Pixanne

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Pixanne was a popular children's television program hosted by singer-actress Jane Norman (born about 1935) that ran from 1960 to 1976, primarily on WCAU-TV in Philadelphia. The show was syndicated nationally from 1970 to 1976.

The show began when Norman, a onetime child prodigy who'd been playing and composing music since she was 8, contacted on old classmate from Temple University, working at what was then WFIL and is now WPVI-TV about a possible children's program featuring a Peter Pan-like character. Though there were no openings at WFIL the friend recommended her to the CBS owned-and-operated station WCAU. Though she walked in with no appointment, she got the show immediately, and production soon began. The name "Pixanne" was a combination of "pixie" and "Anne" ("Pixjane", apparently, didn't sound as good), and a costume, looking very much like Mary Martin's Peter Pan, was made. There was a supporting cast of puppets as well, including Oggie the owl, and Fliffy the butterfly. There was an alter-ego as well: A witch called Windy.

When WCAU management changed in 1969, they took Pixanne off the air, much to the protests of many viewers. But the show soon came back on in syndication, with WNEW-TV in New York as the flagship station. The show went off the air in 1976. Jane Norman is still singing and performing around her native Philadelphia, though her performing is now mostly focused towards adults.

[edit] Stations

• WCVB-TV / Channel 5• Boston, Massachusetts
• WFBC-TV / Channel 4• Greenville, South Carolina
• WNEW-TV / Channel 5• New York, New York