Bob Homme has died. For years he was a familiar and welcome face on CBC TV as the Friendly Giant on the popular children's show.

Homme died on Tuesday. He had prostate cancer. He was 81.

The Friendly Giant debuted on radio in 1953 in Madison, Wisconsin. Homme, Rusty the Rooster and Jerome the Giraffe, characters on the program, moved to Canada in 1958. The show became a staple of CBC programming for more than 25 years.

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"One little chair for one of you..."

It introduced generations of children to books and music. Homme was the creator, writer and star of the show.

The show started the same way every day, with Friendly opening the drawbridge and reaching down with a gigantic hand to arrange, "One little chair for one of you, and a bigger chair for two more to curl up in, and for someone who likes to rock, a rocking chair in the middle."

Then, he invited viewers to, "Look up. . . look waayyy up." There he stood, joined by his friends Rusty and Jerome, and they would set about singing chatting and reading stories to young viewers during the 15 minute show.

A scene from 'The Friendly Giant' TV show
A scene from 'The Friendly Giant' TV show

Homme was awarded the Order of Canada in 1998. He was too ill to travel to Ottawa to receive the award, so Romeo LeBlanc, then governor-general, made a special visit to his home in Grafton, Ontario, to present the medal.

Homme is survived by his wife Esther and four children.