made of plumbing pipe with a washing machine agitator as a bell.
- Fake Guest Star: Poor Eric Nagler was always listed as a guest star, despite long runs of episodes in which he continuously appeared. Paula Gallivan, the actress inside the Elephant costume, as well as the Mammoth Band, the group of musicians backing Sharon, Lois, and Bram in concert and on record, also received this treatment as well. Furthermore, the members of the Mammoth Band weren't individually credited on any episodes, they were just credited collectively as "The Mammoth Band." They were, however, individually credited on albums.
- Name and Name: Well, Name, Name, & Name.
- Samus Is a Girl: Elephant was played by a woman, and the human characters used female pronouns when referring to her.
- The Silent Bob: Elephant is this, to an extent, because as opposed to delivering regular dialogue, she just provides a tuba sound, played by an uncredited Scott Irvine.
- Wrap-Up Song: "Skinnamarink", a song about how the trio loves the viewers and thinks they're a wonderful friend, closes each episode.
Episodes of this show provide examples of:
- Creator Cameo: In the "Curio Shoppe" episode, the dancer seen dancing with Elephant in Elephant's fantasy is choreographer Don Calderwood.
- The Little Shop That Wasn't There Yesterday: This was the basis for the episode "Curio Shoppe". The titular shop sells magical antiques that let the trio live out their daydreams. When they go back to show Eric Nagler, the shop is gone.
- Pirate Booty: The group seeks this in the Treasure Island episode.
- Whodunit: The "Who stole the cookies?" Episode, "it" being the heinous crime of taking all of the fresh-baked cookies. The culprit? Everyone.
