TV REVIEW : Canadian Invasion Continues With ‘Elephant Show’ on Nickelodeon

It’s a Canadian invasion: First, Canada’s children’s singer Raffi captured the affections of U.S. preschoolers. Now, the “Sharon, Lois & Bram’s Elephant Show,” a hit program for youngsters on Canadian television for the past four years, has made its U.S. debut on the Nickelodeon cable station.

Running Monday through Friday at 11 a.m., the Cambium Productions show has already garnered the 1988 Parent’s Choice Award for best children’s television show.

In this jolly, gentle half-hour of music, animation and live action, Sharon, Lois and Bram are like two favorite aunts and an uncle, always ready for games and laughter. Performing together for nine years, they seem as comfortable as old blue-jeans.

One episode, “Funny Field Day,” has a mellow, day-in-the-park setting where the trio join a bunch of kids in silly bike and sack races, a softball game, favorite songs and joke-telling. (“How do you know an elephant is under your bed?” “Because your nose touches the ceiling.”) For the young set, it’s a winning formula.

Sharon, Lois and Bram, who have embarked on a spring tour, will appear in concert at UCLA’s Wadsworth Theatre on Sunday at 1 p.m.