Even though I’m quite afraid of escalators, I guess I should be thankful for the one that connects the first floor to the food court in Toronto’s CBC building. Or maybe not. The effect probably would have been the same had it been a flight of stairs. Anywho, the point is that I was riding an escalator when I happened to spot Casey & Finnegan’s treehouse. Note the choice of words – “happened to spot.” You’d think that such a gem as Casey & Finnegan’s treehouse would be out in the open for everyone to enjoy, right? Wrong. It was just shoved into a corner in an un-used section of the building, where only a percentage of escalator-riders would have the chance to see it. Being one of those fortunate escalator-riders, I immediately forgot my phobia, clambered up the remainder of the creepy stairs-that-move, ran over to the treehouse, and knocked on the little blue door.

Casey answered, and Finnegan was close behind. Though that’s rather obvious – have you ever seen Casey without Finnegan? Anywho, they were glad to have a visitor, and came outside to chat. We mostly talked about the good ol’ days, before Casey went off to school and we never got to play with him or Finnegan again. Casey told me that he loves going to school, but he and Finnegan really miss singing songs and acting out little plays. They try every now and then, but it just isn’t the same without Mr. Dressup.

That brought us to another important issue. I told Casey & Finnegan about how sad I was the day that Mr. Dressup died. Not only was Mr. Dressup supposed to live forever, but I was supposed to meet him someday! Casey & Finnegan told me not to worry. First of all, Mr. Dressup will live forever, as long as us kids don’t forget about him, and as long as CBC keeps playing reruns of the show. Also, they assured me that wherever Mr. Dressup is now, he’s happy, because it’s a place full of funny costumes and craft supplies.

My visit with Casey & Finnegan was short, but before I had to leave, they asked me if I would like to play a game or sing a song. Of course I picked “Boom, Boom, Ain’t It Great To Be Crazy” – that was always my favorite Mr. Dressup song, even though I could never remember the words to the verses. They taught them all to me, and we sang it and had lots of fun. But then I really had to leave, so I got a hug from both boy and puppy, and said my goodbyes. Casey said I could come back anytime, and after Finnegan whispered into his ear, Casey told me that Finnegan had said he was happy I’d come to see them.

Originally I had been perturbed at the fact that Casey & Finnegan’s treehouse had been reduced to a partially-hidden corner. But maybe it was supposed to be that way, so the people who were lucky enough to find it could take the time to visit. I’m glad I did! Of course I forgot the words to “Boom, Boom, Ain’t It Great To Be Crazy” again, but I’ll never forget the day I met Casey & Finnegan.